News Release

Canal restoration project coming to Georgetown

Date: December 13, 2023
Contact: Christiana Hanson, 301-491-6265

WASHINGTON – A historic preservation and maintenance project starting in 2024 will protect key parts of our country’s early transportation history and reduce the risk of flooding in Georgetown during storms and high water. The National Park Service (NPS) expects to start work in the spring and be finished by the end of 2025 (weather dependent).

The project will focus on historic canal features including Inlet Lock 1, which diverts water from the Potomac River to the five-mile-section of the canal in Georgetown, three locks (Locks 1, 2 and 5) and the canal walls at Level 4. This continues the NPS’s work to preserve the canal and provide authentic, active places for people to enjoy.

Each fall, the NPS drains the water from the canal to prevent damage to the masonry walls caused by ice and freeze/thaw cycles. Water will be channeled back into the canal when construction is complete and there is no risk of freezing. Portions of the towpath may be closed with detours indicated. NPS will share more information on the project when it’s available so there is as little disruption as possible. Check the park’s website for updates.

The Georgetown Visitor Center, which has been updated both inside and out, will reopen in the spring.

Journey through recent canal maintenance in Washington, DC 

NPS is in the process of repairing damages caused by a flash flood at Fletchers Cove after a high intensity rainfall on July 8, 2019. This $574,825 NPS-funded (FHWA Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads) project will repair pipes and drainage channels, stabilize bridges and the roadway along the access road to the lower Fletchers Cove parking lot, and repave damaged road surfaces. The project kicked off in November 2023 and is anticipated to be completed by the end of December 2023. 

In 2022, NPS completed the repair of the upper gates at historic Lift Lock 2, which is the second lock from the start of the canal in Georgetown. This repair was part of a larger $468,447 (line- item construction) project that also replaced the upper and lower timber lock gates at historic Lift Lock 20 at Great Falls Tavern.

In 2021, the NPS completed a $1.8 million (emergency construction funds) project to temporarily stabilize the dry-laid stone retaining wall in Georgetown just west of the Wisconsin Avenue bridge near the intersection with Grace Street. This interim shoring will be incorporated into the permanent fix in the upcoming construction.

From 2016-2019, the NPS repaired the foundation, walls and gates of Locks 3 and 4. Great care was taken to honor the canal’s history during the restoration. For example, the locks were fully disassembled, and the original wood foundation was removed and replaced with a reinforced concrete foundation to improve durability and flood-resistance. The locks were rebuilt using as much of the original stone as possible. New, but historically accurate, lock gates were constructed and installed. Before this $8.5 million (line-item construction) rehabilitation, the canal walls had been shifting inward. 

-NPS-

Preserving America’s early transportation history, the C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years, the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potomac River as coal, lumber and agricultural products floated down the waterway to market. Today it endures as a pathway to discover history, nature, and fun with friends and family. 

Learn more at www.nps.gov/choh.