Construction Updates - Georgetown

A canal lined with stone walls cuts through a brick plaza. There are dark colored, thick wooden post with chains around the plaza.
Lock 3 restored.

National Park Service

Lock 3

Current Progress

Work is complete and the towpath is OPEN.

 
Cut stone walls placed into the ground creating a space between as a canal. Tall buildings also surround the site.
Lock 4 work is complete.

Lock 4

Current Progress

Work is complete

 
 
Excavated area in surrounded by buildings in an urban setting Two parallel light colored cut stone walls under construction.  Construction is down in a excavate surrounded by buildings in an urban setting
Lock 3 - Fully dissembled - July 2017 National Park Service
Reconstructing the walls of Lock 3 National Park Service

Construction Progress July-November 2017

These two images show the progress on reconstructing Lock 3. The lock is being reconstructed from a combination of original and new stones. The large stone piles in the foreground are rubble stone which will be used behind the cut stone of the lock walls themselves. The stone for the walls is stored just to the left of the construction area. This view is from Thomas Jefferson Street Bridge.
 


 
Construction site with a large crane and construction workers removing stones from a set of walls Large excavated area with large piles of large stones surrounded by buildings
Lock 3 work - March 2017 National Park Service
Lock 3 work - July 2017 National Park Service

Construction Progress - March-July 2017

These images show the before and after of the disassembling of Lock 3. The first image was taken in March 2017 just as the work to remove the lock walls began. Workers mapped and labeled all the individual stones and as many of them as possible with used in the reconstruction. The rock piles in the foreground are not stone from the lock walls stone its rubble stone which was used to fill behind the lock walls. Preparation work is underway to begin the lock reconstruction.


 
Image showing streets and buildings taken by a satellite
 

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions):

Impact to Surrounding Area

See the map above for the boundaries of the work area.

Q: Will the canal be drained for this construction project?
A: Water is currently flowing in the canal. The canal was drained from Lock 5 to the Georgetown boundary during construction.

Q: Will the canal be drained for the whole duration of the project?
A: Water is currently flowing in the canal. Yes, de-watering the canal was important to in relation to both of the workers and to protect the work itself.

Q: What will happen to the Justice Douglas statue?
A: The Justice Douglas is now back at Lock 3. The bust and support were crated and transferred to the Museum Resources Center in Hyattville, Maryland for cleaning and restoration.

Q: How will site access be limited during construction?
A: Public access was re-opened 5/17/19.

Q: What road closures, if any, will happen?
A: The towpath is OPEN for public access. All detours were removed 5/17/19.

Q: Why was the European Basswood tree taken down?
A: For the heavy-lifting of the project to begin, the European basswood tree near Lock 3 had to, unfortunately, be removed. The park worked with engineers and restoration experts to try to work around the tree during construction, but there was no way to do so and keep the tree intact.

Last updated: April 28, 2020

Contact the Park

Mailing Address:

1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100
Hagerstown, MD 21740

Phone:

301-739-4200

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