Colonial Parkway Rehabilitation Project

The Colonial Parkway in spring.

NPS Photo

 

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Latest construction updates

Work along the Colonial Parkway is progressing. Please follow all posted detours and observe all closure notices and avoid closed areas for your safety and the safety of workers on site.

• Anticipated project timetable
• Presentation Boards with current and future closure diagrams, Parkway section identification and photos.

Parkway Rehabilitation Status - April 2025:

In Segment A (Ballard Street to Fusiliers Redoubt Ramp: Route 17 bridge deck is formed and expected to be poured by early May. Bridge crews continue to perform concrete substructure repairs to accommodate the setting of structural steel girders in May. Masonry crews also continue performing cleaning/repairs at the Old Williamsburg Bridge.

In Segment D & E (Felgates Creek to Penniman Road): Crews working on completing installation and aggregate exposure of new concrete pavement.

In Segment F (Penniman Road to Merrimac Trail): Crews are continuing with demolition of the existing pavement, the mixing/placement of cement stabilized subgrade, and the forming/pouring of new exposed aggregate concrete pavement. Masonry crews continue to perform cleaning/repairs at the Page Street, Parkway Drive, and Hubbard Lane bridges. Stormwater culvert crossing work in Segment F is expected to start up in May.

In Segment G (Merrimac Trail to Rt.199): Concrete pavement construction in the vicinity of Newport Avenue ramps is expected to be finished in early May. Concrete and masonry repairs are wrapping up at the Lafayette/CSX bridge over the Colonial Parkway. Electrical crews continue to install the new lighting system inside the Williamsburg Tunnel. Major storm drainage work from the Williamsburg Visitor Center traffic circle east towards Parkway Drive is wrapping up in early May to allow concrete pavement work to start in that section of the Parkway. Finally, streambed improvements are substantially complete with only minor tie-in work at the Williamsburg Traffic Circle box culvert and final tree planting remaining at various stream locations.

Current Closures and Detours

Ballard Street in Yorktown to Fusiliers Road closure: The Parkway is closed from Ballard Street in Yorktown to Fusiliers Road. The Route 17 access ramps are also closed. Work in this area includes replacement of the bridge deck over Route 17and replacement of the bridge deck over Yorktown Creek, exposed aggregate slab replacement, and drainage improvements.

Ringfield Pull-Out on Felgate’s Creek to Penniman Rd Bridge: The Parkway is closed from Felgate’s Creek to the Penniman Road bridge including access to Penniman Rd and the US Naval Supply Center Cheatham Annex. Visitors may still access the parkway at Fusiliers Road to enjoy scenic pull-outs along the York River, but they will need to travel back to Fusiliers Road to exit the parkway. Work on this section includes replacement of exposed aggregate concrete slabs, drainage improvements, and bridge work at Penniman Road.

Penniman Rd to Williamsburg Circle: Closures begin at Penniman Road Bridge up to, and including, the area known as the Williamsburg Circle. (The Williamsburg Circle is the intersection of the Colonial Parkway and Visitor Center Drive/VA 132Y in Williamsburg). Work in this segment includes replacement of concrete slabs, substantial culvert, drainage, and stream restoration work, and bridge rehabilitation.

Williamsburg Circle to North England Street: There are no new detour routes in place as a result of this closure, and existing detour routes to and from Jamestown and the Williamsburg Visitor Center and to and from Yorktown and the Williamsburg Visitor Center will remain in place.

Williamsburg Tunnel/North England Street Ramp southward to the Route 199 interchange: The Parkway from the Williamsburg Tunnel southward to the Route 199 interchange is closed. Work southward from the tunnel will include replacement of the exposed aggregate concrete roadway slabs, drainage improvements, bridge repairs and tunnel rehabilitation, including lighting upgrades.

While construction in these areas is ongoing the Colonial Parkway will be closed, with no visitor access from Felgates Creek, through Williamsburg to VA Route 199. Visitors should follow posted detour signs.

As work is completed and conditions become safe, NPS will reopen segments of the road. The closure from Felgate’s Creek to Cheatham Annex (Penniman Road/Sanda Ave), for example, will be lifted when work is fully complete. Additionally, as work completes within the segment that runs from VA Route 199 to Cheatham Annex, sections will reopen when it is safe to do so.

 

Colonial Parkway Detours and Closures, Interim Detour Effective January 29, 2025

NPS Graphic

 

 

Overview of the project

Thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act, Colonial National Historical Park has secured funding to repair and maintain a ten mile section of the Colonial Parkway, which runs through the park. This vital investment will restore up to 90-year-old Parkway infrastructure for the next 40 to 50 years.The Colonial Parkway Rehabilitation Project will increase visitor access, safety and enjoyment by:

• eliminating road hazards
• improving guardrails
• providing better signage
• improving tunnel lighting, and
• providing a better experience for drivers, who can enjoy the views instead of dodging potholes.

The nearly $123 million Colonial Parkway Rehabilitation Project is one of the largest contruction projects established by the Legacy Restoration Fund in the nation. It will address $110.5 million of maintenance backlog identified by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) along the Colonial Parkway. Work will include:

• rehabilitation of pavement and shoulders.
• repair of eleven bridges and rehabilitation of the Williamsburg Tunnel.
• improved climate resiliency through better management of stormwater, reconditioning of shoulders and ditches, up-sizing of culverts and armoring of drainage channels, and
• maintaining the cultural landscape by replicating the historic exposed aggregate pavement and the brick bridges and culvert headwalls.

The timetable for this project is currently expected to be slightly less than three years, ending in time for the celebration of the nation's 250th birthday in 2026. Work will be substantially completed by June 30, 2026.

See these FAQs about the Colonial Parkway project.

 

Parkway accolades

• Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
• Designated an “All-American Road” (FHWA National Scenic Byway Program).
• Winner of a prestigious Centennial Medallion of the American Society of Landscape Architects as “one of the finest parkway archetypes in the country.”