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 well! Please follow all posted detours and observe all closure notices and avoid closed areas for your safety and the safety of workers on site.

The closures below go into effect beginning Tuesday, April 9, 2024, with updates appearing below. Please see the "Handout of project timetable" and "Meeting boards" links for detour information. Please expect lane closures intermittently on other sections of the Parkway.

The Colonial Parkway from Williamsburg Circle to North England Street will be closed to local traffic and Colonial Williamsburg buses on or about July 22, 2024. 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. Variable message signs (VMS) and other signage in the area will also provide detour route information and guidance.
Williamsburg Circle will fully close in late 2024 and reopen in Spring 2026. Please note this schedule may change due to weather or other unforeseen conditions.

Ringfield Pull-Out on Felgate’s Creek to Penniman Rd Bridge through Winter 2024/2025: The Parkway will be 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.

Williamsburg Tunnel/North England Street Ramp southward to the Route 199 interchange closure through Summer 2025: The Parkway from the Williamsburg Tunnel southward to the Route 199 interchange will remain closed through summer 2025. The North England Street access ramp will remain open to local traffic and Colonial Williamsburg buses through Summer 2024 (estimate) but will then close through summer of 2025. 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. At that time, the closure will expand to include the North England Street ramp and the Williamsburg Circle.

Ballard Street in Yorktown to Fusiliers Road closure through Winter 2024/2025: The Parkway will remain closed from Ballard Street in Yorktown to Fusiliers Road. The Route 17 access ramps will be closed. Work in this area will begin with replacement of the bridge deck over Route 17. Work will continue with replacement of the bridge deck over Yorktown Creek, exposed aggregate slab replacement, and drainage improvements. This segment is expected to remain closed through Winter 2024/2025.

Fall 2024 Update: The next phase will begin in November. New work closures will 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).

The current closure from VA Route 199 to the Williamsburg Circle will remain in effect. That means the Colonial Parkway will be closed, with no visitor access from Penniman Road Bridge, 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, for example, will be lifted when this phase begins in November. Visitors will be able to travel along the parkway from Fusiliers Road to Cheatham Annex (Sanda Avenue). Additionally, as work completes within the segment that runs from VA Route 199 to Williamsburg Circle, sections will reopen when it is safe to do so.

 

Colonial Parkway Detours and Closures, Phase 2

NPS Graphic

 

The Parkway project as of October 2024

An informational public meeting took place on October 24, 2024. Here are some of the materials relevant to the project.

• Video of the presentation given at the meeting (see element below). This includes both audio and transcription. The presentation details current closures and what closures to expect in the near future.
• Slide show script of the presentation
• Handout of project timetable as of October 2024
• October 2024 meeting boards with current and future closure diagrams, Parkway section identification and photos

 

The requested video is no longer available.

 

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 in the vicinity of Williamsburg, Virginia should be concluded by October 31, 2025, with the remainder of the work 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.”