GWMP Closure Order #26-005 Pursuant to 36 CFR Section 1.5, the National Park Service is imposing a temporary closure of portions of Clara Barton Parkway in connection with the 2026 BellRinger cycling event. The closure is necessary to provide for the safe movement of event participants and the traveling public during the organized bicycle event. The BellRinger Ride Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2026. Riders will depart Georgetown University's campus beginning at 7:30 AM and proceed onto Canal Road and the event route. The BellRinger plan identifies four route options—25, 50, 62, and 100 miles—and states that all riders are expected to clear the District by 8:20 AM. The temporary road closure addressed by this determination will apply to Clara Barton Parkway as necessary to accommodate the BellRinger route and associated traffic-control operations. The roadway closure is anticipated to end at approximately 11:00 AM, subject to the completion of event-related traffic-control operations and a determination by George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) and US Park Police (USPP) that the roadway can safely reopen. The purpose of the temporary closure is to protect participants, motorists, pedestrians, and NPS employees while allowing the BellRinger bicycle event to proceed through the Clara Barton Parkway corridor. A temporary restriction of vehicle traffic is necessary because bicycles will use the roadway during the organized group departure and subsequent passage through the parkway corridor. The BellRinger operational plan calls for a managed group start at 7:30 AM, followed by staggered departures. The final scheduled rider departure is 7:50 AM, with all riders expected to clear the District by 8:20 AM. Traffic-control operations will continue as necessary after the rider departure to accommodate the safe passage of participants through the affected Clara Barton Parkway corridor and to ensure that the roadway can be safely reopened. The closure is temporary and limited to the period necessary to safely accommodate BellRinger participants on Clara Barton Parkway. The closure will begin at 6:00 AM for authorized traffic-control staging and is anticipated to end at approximately 11:00 AM. GWMP will limit the closure to the roadway segments and travel directions required for public and participant safety and will reopen the roadway as soon as conditions permit. The closure is not of a nature, magnitude, or duration that will result in a significant alteration to the public use pattern of the parkway. The closure is associated with a single scheduled event and will terminate when the event-related traffic hazard has passed and GWMP determines that the roadway can safely reopen. During the closure, unauthorized vehicular entry into the closed roadway segment is prohibited. Traffic-control devices, signs, cones, barricades, law-enforcement personnel, and other appropriate measures will identify and secure the closed roadway. Where feasible and safe, unaffected portions of the parkway will remain available for public use. The event plan identifies Georgetown University Police, EMS, security personnel, event operations staff, and volunteers as supporting Ride Day operations. Riders are scheduled to begin staging at 6:45 AM, with announcements beginning at 7:00 AM and staggered departures from 7:30 AM through 7:50 AM. Given the number of cyclists participating, the managed group start, the use of the roadway by event participants, and the need to separate bicycle traffic from motor vehicle traffic, less restrictive measures will not provide an equivalent level of public safety during the affected period. The temporary closure is therefore necessary for the safe conduct of the event. The temporary closure is not expected to adversely affect the park's natural, aesthetic, or cultural values. The action is limited to temporary management of roadway use and does not authorize construction, ground disturbance, or alteration of park resources. Nothing in this order is intended to prevent the National Park Service, its employees, volunteers, partners, contractors, subcontractors, emergency responders, or designees from accessing the affected area as necessary to fulfill their administrative, safety, maintenance, or emergency responsibilities. Accordingly, the National Park Service determines that publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 CFR § 1.5(c). This temporary closure is consistent with the type of temporary park closure and public-use limitation addressed in the cited GWMP Record of Determination template. This order is effective on October 24, 2026 at 6:00 A.M. and will remain in effect only for the period required for BellRinger Cycling Event operations and associated traffic-control activities on October 24, 2026. The roadway closure is anticipated to end at approximately 11:00 AM, subject to the completion of event-related traffic-control operations and a determination by GWMP and USPP that the roadway can safely reopen. The 6:00 A.M. effective time also establishes the start of authorized traffic-control staging, including deployment of the three USPP-requested heavy blocking vehicles. Pursuant to 36 CFR Section 1.7, notice of the temporary closure will be made through appropriate public notification, media advisories, traffic-control signage, and posting at conspicuous locations in the affected park area, as applicable. The final closure limits, direction(s), and operational period shall be confirmed by GWMP through the approved traffic-control plan before implementation. The heavy-vehicle locations and 6:00 A.M. staging requirement identified by USPP are incorporated into this determination as traffic-safety measures supporting the temporary closure. Vincent Vaise /s/ Superintendent (acting) George Washington Memorial Parkway 10/15/2026 |
Last updated: October 16, 2026