News Release

Northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway from Chain Bridge Road to the Beltway will remain closed for several days

Date: May 11, 2019
Contact: Jonathan Shafer, [phone]

UPDATE: May 13, 11:35 a.m. — Due to continued rain, the National Park Service now hopes to reopen one lane in time for the evening rush hour on Tuesday, May 14. If this schedule changes, we will share an update.

The NPS in cooperation with our partners at Federal Highway Administration will inject grout to stabilize the soil. This grout acts like expanding foam filling gaps in the eroded soil. Once the ground is stabilized, one lane will reopen. Reopening one lane is weather dependent. Until repairs are completed, both northbound lanes will remain closed from VA 123, Chain Bridge Road to I-495, the Capital Beltway. Read below for background on efforts to repair the sinkhole on the parkway.

Update May 12, 10:30 a.m. — Due to rain on Saturday and Sunday, the National Park Service now hopes to reopen one lane in time for the evening rush hour on Monday, May 13. Reopening one lane is weather dependent.  Until repairs are completed, both northbound lanes will remain closed from VA 123, Chain Bridge Road to I-495, the Capital Beltway. Read below for background on efforts to repair the sinkhole on the parkway.

McLean, VA.— Both northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway will remain closed from Virginia 123, Chain Bridge Road, to I-495, the Capital Beltway, for the next several days as the National Park Service (NPS) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) work stabilize a sinkhole near Dead Run. The NPS will share additional information as it is available and is committed to keeping the public informed and working to minimize effects on area drivers.  

 

Preliminary investigations by engineers Saturday morning revealed that a 60 year-old, 40 foot deep brick inlet appears to have failed. After completing stabilization work, one northbound lane will reopen and one lane will remain closed until a long-term fix can be made. The NPS hopes to have one northbound lane open for Monday morning rush hour but the expected rain this weekend may slow the stabilization work and delay reopening the one travel lane. Engineers are actively monitoring the situation and additional closures may be necessary for safety as conditions evolve.

 

Over the coming weeks, engineers and experts from the FHWA will develop an appropriate long-term fix. Constructing the long-term fix is expected to be complex and take some time to complete. Construction on a more permanent solution will likely require both northbound lanes to be closed.

 

This sinkhole developed in the same area near Dead Run as one in March 2019. Since March, FHWA engineers and NPS and United States Park Police personnel have been actively monitoring the area for settling or other concerns. A Park Police officer reported the most recent issue on Friday evening and took immediate action to ensure public safety. The sinkhole is currently affecting an area about 10 feet deep, 30 feet long, and 20 feet wide.

 

Sinkholes are common occurrences in the Greater Washington area and are often preceded by high volumes of rain like the region saw on May 10 and 11.

 

In fall of 2018 the NPS submitted a grant application for the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program to support a project to completely rehabilitate the George Washington Memorial Parkway, including associated drainage infrastructure, from Spout Run to I-495. Grant awards have not yet been announced, but the NPS believes the project will likely compete well given the significance of the parkway.

 

The George Washington Memorial Parkway is a scenic roadway and memorial to the first president of the United States. When the NPS completed the northern part of the parkway in 1962, the NPS used the most up-to-date road engineering methods of the time by integrating a wide, gently curving roadway with a grassy median, low stone guide walls and soaring steel-and-concrete arched bridges. Today, the George Washington Memorial Parkway facilitates the travel of more than 33 million vehicles per year, with the northern section seeing the heaviest traffic with 85,000 daily users.  

 

As a critical link in the national capital region’s transportation network, and closing the parkway is never a decision that is made lightly. Follow local news or visit www.nps.gov/GWMP for the latest information.