News Release

Safety improvements on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway

Date: March 7, 2023
Contact: Vincent J. Vaise, 202-395-1717

WASHINGTON — The National Park Service (NPS) is taking steps to improve safety on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway through new and improved signs, mile markers and guardrails. Thousands of travelers to the nation’s capital and daily commuters will notice improvements starting this spring. 

The NPS will replace 154 signs and install 33 new signs to improve driver safety and wayfinding along the parkway. Other safety elements include the repair of guardrails and addition of mile markers. The mile markers, which will begin at the D.C. boundary and continue to MD Route 175, will help emergency teams respond more precisely. The NPS will install the signs and guardrails over the next few months and expects to complete work this summer. Periodic lane closures during non-rush-hour periods will occur for installation.

Travelers will more easily see the new signs as they meet the latest standards in color, composition and retro-reflectivity. Retro-reflectivity is technology that enhances readability in low-light and nighttime conditions by reflecting light back to the source, much like a bicycle reflector does. The color of the signs will be in keeping with the existing designs to preserve the scenic nature of the parkway.

The Baltimore-Washington Parkway was established as a scenic roadway, a formal entrance to the nation’s capital and as an extension of the national park system of Washington, D.C. 

The NPS reminds drivers that commercial vehicles, buses, and trucks over 10,000 pounds are prohibited from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway because it was not designed to accommodate such use. The NPS will install “No Trucks/Commercial Vehicles” signs at the top of each entrance ramp to the parkway. 

-NPS-