good evening everybody Welcome to the
National Park Service George Washington
Memorial Parkway public information
session for the North Parkway
Rehabilitation project uh my name is
Mark Malloy I'm the ACT visual
Information Specialist for the George
Washington Memorial Parkway and I'm the
acting public information officer and
I'm going to be your moderator for this
evening uh next slide please
uh we are holding this virtual meeting
to provide information on the current
Rehabilitation of the North Parkway and
the implementation of temporary
reversible lanes in April uh if you are
not already aware closed captions are
available for this meeting uh click on
the closed caption found in the meeting
controls at the bottom of your Zoom
screen to start viewing the closed
captioning uh throughout the meeting we
invite you to submit questions through
the Q a box and zoom these questions
will be addressed after the presentation
as part of the question and answer
session we will read your question aloud
and our presenters and panel members
will respond the team will do their best
to answer all the questions but in the
event that we don't get to your question
we'll provide contact information at the
end of the presentation where you can go
for a post meeting follow-up uh this
meeting will be 90 minutes long uh we
will adjourn at 8 30 p.m uh if we get
through all of your questions early uh
the meeting will conclude once all those
questions have been answered uh please
note that this meeting is being recorded
uh and before we dive into the
presentation I'd like to take a minute
and introduce our presenters uh next
slide please
uh so joining us this evening as
presenters are Charles couvillier uh the
superintendent of the George Washington
Memorial Parkway uh we'll also be being
joined uh by Michael Thomas uh the
project manager for the National Park
Service
uh it will also be joined by myself I've
already introduced myself and uh Sam
Patel the project manager design build
team for Fort Myer Construction
uh we also have several additional
panelists uh available to answer
questions they include representatives
from the U.S Department of
Transportation the Virginia Department
of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration Fort Myer construction
engineer design firm uh wsp they will
introduce themselves if they're called
upon to answer a question uh next slide
uh so we appreciate you taking the time
out of your evening to join us and learn
more about this Rehabilitation project
uh our agenda will cover a brief
overview of the George Washington
Memorial Parkway and the North Parkway
Rehabilitation before turning uh to the
details of the construction update uh
we'll close uh then this evening with a
question and answer session I will now
turn it over to Charles couvillier
superintendent of the George Washington
Memorial Parkway
thank you Mark I appreciate it um and I
have the opportunity to just kind of set
some context for for the project next
slide please
of course the project is happening on
the George Washington Memorial Parkway
which is a Scenic roadway I mean the
nation's first president
in that the parkway is intended to
protect and preserve the cultural
natural resources as part of a
comprehensive system of parks Parkways
and recreational areas in our national
capital region and some of the uh
characteristics and qualities of the
parkway here in the DC area include it's
the
route from Great Falls to Mount Vernon
along with the Clara Barton Parkway is
administered by the George Washington
Memorial Parkway it was designed for
recreational driving it's listed on the
national register of historic places
Which shapes and informs the decisions
we make regarding design and other
activities on the parkway it links the
sites that come commemorate important
episodes in our American history it
preserves habitat for local wildlife and
it's more than just a Parkway it's a
roadway within a park next slide please
the project overall is uh
designed to work on all four lanes of
the Scenic Parkway from 123 excuse me
from spot run all the way to the capital
of Beltway it's a design build project
which means the contractor is working
with an engineering firm to complete the
final design phases this method allows
us to engage in construction activities
while design activities ongoing reducing
the overall schedule science time since
the designer and contractor are working
hand in hand
the project is both in Fairfax and
Arlington counties and overall it will
completely rework the roadway with new
repairs and replacement of asphalt over
128 drainage Outlets will be worked
Bridges within the sections will be
updated and repaired which will provide
a little more aspects of the project
throughout the presentation tonight
essentially the physical roadway is
reaching the end of its design lifespan
there are damaged sections of guard rail
deterioration of drainage infrastructure
and stone guard walls that line the
parkway that all need attention
some of you might remember the sinkhole
back in May of 2019 that required
emergency repairs due to failure of some
of this adjacent drainage infrastructure
this project should put that in like new
condition and repair or replace the
roadway in such a way that we have a new
uh at least 50-year lifespan on the road
the project overall Will Repair any
deteriorating aspects of the roadway as
well as Implement some safety
improvements while preserving the
cultural and natural and historic
characteristics of the parkway
We performed an environmental assessment
in 2018 and that has been forming the
design of the project the assessment is
available on our website called Pepsi
which uh in is the national park
services planning environment and public
comment website where all those public
documents are documents are posted in a
public-facing manner
uh in addition to uh within the road
Zone the roadway the road project there
are 10 bridges that will be uh uh
improved through uh reconditioning of
those bridges overall as I said the
project concludes the replacement of all
the asphalt that's the base asphalt and
the uh the top layer of asphalt it does
include a modification of the route 123
interchange uh we will replace and
repair all the drainage infrastructure
within the road prism uh there is some
extension in certain locations of the X
uh the acceleration deceleration Lanes
where you enter the parkway as I
mentioned we're going to repair or
replace Stone guard walls uh to uh
current crash testing standards and then
we intend to rehabilitate some of the
historic overlooks including some
improvements to the view shot
next slide please
this was noted earlier we are in active
coordination with uh 495 next project
those are regular coordination meetings
with the effort to mitigate congestion
uh recognize that we have very proximate
workspaces and where those workspaces
might overlap do our best to reduce
conflicts if you're looking for
information on 495 next you can get it
through their website as Mark mentioned
earlier we do have the representatives
from 495 next year in case there are
relevant questions to answer during the
Q a session
next slide
next I'd like to introduce Michael
Thomas Michael is our project lead here
at the park and is going to provide you
a specific update on where we're at in
the overall project welcome aboard
Michael
good evening everyone thank you Charles
for that introduction uh good afternoon
all Michael Thomas uh project manager
for the North Parkway rehab project so
as we previously discussed um this
project is a 7.6 miles from the belt way
down to Spout Run the project will be
broken up into
phases and different schedules so as you
all may be experiencing our experiencing
right now is um we are have under
construction the area you see in the
green we have identified that as
schedules a through C but it's like the
first half like of the project
uh what's going on right now is that we
are performing excavation activities
Milling of Earth uh and some Bridge work
now the bridge work will be performed in
different schedules so different time
periods of the year due to some of the
bridge work not being able to be
conducive to be performed during the
colder months so
what we have right now with the roadway
are the green area some of the bridges
so right now we are performing
um work at Glebe Road and pimmer run for
the abutments and we'll get into pizzas
later
um next slide please
the design activities so recent or
recent and uh original design activities
um last year we have conducted
environmental field reviews for trees
Wetlands rare threatened and endangered
plants and animals
that good survey work for the drainage
structures utilities soil testing
Bridges
fat and burntness at Bridges as well as
the outfalls that you're all seeing
right now traffic data has been
collected and that is being used to
inform us of any improvements security
improvements on the merge lanes from the
overlooks and extension Lanes extension
of the merge lanes off of ramps and
ramps and you'll see that and also
the
permits that we have obtained so we have
to
obtain permits within the NEPA policy
National Environmental Protection act as
well as archaeological permits for any
of the work we're doing within the
meetings and within the outfalls as well
so as previously discussed is design
build projects so construction will
happen in tandem with design work and
obtaining permits for the updated future
construction work next slide please
impacts so right now we are all in the
midst of um
moving along the parkway while
construction is uh going on so the
activities you all see we are Milling
existing roadway laying down base
asphalt and subsurface asphalt that's
the primary activities and that is to
create that new temporary Lane which was
which is installed on the Northbound
side of the parkway
also other work that is ongoing with
that are the tree clearing and the
clearing in a median and then also tree
clearing in the outfalls so that's the
primary workout activity is currently
going on right now with the project
next slide please
use the photos the photo you see on the
upper left is the existing stone wall at
the CIA like the CIA that wall extends
through that and South that wall has
been removed and what you all see now is
the temporary Road late there and the
other photos illustrate the Milling of
the existing roadway and tamping of the
earth to lay the base asphalt
slide please
so with the removal of selectories we
have removed trees within the meeting to
install the temporary Lane and we are
also removing trees in the outfalls to
to in preparation for the repair of the
outfalls and that's um the natural
drainage that was on the uh in the
parkway they have been really
deteriorated over the years to um excess
runoff and stormwater uh one off sobr
we'll be addressing those with this
project
the National Park Service has considered
Tree locations and topography and the
construction planning process and we are
paying close attention to try to
preserve the amount of trees that we are
removing and also for every tree that we
will remove there will be a one for one
or attempted one for one replacement so
we are in the design process of
identifying or proposing trees and what
locations where they can be installed so
that activity is ongoing
next slide please
and at this moment I would like to pass
a mic over to Mr San Patel design build
manager for the project with Fort Myers
Construction
thank you very much Michael uh good
evening everybody Once Again Sam Patel
with Fort Myer Construction
I will try and walk you through the
reversible lanes and active construction
that is going on on the project site and
uh uh working face by face to uh upcage
the understanding of how these reversal
reversible lanes will be operational in
about April 15th next slide please
uh what weird what Michael was talking
about basically it's it's mainly uh
focused on uh the section on the
Northern section basically from 495 to
um and and the mot basically the
maintenance of traffic the temporary
lane widening is done basically in four
phases uh for that section between 495
to 123. what you're seeing right now on
the top left of the screen is phase one
currently you have two lanes coming
northbound
and you have two lanes going Southbound
from 495 towards DC
the orange highlighted section you see
is our work Zone
and we are currently working on the
temporary widening in concept what we're
doing is we're adding a third lane on
the Northbound as shown on phase two
so our goal is by April 15th will be
finished with that constructing of the
temporary Lane
and the graphic that you see on phase
two will be going operational basically
uh on or about April 15th
the goal of this three lanes on
northbound that would allow the
desirable team
to construct the southbound all at once
as you see on the screen on the phase
two
the southbound Lanes will be totally
constructed that means the outfall
constructions
uh the guard walls the drainage the
entire new payment all that will be
occurring basically later this spring
into fall all the way into 2024.
the next phase
after phase two basically after
reconstructing the entire southbound
Lanes we'll be jumping onto phase three
where the temporary Lane that we're
building right now as you may have
experienced when you're driving on North
on GW Parkway that lane will remain in
place
we'll shift the two lanes onto the
southbound and the third lane that is on
the Northbound will continue to remain
permanently in the Northbound Direction
if you notice on the graphic the Middle
Lane will always be a reversible traffic
lane what that means is and we'll talk
about that on the later slides as during
the am Rush Hour which is basically
traffic going towards DC there'll be two
lanes going towards CC step in the
center lane will be reversed going south
and during the PM Rush Hour uh two lanes
will be coming towards Virginia from DC
that means the center lane will be
coming north uh towards Virginia
once the phase 3 is completed uh we will
shift that uh northbound lane towards
the outer bound of Northbound towards
the guard wall and construct the in Lane
off the northbound lane this is
basically how we're anticipating to use
our temporary widening lanes and how the
reversible lanes will go in next slide
please
this graphic should give you a good
representation of what is going on right
now
uh the graphic on the left side is the
existing roadway once again as described
there are two lanes going Southbound and
two lanes going northbound
the graphic on the right side is
basically what is currently going on
right now which is a temporary widening
Lane that is being constructed as we
speak our goal is to get the
that third lane that's shown in the
graphic operational honor about April
15th so we can switch the traffic to the
three-lane configuration on the
Northbound from 495 to 123. next slide
please
this is a slide that shows the
reversible Lane in the morning rush
hours
so this is the 8 AM Rush Hour basically
as you see you have two lanes that are
going south
where the arrows are pointing you see
the temporary Lane dividers that will
separate the lanes
any exits that the driver intends to
take you always want to stay towards the
far right lane the center lane is a
through Lane that'll take you beyond the
Exeter 123. so if you intend to take a
CIA exchange if we intend to take the
CIA exit if you intend to take 123 exit
any exits that you intend to take from
495 all the way to 123 stay on your
right lane and you just follow the way
finding signs
and while the traffic is following this
direction the construction Crews will be
working on the southbound directions as
demonstrated in this graphic
there'll be plenty of message boards uh
wayfinding signs there'll be a lot of
educational signs throughout and the
entries and exits of course of the
projects such that will guide the
traffic as safely as we can uh
throughout these reversible Lane
operations once again this is a graphic
that demonstrates am Rush Hour
and this is from 495 going towards 123
two lanes going in South Direction
next slide please
this is a graphic of the PM Rush Hour
which is basically from 2 45 PM to 7 pm
coming from DC towards Virginia anything
coming from 123 towards 495 on the
Northbound Lane we'll look as described
in the graphic over here
once again the temporary Lane dividers
that those are permanent and those
tubular posts are similar to what you
see on today in 495 next project or
other similar tour projects around the
region and those are tubular markers
they will remain in place
and once again the two lanes will be
coming north in the evening rush hour
from 2 45 PM to 7 PM once again if
you're getting on from 123 or anywhere
on the park when you intend to take the
exit stay on your right lane the Middle
Lane is a through Lane they'll go
directly from your entry point all the
way towards your 495 exit
and once again during this phase as well
the southbound construction will
continue as depicted in the graphic and
and doing this as well we anticipate to
have some weekend and night work as well
and obviously there will be Advanced
message boards so I'll be posted on uh
the public website and on the message
boards as well next slide please
this is basically the phase three as
would described once the temporary Lane
that was built where you see the red car
and the graphic that lane will remain in
place by that time we hope uh we will be
construct we will be done with the
construction of the southbound Lanes
including the new guard walls with the
core wall
outfalls the drainage work and
everything else the southbound
construction as you see on the on the
right side uh that is a that is
basically a permanent payment but yet
again we'll be using the center lane
as a reversible Lane uh but this time
obviously you've shifted the reversible
Lane in the southbound
Lanes so the center lane once again will
always be used as a reversible operation
once again you take intend to take the
exit stay on your right lane doesn't
matter you're going Southbound or not
Northbound stay on your right lanes to
take any exit the center lanes are
through Lanes
well this is an operation obviously the
north Bond will be constructed as shown
on the graphic there'll be one lane that
will remain in the north gun Direction
permanently and the outside of the
Northbound Lanes will be going to
permanent construction phase next slide
please
during this we will also be working on
Bridges as Charles and Michael mentioned
we have about 10 bridges that we have to
rehabilitate and during those phases
we'll be working on different Bridges
right now you may have noticed that we
have barriers set up on the primitron
bridge the Glebe Road Bridge and the
next Bridges will be the dead run Turkey
Run and so on and on all these Bridges
will have a similar configuration as you
see on the screen we'll be taking a lane
at a time
for the most part and whenever we intend
to use more than that then we'll be
doing the weekend closure or the night
time closures over there
every bridge basically would have its
own
um it's its own schedule in itself so
while we may be working from 495 to 123
the bridges are in on their on their own
schedule
um so so the progress the project can
continue in an expeditious way
and once again the focus over here is
whenever there's Bridges you'll notice
there are crossovers on the bridges
since any northbound lane or southbound
lane on the bridge is not wide enough to
accommodate three lanes so we'll be
having a crossover and there'll be
plenty of signs safely posted so a
motorist can maneuver safely by
following those signs once again in the
graphic that is shown over here the
reversible Lane will be on the North top
side in the am two lanes will be going
south towards DC in the PM two lanes
will be coming north towards CC right
now the graphic that you see is a PM
rush hour where you have two lanes
coming towards Virginia
next slide please
once again we want to remind everybody
on this call
we have reduced the traffic limits on GW
Parkway to 40 miles an hour we encourage
everybody to follow that uh signs their
their people working on the signs we
want to make sure everybody gets home
safe you want to make sure the motor is
striped through safe
we are trying to work as safely with the
highest quality as we can to make sure
that everything is delivered on time on
budget there'll be plenty of new signs
that will be posted and of course
there'll be traffic shifts so please be
very very cautious when driving through
work zones and the lane closures
next slide please
with that being said uh I'll turn it
over to a q a session Mark if I'm going
to take it from here please
all right uh with that let's say thank
you to Sam and Charles and Michael uh
for the presentation uh we will now do
our q a portion of the meeting uh we've
already gotten some questions uh you can
flip to the next slide
um if you have a question you'd like to
submit please post it in the Q a box of
Zoom uh as uh and if you can switch to
the next slide uh you'll be able to see
that uh on there
um also uh if you want to ask a verbal
question you can raise your hand
um and then that way you can be unmuted
um and we'll leave this slide up a
little bit um before we transition to
another slide then we'll have the uh the
contact information uh so you guys can
uh stay in contact with us about if you
have further questions with us
um and uh so uh we'll go ahead and get
started answering some of the questions
we have
um
we have uh one question on here uh do I
have to use the right lane if I want to
exit the parkway at 123 or will there be
a break in the barrier to move from the
center lane to the right lane to exit
um as a Sam had mentioned earlier
um you know if you're trying to exit the
best thing is to be in the uh the right
hand lane uh those center lanes are
really going to be through Lanes the
reversible one is going to be a through
Lane to get a further uh further down
the parkway
uh another question we have here uh is
there uh a public view of what the gwmp
will look like at the conclusion of the
full project
um if uh Charles you want to go ahead
and answer that one
sure the the efforts by the design build
team at the end of the project is to
actually have the Parkway in a very
similar configuration as it is today
with two Northbound Lanes two southbound
Lanes uh with the stone guard walls that
you see the center median
um metal guard rail will be placed with
steel back Timber so to have a more
rustic wood all those materials the the
wood median as well as the stone guard
walls are being crash tested to make
sure they meet crash-worthy standards
under a DOT related a standard that's
actually being done at Turner Fairbanks
right around the corner from us uh and
then those designs are being
Incorporated the only real significant
is change you'll see overall in terms of
appearance will be at the 123
interchange we have posted on our
website the conceptual design on how
that will look when it's finished the
design build team is still in the design
and coordination with VDOT to make sure
that they they meet all the requirements
for that but there's not like a before
and after image for the part weight
itself
thank you Charles
um we got another question uh it appears
this project commences after the
interchange with 495 is someone able to
comment on The Interchange project
schedule diagrams or illustrations of
what final exchange will look like uh
there has been a tremendous loss of
trees are there plans for them to be
replaced uh so yeah like we mentioned uh
the the activity that's happening up on
495 is part of that 495 next project I
believe we do have a panelist uh rimpaul
from uh that project and I think he
might be able to help us answer that
question on where people can get more
information on that project
yeah thank you Mark uh hi good evening
everybody myself is a rimpal Shah I am
the VDOT project manager for the 495
next project
now I just want to mention regarding
this particular question about the
schedule diagram or illustration there
is a 495 next dot org which is a project
dedicated website available for the
public View
and on that website there is a
interactive map available where you can
actually click on the different segment
of the project and you can get a
detailed View now in terms of the
schedule for the overall schedule of the
project currently is opening the tall
lane or the express lane around December
of 2025 and the final project completion
date is currently as per the current
schedule is around May 2026.
now regarding the loss of trees we
understand that currently there is a lot
of work going on regard around that
interchange Loop ramps
and this is mainly to accommodate the
two express lanes ramp that needs the
access to and from from the jwmp roadway
in the future once those Express land
will be in service
and we also has done as a part of the
environmental requirements we did the
tree survey on this project
and we are also going to develop the
final Landscaping plans which has not
been prepared yet but it will be done
around early next year and those trees
will be replaced as much as we can based
on the available spacing and the other
requirements for the project
now if you still have any particular
question I would uh recommend to email
those questions there is a contact
information available on the project
website also
I hope this answer the questions
thank you
um
a another question uh the new 40 mile
per hour speed limit seems to be a
suggestion at this point uh it would
seem that this speed reduction would be
even more important once the Dual
Direction Lane is introduced will there
be any extra speed enforcement to help
ensure safety as much as possible during
these phases and how will drivers be
alerted to Lane direction thank you
uh and I believe Charles will be able to
answer at least the uh the enforcement
part
right so the uh primary individuals
responsible for Speed enforcement on the
parkway or the U.S Park police they are
part of a project team and uh they are
part of the weekly or bi-weekly
construction meeting so we try to
impress upon them uh the importance of
of traffic enforcement but that is a
sole decision of theirs not not
expressly of the park or the or the
construction company uh we recognize
that we have to kind of change habit
patterns over time we're all human
beings and as a result we got to develop
some new habit patterns hence the speed
limit signs have gone up at this early
phase of construction uh with the radar
indicators for speed limits uh it's
going to really create a collective
effort I think Sam said it best in his
presentation is
um we have a pretty narrow work Zone
puts workers in real close proximity
into the motoring public but all those
workers are not just employees of the
construction company fmcc but they're
also husbands spouses fathers
grandfathers and the like and to the to
the extent that we can be more cognizant
of our driving and cue the behavior we
expect of others on the road it uh
creates the added benefit or added
difference that can make a difference in
an employee worker being safe in the
work Zone they're there so uh yeah we
recognize that there's a lot of traffic
on the parkway which
um does make enforcement a little more
difficult but ultimately it's kind of
collectively all of us working together
to uh be mindful of what the posted
speed limit is during the construction
I'll defer to Sam in terms of the
reversible Lane question uh or component
of that question Sam
you're on you yourself
sorry you were there uh thank you
Charles so the second part of the
question is how will the drivers be
alerted in the lane Direction so we are
doing our best basically given the the
nature of the project to put the way
finding science we have large static
signs that will be posted basically
before before any motorist can enter the
parkway this will be on near the ramps
that get onto GW Parker from 495 grams
I'll get on from CIA the rent they'll
get on from 123 every possible entry or
exit ramp that gets onto GW Parkway will
have a large uh way finding sign
basically which will tell you the
direction uh and and what hours are to
be followed uh once again if the intent
of the driver is to take the exit always
stay in your right lane if you
accidentally happen to be in the Middle
Lane and you want to take the exit
unfortunately the project the the mot
will not allow you so you will have to
go through the through Lane to the exit
that it directs you in uh but those
Direction those wayfinding signs will be
very clear and they'll be very large and
they'll be very visible
uh on this as on throughout the project
so hopefully uh that answers the
question thank you
yeah thank you Sam yeah we had another
similar question uh uh asking
um along with that the how the rollout
of the reversible Lane work to assure
all drivers clearly understand how it
works and what direction it's going at a
given time that'll be part of that
signage
that is correct the signage will clearly
Define the times and it'll give you two
arrows basically if you're going
northbound they'll give you two arrows
it'll tell you the time from 2 45 to 7
PM 7 30 p.m on the southbound it'll do
the same from 5 30 to 9 30. two hours
going over there
so once again the signs will be very
educational and and and once again the
very first time when you were traveling
the parkway with these new science and
reversible lanes the caution is to drive
as low as possible follow the signs once
again if you're exiting intend to exit
stay on your right thank you that's
great Sam one more question for you here
too because we're talking about the
reversible lanes with uh with regard to
um Rush Hour uh what about what's the
configuration outside of Rush Hour
um
so the once again like Charles had said
we are trying to enforce the speed limit
as much as we can we have good partners
on the Park police uh on on the project
outside of the rush hours
um we intend to keep the Middle Lane
awakened so there'll be one lane going
in each Direction
and the intent of this is to use the
Middle Lane as The Incident Management
Lane in case if there's any breakdowns
emergencies accidents and whatnot uh the
construction Crews will help alleviate
the traffic with the help of our police
and use the center lays as an escape
Lane so and if then if the if it's a
non-p car off P cars there'll be a one
lane in each Direction
great thank you
um all right next question uh during the
afternoon Rush Hour going north
um will you be able to get to 495 North
from both lanes uh and uh
could you address that yes uh you want
to stay on the right lane
um and that'll take you to 495 North the
center lane now we'll go on the south
great
um okay we have another question uh what
is the estimate for additional time to
travel these routes during construction
um somebody from the panel want to
answer that any sort of estimates we
might have as far as additional travel
time
uh right now I'll give you the travel
time it should be very similar
um right now we're doing single lane
closures on northbound one once again
all of us most of us travel on GW
Parkway for on a daily basis
so the right now when you're a single
lane closure uh from 123 towards 4.95 uh
if that's it if if additional time I
would say Factor yourself at least
additional 25 to 35 minutes just for
that Corridor because the traffic will
back up reduce speed limits the ramps
coming in basically from uh the exit 31
CIA headquarters will add in that's just
an estimate from today's uh link closure
perspective uh once again subject to
change but in my experience I've
experienced anywhere between 30 minutes
to plus minus couple of 10 minutes to
where the additional time travel would
be but Ari go ahead if you want to take
that into further detail thank you yes I
mean I agree with you there will be some
impact to travel time first of all we
are reducing the speed limit that that
in itself will you know increase the
travel time but the important thing here
is the safety safety of the motorist
safety of the construction workers and
that is why we have reduced speed limit
and we hope that you know motor is
follow the signs that are that will be
out there and follow the instructions
and that will keep everybody safe
um and and that may result in some
additional travel time we have multiple
Tropics which is that would result into
uh that would factor into the travel
time so it is hard to determine at this
point but uh you know with any major
construction project there is some
impact but we will try to minimize as
much as possible
thank you for those answers
um another question we have uh will this
presentation be available online uh yes
it will be uh this will be available uh
on our website
um and actually we can advance the slide
uh we have a contact uh information
slide that will actually uh show you how
um you can stay in touch also if you
want to learn more about the project we
have a lot of information on our website
we also have e-blasts that go out uh to
keep people updated with the status of
the project
um we have a question here uh will the
quote entrance Lane uh on the southbound
side between Spout Run and the Key
Bridge uh be filled in uh so it does not
disappear for a short time causing it
back up
is anybody from the design build team
now
um about that specific location
southbound side between Spout Run and
the Key Bridge I believe uh that is
outside of the the scope of this project
but if anybody has anything from the
panel about that specific spot mark
That's what I was going to say our
limits are pretty much ending at the
cusp of the spotron bridge
as we get beyond that that is outside of
the project limits
of this particular project okay great
um and uh do we have any further
information about the uh 123 interchange
I believe Charles mentioned earlier that
we have a a design up on the website
um uh but if is there any other uh new
information specifically about that 123
intersection
um that somebody from the panel can
answer
I was just going to give a construction
update I'll take you back to Charles
about The Interchange what it'll look
like uh of course that's on the website
uh but as far as construction update
expect this construction to start uh
sometime in in Spring
2024 going into 2025. uh
for this project duration so it'll take
about 11 months or 12 months to do all
four quadrants of The Interchange
between GW Parkway and 123.
foreign
folks to go take a look at the image at
on the on the website uh essentially you
have today two lanes that reduce the one
underneath the bridge I believe in the
final design you'll have two through
lanes that does change the way you uh
enter the parkway from 123 so there'll
be a different slightly different
configuration of the acceleration or
merge lane that's why you've seen the
removal of trees in the median because
there's a little bit of in the design
and construction the way those Lanes
will be uh in their final layout uh but
there's a there's a graphic there on the
website that will give you a sense of uh
what what the intentions are uh that
it's more of a graphic illustration not
like a design spec the design team is
still as I said working on that with
with VDOT but the image there should
should help people kind of uh get a
visual for for what the future state
will look like
yeah thank you for that
um we have a question another one for
the 495 next interface uh how will it
help alleviate the Northbound backup
from the parkway to 495 North towards
Maryland
um again that's that's outside of the
the scope of this particular project I
think uh rimpaul is able to give you
some information if you want to learn
more about the uh the particulars of the
495 next project uh they have uh a
website dedicated to that as well
um we also have a question uh given the
typical backup exiting the gwmp while
traveling north in the afternoon uh why
won't there be a consideration of
leaving the interim third lane in place
to help with the Overflow in dual Lanes
exiting to 495 North
um I don't know I think Sam talked a
little bit about that um I think it's I
think uh part of that is that a safety
factor of having a an additional Lane uh
for emergency vehicles as well
um
or maybe I can jump on here Sam and help
I think the essence of the person's
question is under the current
configuration of the roadway on the
North End of the parkway they're
essentially two lanes primarily the
right lane is the Q Lane that folks are
leaving the parkway to travel into
Maryland and the left lane is the
existing Lane that goes over the 495 is
the is the route if you will into
Virginia uh is that kind of two-lane
configuration in play throughout the
project or is that two-lane
configuration only in play during the
rush hour when you have the reversible
lanes pointed in that direction I think
that's the essence of the person's
question as it relates kind of the the
very end section there where we when we
meet up with 4.95.
thank you
uh somebody was asking for the the Mark
just a second can Sam clarify that I
think that's the essence I think that
person's not quite got the answer to the
question they're looking for okay thank
you
Sam you're on mute Sam
Mark I'm trying to follow the question
all over over here which question was
that because I'm I'm
looking at maybe something else in the Q
a box yeah Sam in in February this is my
name is Robert Morris I'm with wsp I
think possibly what they're getting at
is if we've built this third lane
up to 495 is there a consideration for
leaving that in place as a permanent
Lane so that when you get to that
interchange it gives you another Lane to
allow traffic to access 495 North
um
I think that kind of gets probably
towards some of the historic aspects of
the parkway
to have to add a lane in that location
maybe all right that might be a better
question for the for the park dancer but
we also have to make sure that we tie
into the 495 next project and all of the
different ramps that they're going to be
working on as part of their interchange
modification
yeah and he just clarified he's talking
about the end of the project so Robert's
correct the temporary Lane isn't just
that a temporary Lane when we the park
uh did the environmental assessment uh
we may have known our intentions of
putting in temporary traffic we did not
intend to uh create a permanent
three-lane configuration that the
Terminus at the Parkway uh so uh that is
not not part of this project all that
third lane is is for the temporary
shifting that Sam's described tonight
thank you
um
also got a question here uh how will the
reversible Lane scheme work between
Route 123 and Spout Run where the train
is much steeper and there's less room to
build in the median
um and yeah that that is the the next
phase after this this first uh part
um I don't know if uh Harry or uh Sam uh
would like to answer that one
yeah this is Hari yes we will not have
temporary widening in that section
because as the comment says you know we
don't have much
much room to to widen in that area so we
will construct one lane at a time and we
will have three lanes to maintain
traffic we anniversary
foreign just a minor correction so uh
because like the question States uh
there's not much room and plus there's a
great separation so to speak as you go
down further towards power front uh we
will be doing some temporary winding
minimally three four feet whatever the
grade allows us uh but we will be
putting concrete barriers uh and we'll
be building one lane at a time like Hari
said uh so we'll be building the outside
Lanes first in the Northbound and
southbound directions and then switching
the traffic to the outside lanes and
building the inside so it'll be a one
lane Direction at a time it will not be
reversible when it goes from 123 to
horsepower
foreign
all right and then uh we got a uh
question already it feels like driving
an obstacle course with all the barrels
and Jersey walls is that going to get
even worse
um I think this is that's part of uh why
we're trying to prepare everybody for
this uh you know it's really important
that we want to focus on the the safety
of uh especially the workers and people
out there as well as the drivers so
that's why we've put in a lot of the the
safety message messaging uh lowering the
speed limit
um but yeah it will have a major impacts
on on people's commutes uh and use of
the parkway uh so we you know if there's
a way you can get a alter your plans to
avoid the area that that'd be best uh
but just slow down uh be careful and be
aware of your surroundings and and like
they said follow the signs uh as you see
them so make sure uh you can get to
where you're where you're headed to
uh we had a you know like I said
somebody asked about the the website uh
so you can see up there
um that you can go to go.nps.gov North
Parkway that takes you to the project
page on there you'll find links to uh
construction updates uh it's under the
construction updates where you'll see
that image uh about the 123 uh
interchange
um and you can also look about uh
history of the project history of the
parkway uh more information about the
project overall
um and then we also got uh why is the
extremely heavy Northbound morning Rush
towards 495 into Maryland uh constructed
into only one lane
I I think I'll go back and offer uh when
we were seeking bids for this project
all the bidders had to provide uh
various manners or means in which they
would mitigate traffic we have a very
narrow road prism as everybody who
drives the parkway is generally aware of
and so we've had we have to make some
decisions with regard to providing
sufficient space for the construction to
occur in traffic to move and uh this is
the the solution that was presented by
fmcc that we think can manage in the
construction environment we find
ourselves well providing a a a means for
motorists to still travel the parkway uh
you know the so uh it's not there's no
ideal situation we have we believe
though this is a viable situation or
solution and hence this was chosen early
in the Contracting phase once the
contract was awarded and it's been on
fmcc to essentially implement it in
their design and construction so again
it's trying to find the right balance of
motorist and road construction you've
got it you've obviously got to tear up
the roadway to do all the infrastructure
work that's required
uh thank you for that we also got a
question will there be anything done to
mitigate traffic through residential
neighborhoods during the rush hour
um not sure if uh anybody can answer
that Charles
yeah we we're very little uh control
over that right so if uh motorists are
dependent upon their apps and apps are
directing them to take an alternative
route uh we we acknowledge there is
going to be an increased travel time
um however there aren't many other
options to to go you could go team
bridge and you can go other ways around
the parkway I think a key thing for
motorists is that they make their
decision early they can choose
alternative routes so that's just kind
of a larger design of the greater
transportation system in the region but
we have no way to manipulate apps or or
indicate to motorists uh not to go given
Direction those are those are public
roadways people are entitled to make
their own own choices
thank you for that
um and uh right now that's uh we caught
up on all the questions
um if you have a question we'll we'll
stick around here for a few more minutes
um and you can like I said either drop
it in the the Q a box or raise your hand
um and again I want to highlight you
know checking out our website
um and uh and and really I would would
encourage you to opt in uh on the
website you'll find a link under
construction and impacts uh to opt in
for uh regular e-blasts uh that we've
been putting out monthly uh with
progress about the project we also send
out e-blasts about things such as uh
this webinar
um and also about uh once those uh
reverse once that reversible Lane is
implemented uh in mid-april
um so uh encourage you to do that but if
you if you do have questions uh then you
want want to specifically reach out to
this team you can see the email there is
a gwmp underscore superintendent nps.gov
or give us a phone call
703-289-25 uh 2500.
um and so yeah at this point uh we'll
stick around here for a few minutes uh
like I said we appreciate you all taking
the time out of your day uh in your
evening uh to learn more about this
project we hope you uh Echo these
messages of this uh major impacts that
will be coming and highlight the um uh
highlight the importance of the safety
along the parkway like I said uh you
know we want to make sure we keep all
the workers and the users of the parkway
as safe as possible during these uh
during these major
um during this major Rehabilitation and
we hope you also realize the National
Park Service we are the stewards of this
park uh the parkway is more than just
the parkway it's a national park it's a
memorial we preserve the natural and
cultural resources here in the Potomac
Gorge uh area
um and uh so we're we're proud stewards
of this resource
um and also take care of numerous sites
all along the parkway that thread
together the The History of the United
States
and the history of this country so
uh so with that uh we'll we'll give it
we'll give it just a couple more minutes
and see if anybody else has any other
questions uh before we close out for the
evening
appreciate the comments people realizing
that yes the uh the purpose of this uh
roadway uh it's an original intent uh
was uh uh was was for recreational
driving
um obviously uh it's now a major artery
in the Washington DC area
um and this is really important project
too uh this is it the first major
Rehabilitation since this uh Parkway was
constructed
um and we appreciate everybody coming
out tonight and learning a little bit
more about the parkway about this
project
um and hope you uh stay informed uh by
following us online
um and uh please feel free to reach out
with any other questions
um but if that's it I think that will
conclude this evening's uh webinar again
this will be available on our website
under the virtual meeting page along
with our previous meetings uh we held
last year we had a couple last year so
thank you all very much and we will talk
to you later