News Release

National Park Service completes repaving projects, improving roads and safety for drivers in Maryland, Virginia and DC

Completed paving work and newly planted trees at Fort Dupont Park in Southeast Washington, DC

NPS / Jonathan Shafer

News Release Date: January 27, 2020

Contact: Jonathan Shafer, 202-619-7186

WASHINGTON — The National Park Service (NPS) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have completed work to repave roads in five national parks in the National Capital Area for the season. These construction projects demonstrate the NPS’s ongoing commitment to providing safe, smooth roads for travelers in the DC-area.

 

The completed work includes:

 

Baltimore-Washington Parkway

Completely repaved between Jessup Road (MD 197) and Laurel Bowie Road (MD 175)

• Approximately 6.5 miles northbound.

• Approximately 6 miles southbound.

• Approximately 1 mile of on- and off-ramps.

 

Clara Barton Parkway

Targeted repaving between Chain Bridge and Carderock, Maryland

• More than 6.5 miles southbound.

• Approximately 7 miles northbound.
   

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Targeted repaving between Spout Run Parkway and I-495, the Capital Beltway

• Approximately 7.5 miles southbound.

• More than 7.5 miles northbound.
   

The NPS also completed multi-year projects in Northwest and Southeast Washington, D.C. The total rehabilitation of Beach Drive, and Fort Dupont and Fort Davis Drives accounted for more than 8 additional miles of paving on roads, shoulders and parking lots.

 

In addition, the NPS is continuing its study to improve safety on the southern part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the total rehabilitation of Arlington Memorial Bridge. The NPS will also continue to compete for federal grants that would fully fund the North Section Parkway Rehabilitation Project and move ahead with plans to completely repave the Clara Barton Parkway.

 

Road users can go online to learn more about the NPS’s work and to report road conditions.

 

Across the United States, the NPS faces a maintenance backlog of more than $11.9 billion. This total refers to repairs NPS has had to delay due to lack of funding. In the Greater Washington area, the NPS maintenance backlog is nearly $2 billion, $900 million of which is for vital transportation systems.

-NPS-