News Release

Learn about the final stage of Beach Drive's rehabilitation

Date: May 4, 2018
Contact: Jonathan Shafer, [phone]

Washington - Do you drive, bike, or walk in Rock Creek Park? We have news for you! The three-year Beach Drive rehabilitation project will soon enter its final stage.

The National Park Service (NPS) invites residents, drivers, and trail users to an informational  meeting about what we've accomplished so far as well as new construction. Since this project will temporarily close part of Beach Drive and some trails to all use, we will also share detours around the work area, which is between Joyce Road NW and the Maryland-District of Columbia border. We will host the meeting on May 15, 2018 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Plan to attend at the:

Silver Spring Library
Small Rooms 1 & 2 (third floor)
900 Wayne Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Check the Silver Spring Library website for information about transit options including bus, Metro, and parking. To request specific accommodations, like a sign language interpreter, please contact Jonathan Shafer at e-mail us or [phone] by Wednesday, May 9. Join representatives from the NPS, Federal Highway Administration (FWHA), District Department of Transportation (DDOT), and DC Water who can answer questions about the rehabilitation of Beach Drive.

The Beach Drive reconstruction project began in September 2016. The project is a full-depth road reconstruction, which means we are removing the old road then excavating and placing a new gravel base before paving. We are also improving the pedestrian and bicycle multi-use trail in collaboration with DDOT, working with DC Water to rehabilitate storm drains, installing new guard rails and road signs, reconstructing parking areas, replacing traffic signals and street lights and rehabilitating six bridges.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed Beach Drive in 1897 to improve access to America’s first urban national park. Today, drivers take more than 12 million commuter trips through Rock Creek Park every year and more than 40,000 people recreate in it every weekend.

Take a look at the color-coded map here to see where we've been working. The project involves four work segments. Segments 1 and 2 are complete and Segment 3 will be done in June. We will begin work on Segment 4 when work on Segment 3 is complete.





Project Segments
 

• Segment 1 (Red) - Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway NW to Tilden St NW - 1.82 miles
• Segment 2 (Green) - Tilden St NW to Broad Branch Rd - 0.34 miles
• Segment 3 (Yellow) - Broad Branch Rd to Joyce Rd - 1.59 miles
• Segment 4 (Black) - Joyce Rd to Maryland - District of Columbia Border - 2.70 miles

For more information, sign up for alerts by texting “beachdrive” to 888777 and visit go.nps.gov/beachdrive