Beware, GW Parkway Commuters: A Massive Road Construction Project Could Be Coming Soon

Who doesn't love a gigantic construction project lasting for months along their daily commute? If you regularly travel the northern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway between the Capital Beltway and Spout Run Parkway, that could be in your future.

That's not to say the GW Parkway isn't in need of some significant maintenance, but it doesn't change the fact that the National Park Service could make your commute an unpleasant one soon if it is able to move forward with a rehabilitation project along that stretch of road. The project covers a whopping eight miles of roadway along the Potomac River.

The National Park Service has issued a statement announcing that the agency will be moving forward with an environmental assessment for "reconstructing the asphalt pavement and constructing new concrete curbs; replacing drainage inlets and culverts; stabilizing erosion at drainage outfalls; improving safety to roadside barriers; options to reconfigure the interchange at Route 123 and GWMP; and other small project elements."

The GW Parkway handles 33 million vehicles per year, and the northern section sees the heaviest amount of daily traffic, the NPS says.

It is early in the project, so there's not yet a timeline on when it would start.

You'll be able to weigh in on the proposal at a public open house at GWMP Headquarters in Turkey Run Park at 700 George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean on June 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. You can also provide written comments online until July 8 via the project website: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/no...

Image via Wikimedia