The last phase of the final segment of the yearslong rehabilitation of Beach Drive is finally here.
Starting 6 a.m. Saturday, Wise Road between Oregon Avenue NW and Beach Drive NW is closed and will remain closed until the project nears completion this fall, according to the National Park Service. See all the updates and information about the Beach Drive project here.
The closure of Beach Drive in northern Rock Creek Park between Joyce Road near Military Road and the Maryland line will remain in place through the completion of the project this fall.
The last push of work to repair the scenic byway entails the closure of Wise Road and a small section of Beach Drive within the broader closure, left open as a cut-through for eastbound and westbound traffic.
The closure of Wise Road and the short, roughly 600-foot section of Beach Drive near West Beach Drive means that drivers between the Hawthorne neighborhood and the Kalmia Road Bridge will no longer be able to cut through the park.
Eastbound and westbound drivers will need to use Military Road or East-West Highway in Silver Spring, Maryland, instead.
Large sections of the scenic byway turned commuter route through Rock Creek Park have been closed since the effort to rebuild and repave it began in summer 2016.
The major project includes full-depth pavement reconstruction, stormwater upgrades, rehabilitation of six bridges and improvements to curbs and lighting.
