Making the George Washington Parkway safe and smooth for drivers is the goal behind a repaving project that’s expected to get underway in the coming weeks.
“We’re going to identify the areas where we can get the greatest benefit for drivers, and we’re going to repave those first,” said Jonathan Shafer, spokesman for the National Park Service. “We’re going to be doing work at night, so we can improve the sections of the road that need it most.”
Repaving work is set to begin Oct. 7 and run through late fall, between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Drivers can expect rolling lane closures during off-peak day hours as well.
Also, work is wrapping up on the sinkhole, near Dead Run creek, where Shafer said lanes will need to close completely sometime after midnight Wednesday and before the rush hour. The closure is just for Wednesday.
A northbound lane of the parkway has been closed since March, when the sinkhole caused the road to give way in a spot that is between Virginia Route 123/Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax County and the Capital Beltway.
Work to demobilize the crane on the side of the road will happen on Wednesday, Shafer said. “What we’re going to do is begin to remove equipment from the site in anticipation of reopening the area to drivers,” he said.
Sinkhole repairs have or will soon include:
- Digging more than 50 feet below the road surface.
- Removing a 60-year-old brick drainage structure.
- Installation of a pre-caste concrete drain pipe.
- Refilling the hole and repaving the road.
