GW Parkway Improvements: See Traffic, Environmental Impacts

FORT HUNT, VA — Anticipated environmental and traffic impacts have been revealed for the George Washington Memorial Parkway's southern section and Mount Vernon Trail improvements proposed by the National Park Service. The new environmental assessment give hints at what local residents and visitors can expect in the construction area of the GW Parkway and Mount Vernon Trail project.

NPS is considering improvements to the 8.5-mile section of the parkway between Hunting Creek Bridge just south of the City of Alexandria and the Mount Vernon Estate to the south. NPS seeks to put a permanent road diet in place, fix deteriorating infrastructure, repair or replace drainage structures, add pedestrian and bicyclist crosswalks and other improvements. This is the first time NPS is planning to a restoration of the southern GW Parkway, which dates back to 1932, and its drainage system.

In addition to the GW Parkway proposal, NPS is seeking to improve the Mount Vernon Trail between Mount Vernon Estate and Hunting Creek Bridge in Fairfax County and between Four Mile Run Bridge and the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot in Arlington County and DC. The proposal excludes the section of the trail under control by the City of Alexandria.

On the traffic side, the environmental assessment indicates that construction of improvements would cause temporary lane closures that could disrupt traffic and visiting along the scenic parkway. Construction could increase road delays and cause congestion on temporary detour routes around the GW Parkway.

One major component of the GW Parkway improvements would be a road diet between Belle View Boulevard and Mount Vernon in the southbound direction and between Mount Vernon and Tulane Drive in the northbound direction. That proposal comes after an early 2023 study found a northbound road diet between Belle Haven Road and Tulane Drive could cause excessive delays due to projected traffic volumes. On the other hand, NPS believes the section between Tulane Drive and Mount Vernon Estate could handle traffic volumes with one through lane in each direction.

NPS believes the road diet will reduce speeding, which data found is happening with many drivers on the parkway. While there are no plans to reduce the speed limit, the road diet will cause traffic speeds to be limited by the leading vehicle in the one through lane. The report states a road diet would also reduce vehicle conflicts with side streets by providing dedicated turn lanes separate from the through lane. NPS does not have authority to use speed enforcement technology to record speeding violations.

For the Mount Vernon Trail, temporary closures are expected during construction, although temporary detours or alternate routes could be provided during closures of trail sections.

Access to recreational, cultural and natural areas such as overlooks along the parkway could be disrupted in the short term, according to the report. Noise and emissions from construction would be another impact along the parkway and trail in areas like overlooks.

Some anticipated impacts to vegetation are tree removal and a risk to rare plants in Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve and marshes at Little Hunting Creek. Tree and vegetation clearing could reduce habitats for wildlife, and invasive plants could be introduced through "ground disturbance within natural areas," according to the report.

However, the assessment indicates views and vistas of the Potomac River along the parkway would be restored with removing vegetation during the project.

The Mount Vernon Trail construction has implications for wetlands, according to the report. NPS plans to have construction in wetlands for repairing or replacing several trail bridges. To protect the wetlands, protective measures such as temporary matting placed on top of the wetlands. Materials and equipment for construction would not be staged in wetlands.

See the full environmental impact report here.

Comments on the potential GW Parkway and Mount Vernon Trail improvements will be accepted through Oct. 24. Comments may be provided online or by mail to Superintendent Attn: GWMP South and MVT Plan/EA 700 George Washington Mem Parkway, McLean, VA 22101.

Editor's note: The NPS web page for the GW Parkway/Mount Vernon Trail project is down for maintenance at the time of publication.