Groundbreaking Ceremony Held For GW Parkway's $161M Rehab Project

NORTHERN VIRGINIA — Top federal and local officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning on a $161 project to upgrade the northern section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Northern Virginia.

National Park Service Director Chuck Sams and Federal Highway Administration Associate Administrator for Federal Lands Tim Hess joined U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), along with Reps. Gerald Connolly (D-11th) and Jennifer Wexton (D-10th), for the groundbreaking event at the George Washington Memorial Parkway headquarters building at Turkey Run Park.

The parkway, managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service, serves more than 70,000 vehicles per day. The northern section of the parkway will be rehabilitated in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration. The $161 million project is one of the largest infrastructure investments funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

“George Washington Memorial Parkway is much more than a parkway — it connects millions of visitors with places to learn, play and relax just outside our nation’s capital," National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a statement Monday. “Through funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, the National Park Service is not only improving infrastructure, but also expanding opportunities for visitors to enjoy their public lands.”

The George Washington Memorial Parkway runs from Great Falls to Mount Vernon. The northern section of the parkway — from Spout Run to Interstate 495 — is the busiest section of the parkway and serves about 26 million drivers annually.

This project is the first major upgrade of the northern section of the parkway since it was completed in 1962. One of the primary reasons for the construction of the northern section of the parkway was to provide easier access to CIA headquarters in Langley, which opened in late 1961.

READ ALSO: Park Service Awards $161M Contract For GW Parkway Upgrade Project

The project will include replacing the asphalt pavement and roadway drainage system, redesigning portions of the Route 123 interchange, repairing stormwater management systems and lengthening entrance and exit lanes at some interchanges, while retaining and reviving the historic beauty and significance of the parkway.

In 2019, two large sinkholes caused major traffic issues along the northern section of the George Washington Parkway.

Project construction will occur in phases, beginning with temporary road widening in the median along the northbound travel lanes and on two bridges between Route 123 and Spout Run. A minimum of one lane of traffic in each direction will remain open at all times. The project is expected to be completed in late 2025.

The National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration awarded the construction contract for the project to the team of Fort Myer Construction Corp. of Washington, D.C. and WSP USA of New York City.

Also in attendance at the ceremonial groundbreaking event were George Washington Memorial Parkway Superintendent Charles Cuvelier and Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust.

The National Park Service will be holding a virtual public meeting on Thursday, July 28 at 7 p.m. to provide the public with an update on the George Washington Parkway rehabilitation project. The public can visit the National Park Service's website for information on how to attend the Zoom meeting.