National Mall rehabilitation to cause temporary closures, detours
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - The National Park Service (NPS) is planning a number of projects over the next year to improve the National Mall which means drivers and trail users should expect temporary closures and detours.
The planned work will rehabilitate trails and roads and feature new infrastructure for park visitors walking and bicycling.
Here are the closures and detours visitors to the National Mall can expect in the coming months:
Repaving
- 17th Street between Independence Avenue SW and Constitution Avenue NW: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. this summer through Sept. 2021
- Eastbound Independence Avenue SW between 23rd Street SW and 14th Street SW: 7 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. this summer through Sept. 2021
- Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway between the Virginia Avenue NW and Parkway Drive NW: 7 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in spring 2022
- Rock Creek Trail along the Potomac River between Virginia Avenue NW and Parkway Drive NW: Intermittent closures from June 2021 to spring 2022
- West Potomac Park multi-use trail along the Potomac River between Independence Ave SW and George Mason Memorial: Intermittent closures from June 2021 to spring 2022
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Road Marking
- 15th Street Cycle Track between Constitution Avenue and West Basin Drive: Weekday closures morning to evening this summer through fall 2021
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The NPS plans to do the following through these projects:
- Build a new multi-use trail tunnel through the eastern bridge supports (abutment) of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.
- Install new crosswalks on Independence Avenue SW at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and on Constitution Avenue NW at 18th Street NW.
- Replace curb ramps and crosswalk push buttons to meet modern accessibility standards.
- Extend the 15th Street NW Cycletrack (a two-way protected bike lane) between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and East Basin Drive SW.
- Improve the volleyball courts on Parkway Drive by repaving existing footpaths, installing new poles, netting, and a drinking fountain and planting new sod and trees. Scheduled completion around Labor Day 2021.
- Enlarge and enhance the green space at the Belvedere, the historic end of Constitution Avenue NW.
- Plant new trees along the Rock Creek Trail along the Potomac River between Virginia Avenue NW and Parkway Drive NW.