Officials to close popular Potomac, Anacostia river stretches to boaters July 4
Officials to close popular Potomac, Anacostia river stretches to boaters July 4
U.S. Coast Guard advisory: The Potomac River (Key Bridge to 200 yards south of the 14th Street Bridge) will be closed to recreational boating and kayaking from the morning of July 2 to the morning of July 5. The Anacostia River (11th Street Bridge to 200 yards south of the Frederick Douglass Bridge) will be closed to all vessels from 6 p.m. to midnight on July 4.
WASHINGTON - Busy stretches of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers will be closed to boaters on July 4.
What we know:
According to a U.S. Coast Guard advisory, the Potomac River – from the Key Bridge to 200 yards south of the 14th Street Bridge – will be closed to recreational boaters and kayakers between the morning of July 2 and the morning of July 5. Commercial ferries and dinner cruises will be allowed in some of the time, but not during the morning of July 3 and from noon to midnight on the 4th.
Meanwhile, the Anacostia River – from the 11th Street Bridge to 200 yards south of the Frederick Douglass Bridge – will also be closed to all vessels between 6 p.m. and midnight on July 4.
READ MORE: DCA to suspend flights July 3–4 for America 250, with summer disruptions
The closures will coincide with what President Donald Trump has promised will be the largest fireworks show in history.
The festivities are also forcing some closures in the air, with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority saying this week that no planes will fly into or out of DCA after noon on July 4.
What they're saying:
Boaters who spoke to FOX 5 D.C. Wednesday evening were less than pleased.
"Normally, we have a group of 10 to 15 boaters that we’ve gotten together with for years and years and spend the whole weekend together and just have fun," Corey Pardue said.
"It sounds like a bad idea," Courtney Scott added. "I think I’d like to see the river open to everybody."
The other side:
FOX 5 D.C. reached out to the group Freedom 250, which is organizing many of the July 4 events in the District; Officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and FOX 5 D.C. reporting.