In early October, the National Park Service (NPS), which runs the George Washington Memorial Parkway, will start putting that road on a diet.
The restriping program will alter lane configurations in an effort to make the Parkway safer for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
The NPS will restripe the road between the City of Alexandria and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate to create just one southbound lane instead of two, a turning lane and two northbound lanes between Stratford Lane (near Mount Vernon Estate) and Tulane Drive (just south of Belle View).
In addition, new signs and flexible posts will be installed where the Parkway intersects with Belle View Boulevard and Belle Haven Drive. Other intersections will also see changes, including cutting back vegetation to improve driver's sightlines and more visible crosswalk markings.
“We are pleased to implement several of the improvements suggested by our neighbors, and we will engage with the community as we assess other changes in the future,” NPS Superintendent Charles Cuvelier said in a press release. “We are committed to taking steps that make driving, walking and bicycling between Mount Vernon and Alexandria safer and more enjoyable for everyone.”
NPS hosted several community engagement sessions in the spring with local residents, commuters and business owners. According to NPS officials, the changes to the roadway will "not change the road’s ability to accommodate pre-COVID-19 levels of traffic."
What we know now as the George Washington Memorial Parkway was opened as the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway in 1932 and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
National Park Service
Changes coming to the southern portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
