Heads up if you drive on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Northern Virginia. The traffic pattern is set to shift this weekend as the road undergoes major rehab work.
The next phase of the north parkway rehabilitation project begins Friday night. Crews with the National Park Service (NPS) will shift traffic patterns from the northbound lanes to the southbound lanes.
Right now, all traffic is flowing in the northbound lanes of the GW Parkway between Route 123 and the Capital Beltway. But starting Friday at 8 p.m., crews will begin work to shift traffic to the southbound lanes.
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The NPS says this new traffic pattern will be in place until late next year while crews make several improvements, including replacing pavement, reconstructing stone walls and roadside barriers, and lengthening entrance and exit lanes at some interchanges. The northern section of the parkway was completed in 1962 but has never undergone major rehab work until now. As the busiest section of the parkway, it carries about 26 million drivers every year.
To help keep workers safe, the speed limit is 40mph on the GW Parkway between the Capital Beltway and Spout Run Parkway. This reduced speed limit will continue until the project is done.
Transportation
Reporter Adam Tuss and the News4 team are covering you down on the roads and in transit.
Find more info on the NPS' website here about traffic changes, ramp closures and construction zone safety.
The NPS has warned that if there is ice or more than two inches of snow in the forecast, this section of the GW Parkway will have to close.
