George Washington Memorial Parkway

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George Washington Memorial Parkway
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Location Virginia, Washington, D.C. & Maryland, USA
Nearest city Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°54′40″N 77°06′08″W / 38.91111, -77.10222
Area 7,247 acres (29 km²)
Established May 29, 1930
Visitors 7,284,165 (in 2005)
Governing body National Park Service
Map of the George Washington Memorial Parkway
Map of the George Washington Memorial Parkway
Vehicles round a bend in the George Washington Parkway near National Airport and Gravelly Point in Arlington, Va.
Vehicles round a bend in the George Washington Parkway near National Airport and Gravelly Point in Arlington, Va.

The George Washington Memorial Parkway, known to local motorists simply as the "G.W. Parkway", is a parkway maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. It is located mostly in Northern Virginia, although a short section northwest of the Arlington Memorial Bridge passes over Columbia Island, which is within the District of Columbia. It is separated into two sections joined by Washington Street (State Route 400) in Alexandria, Virginia. A third section, the Clara Barton Parkway, runs on the opposite side of the Potomac River in the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Maryland. A fourth section was proposed for Fort Washington, Maryland, but never built. The parkway is designated an All-American Road.

Contents

[edit] Northern section

USMC War Memorial, along the G.W. Parkway
USMC War Memorial, along the G.W. Parkway

The northern section extends from North Washington Street at First Street, at the northern end of Old Town Alexandria, to its terminus at Interstate 495, the Capital Beltway, in Fairfax County, just south of the Potomac River. It follows the Potomac River, passing through Arlington County, and serves as the primary access point to National Airport. The parkway also provides automobile access to Theodore Roosevelt Island, the LBJ National Grove, Gravelly Point Park, Fort Marcy, and Turkey Run Park. There are scenic view rest areas for those wishing to view the Georgetown skyline and Potomac Palisades. The cloverleaf interchange with the 14th Street Bridge, dating to 1932, is one of the oldest cloverleaf interchanges in the United States. Spout Run Parkway connects the George Washington Memorial Parkway to U.S. Route 29, providing an indirect connection to Interstate 66. The portion of the parkway north of National Airport and State Route 233 is part of the National Highway System.

[edit] Potomac Heritage Trail

The Potomac Heritage Trail is a 10-mile trail that follows the Potomac River and the parkway. It begins at Roosevelt Island and goes to I-495 at the American Legion Bridge. It is a segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.

[edit] Southern section

The southern section extends from South Washington Street at the southern end of Old Town Alexandria past Fort Hunt to Mount Vernon. The southern section is a limited-access highway, but with at-grade intersections. At Mount Vernon, the parkway ends at a traffic circle, where it joins State Route 235. Most of this route was taken from the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railway's right-of-way. The Mount Vernon bicycle trail parallels the southern and middle sections of the parkway (from Theodore Roosevelt Island to Mount Vernon), and is often filled with recreational and commuter cyclists and runners.

[edit] Clara Barton Parkway

Main article: Clara Barton Parkway
Clara Barton Parkway in Maryland
Clara Barton Parkway in Maryland

The Clara Barton Parkway is administratively part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It was signed as the George Washington Memorial Parkway until 1989, when it was renamed to overcome motorist confusion.[1]

The Clara Barton Parkway has its eastern terminus in the District of Columbia, where the parkway connects with Canal Road and Chain Bridge. Its western terminus is at MacArthur Boulevard in the Potomac area of Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside the Capital Beltway. The parkway provides access to Glen Echo Park and the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo, Maryland. The Clara Barton Parkway connects to the Capital Beltway via a partial interchange and also via the Cabin John Parkway (administered by the Maryland State Highway Administration). The Clara Barton Parkway includes an overhanging bridge near Glen Echo.

[edit] Previously proposed connection

The parkways on the two sides of the river were originally supposed to be joined by a bridge at the Great Falls of the Potomac River. However, opposition from preservationists led to the cancellation of that bridge. Instead, traffic between the two parkways uses the American Legion Bridge. The Virginia side of the Potomac river at Great Falls is managed by the Superintendent of the parkway as a national park site, known as Great Falls Park. Some elements of the proposed final parkway configuration – such as the concrete bridge that would have carried northbound traffic at the Glen Echo turn-around – were built but have never been used.[citation needed]

[edit] Administrative history

The parkway was authorized May 29, 1930 and transferred from the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital August 10, 1933. On November 28, 1989, the portion in Maryland was renamed the Clara Barton Parkway. The Parkway also administers other National Park Service features and areas:

[edit] Major intersections

Only signalized intersections and interchanges are listed.[2]

Location Mile Road(s) Notes
SR 235 (Mount Vernon Memorial Highway) Traffic circle
Fort Hunt Road - Fort Hunt Park Interchange
Hunting Creek Bridge; south end of gap
Gap; see State Route 400
1st Street North end of gap
Bashford Lane
Slaters Lane
Reagan National Airport Interchange
I-395 - Washington, Richmond Interchange
SR 27 west to I-395 – Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove, Pentagon Interchange; no northbound exit
Arlington Memorial Bridge - Arlington Cemetery, Washington Interchange
US 50 west Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance
I-66 east / US 50 west Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
US 29 north - Key Bridge Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
To I-66 west to US 29 / Spout Run Parkway – Arlington, Washington Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance
SR 123 – Chain Bridge, Washington, McLean Interchange
CIA, FHWA Interchange
Turkey Run Park, Washington, to I-495 (U-turn) Interchange
I-495 - Maryland Interchange

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ron Shaffer (June 25, 2006). After 20 Years of Columns, Checking the Rearview Mirror One Last Time. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-11-23.
  2. ^ Google Maps aerial photos; the stop line at traffic signals is clearly visible

[edit] External links

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