Overnight Canal Road Closures Continue Through June

Overnight road closures are in place to allow for repairs of the Arizona Avenue Bridge.

Overnight closures of Canal Road and the eastbound side of the Chain Bridge will continue from 8:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday now through June 13. The National Park Service and the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division are in the midst of making emergency repairs to the Arizona Avenue Bridge, according to a District Department of Transportation (DDOT) news release. Though work should be limited to week nights, it is possible that overnight work could take place on Friday and Saturday nights. According to DDOT, road impacts are as follows: "During work hours Canal Road, NW will be entirely closed between Arizona Avenue, NW and the Chain Bridge (Clara Barton Parkway) and the eastbound side of the Chain Bridge will be closed …

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Arlington Memorial Bridge Inspection Closes Lanes

At least one lane of traffic will remain open in each direction during inspection.

A Federal Highway Administration (FHA) inspection of the Arlington Memorial Bridge will impact traffic between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through March 5. Tuesday the FHA began an "in-depth inspection of the concrete deck" of the bridge that spans the Potomac between Arlington and DC. According to an alert from the National Park Service the inspection will result in shifting lane closures, but at least one lane in each direction will remain open. Drivers are advised to be alert and expect delays during inspection hours. However, all lanes will be open during the morning and evening rush hours.

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NPS Seeks Conservation Easement for Portion of West Heating Plant Site

An update to the Invitation for Bid advises potential participants of NPS's desire.

The National Park Service wants a conservation easement on the West Heating Plant property to prevent a future owner from building anything on certain portions of the land. The General Services Administration is auctioning off the West Heating Plant federal property at 1051 29th St. NW, though there have been no bids in the week and a half since bidding opened on Jan. 18. The easement, for a section of land outside the high stone wall that runs adjacent to Rock Creek and the C&O Canal, would prohibit development of anything on the land east of the high retaining wall adjacent to Rock Creek or on the land north of the stone wall that is adjacent to the C&O Canal. It would also maintain public access to Rock Creek and the C&O Canal from the …

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NPS Responds to Jack's Boathouse Conflict

The National Park Service is seeking to create a new contract for a boathouse operation on the Georgetown waterfront.

The National Park Service (NPS) is moving forward with plans to create a new contract for a boat rental operation on the Georgetown waterfront as the agency explores recent allegations by current tenant Jack's Boathouse that NPS does not have jurisdiction over the property. "We believe that we have full jurisdiction of the Georgetown waterfront park," Jennifer Mummart, the acting NPS associate regional director for communications in the national capital region, told Patch. But Friday, Jack's owner Paul Simkin and his attorney Charles Camp told Patch they believe NPS no longer has jurisdiction over the Georgetown waterfront and that control actually should have reverted to the District government years ago. "We are looking into it," Mummart…

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Jack's Boathouse Fighting Potential Ouster by NPS

Conflicting claims on Georgetown waterfront property put future of boathouse in question.

Jack's Boathouse has anchored Georgetown’s western waterfront for decades. But whether it has the right to lease the land as it has for 40 years instead of entering into a competitive concession with the National Park Service (NPS) is the subject of a debate that could land both parties in court. And the boat rental company says it isn’t going down without a fight. On Friday, NPS issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a contract to operate a boat rental operation at 3500 K Street — and it wants Jack’s Boathouse, which has operated a boat rental facility out of a red single-story wooden bungalow on the Georgetown waterfront since 1973, to compete for the contract. While NPS claims it took stewardship of the parcel in the late 1980s, …

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Traffic Alert for National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Several roads closed ahead of 4:15 p.m. ceremony Thursday.

President Barack Obama will light the National Christmas tree on the White House's Ellipse from 4:15 to 7 p.m. Thursday. With the ceremony comes road closures and traffic restrictions around the White House. This year's tree, a 28-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce from Virginia, is new. The previous tree died of transplant shock. According to the District Department of Transportation, begining at approximately 4:15 p.m. Thursday through the completion of the ceremonies, there will be no northbound or southbound traffic allowed on the following streets: The National Park Service will offer a live stream of this year's ceremony at this designated website. Are you attending the ceremony? Send us your photos! Here’s how to share your photos: …

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C&O Canal Hosts 'Park After Dark' This Weekend

Tickets are still on sale for the second annual Park After Dark fundraiser benefiting the C&O Canal.

Our local national park hosts its largest fundraiser of the year Saturday, allowing visitors a chance to see the C&O Canal National Historical Park in a state few regular visitors have seen before. Tickets are still on sale for the C&O Canal Trust's Park After Dark, an evening benefit that will allowing event-goers to view the canal at twilight while supporting the C&O Park and the Canal Trust. Traditionally, the C&O Park closes at dusk. With nearly 250 guests in attendance, last year’s benefit was a sold out event. This year, event organizers have upped the attendance to allow for 300 guests. According to Matthew Logan, president of the Canal Trust, the 2011 Park After Dark benefit raised around $60,000 to support park programs including …

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NPS Emergency Call Boxes Going Out of Service Permanently

A call button near the site of a July sexual assault has been out of order for months.

The emergency call boxes that line the C&O Canal trail from Cumberland, MD through Georgetown in D.C. will no longer be used or maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). Instead, NPS will post emergency contact information signs for people to call from their personal cell phones.  The matter was first brought to Patch's attention by a reader who worried about a broken call box located very near to the site of sexual assault that occurred on the trail in July. In that incident a female jogger told police she was attacked from behind and placed in a chokehold that caused her to pass out. The incident took place around 9 p.m. on a week night on the trail north of the Three Sisters rock formation, near the vicinity of Water Street NW, …

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National Park Service Goes High Tech for July 4th

Text the keyword “July4DC” to 888777 to get the latest advisories and notifications covering everything from traffic situations to special events.

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