George Washington Memorial Parkway

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 near the Arlington Memorial Bridge passes over Columbia Island, which is within the city limits of Washington, D.C. It is in two sections, joined by Washington Street (Virginia State Highway 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 was never built. The parkway is designated an All-American Road.

Northern section

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. 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. Highway 29 and thus provides an indirect connection to Interstate 66. The part of the G.W. Parkway north of National Airport and Virginia State Highway 233 is part of the National Highway System.

Potomac Heritage Trail

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

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 Virginia State Highway 235.

Clara Barton Parkway

The Clara Barton Parkway is administratively part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. In fact, it was signed as such until 1989, when it was renamed to overcome motorist confusion.

The Clara Barton Parkway has its eastern terminus in the District of Columbia, where the parkway connects with Canal Road and Chain Bridge. It has its western terminus in Montgomery County, 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.

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. At Great Falls Park, remains of the first canal with lifting locks in the United States, commenced in 1786, can be found. The canal project was one of the world's first engineering works in which blasting powder was utilized to remove rocks and overburden. A total of 5 locks were constructed, and restoration and preservation of these locks is ongoing.

Administrative history

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

Reference

The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

External links

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