National Park Service

Sinkhole Repairs Shut Down Stretch of Northbound George Washington Parkway

Rain has delayed repairs, but the National Park Service hopes to open one lane in time for the Monday evening rush hour

A stretch of northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway will remain closed at least through the Monday morning rush after a sinkhole opened up on Friday.

Both northbound lanes between Virginia Route 123/Chain Bridge Road and I-495/Capital Beltway are closed for repairs, the National Park Service said Sunday. Southbound lanes are not affected.

Steady rain on Saturday and Sunday prevented the NPS from making repairs, but the agency hopes to open one lane in time for the Monday evening rush hour. Getting that lane open is weather-dependent, NPS says.

A preliminary investigation showed that the sinkhole was caused by a 60-year-old, 40-foot deep brick inlet that failed, NPS says. Heavy rain also likely played a factor.

The sinkhole is 10 feet deep, 30 feet long and 20 feet wide, NPS says.

A U.S. Park Police officer spotted the new sinkhole on Friday in the same area near Dead Run where a 10-foot sinkhole opened in March, shutting down the road for about a day. Those repairs finished ahead of schedule.

A short-term fix is in the works now, and NPS says they are awaiting a federal grant to fund a complete rehabilitation of the GW Parkway.

More than 85,000 people use the road to travel north daily, NPS says.

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