‘Smooth, Easy and Beautiful' — Rebuilt Beach Drive Segment to Reopen Next Month

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WASHINGTON — About 12 million drivers a year use the stretch of Beach Drive that runs from Tilden Street south to Rock Creek Parkway, a windy, scenic stretch of road that allows drivers going to and from downtown to avoid the traffic lights and urbanization of Connecticut Avenue and 16th Street. It’s been closed nearly a year for a total reconstruction of the road, but the National Park Service says that stretch of Beach Drive will be open again by the end of August.

“Drivers are going to have a smooth, easy and beautiful experience when this segment reopens,” said Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, a spokeswoman with the National Park Service. “You can say goodbye to those potholes and puddles that were so frequent.”

“We’ve completely reconstructed the roadway and it’s entirely new.”

The stretch of road, roughly two miles, was torn up and rebuilt from the ground up, using 5,100 tons of asphalt. The trail that runs alongside the road, used by cyclists and pedestrians, was also torn up and rebuilt, and widened from six to eight feet.

Crews also replaced hundreds of tiles inside the zoo tunnel, while making that section safer for pedestrians too.

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A dresser can be seen on the upper story of a townhome damaged during a violent storm in Stevensville, Maryland, on Monday, July 24, 2017. (WTOP\/Steve Dresner)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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A truck lies buried beneath pieces of roofing and the remnants of a porch in Stevensville, Maryland on Monday, July 24, 2017. Federal officials surveyed damage from the overnight storm to determine if a tornado was the cause. (WTOP\/Steve Dresner)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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A violent storm tore away the roof on a newer condo building in Stevensillve, Maryland, on Monday, July 24, 2017. (WTOP\/Steve Dresner)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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Workers remove portions of a downed tree in Stevensville, Maryland, on Monday, July 24, 2017. (WTOP\/Steve Dresner)\n"},{"type":"ad","media":"

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The remains of a downed tree tower over its stump in Stevensville, Maryland, on Monday, July 24, 2017. (WTOP\/Steve Dresner)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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Fallen tree limbs cover a home in Stevensville, Maryland, on Monday, July 24, 2017 after a violent storm tore through Queen Anne’s County overnight. (WTOP\/Steve Dresner)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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Tree limbs lie on the roof of a home in Stevensillve, Maryland, after a violent storm tore through the Queen Anne’s County community early Monday morning. (WTOP\/Steve Dresner)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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A house flattened in the Bay City neighborhood at Chennowith and Zaidee lanes. (WTOP\/Kristi King)\n"},{"type":"ad","media":"

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A fallen tree blocks a road in Queen Anne’s County after Monday’s storm. (Courtesy Darron Zimmer)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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Downed power lines and trees in Prince Anne’s County, Maryland, after Monday’s storm. (Courtesy Angie Chambers Russe)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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An overturned truck in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, after the storm tore through Kent Island. (Courtesy Angie Chambers Russe)\n"},{"type":"photo","media":"

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A Queen Anne’s County resident stands next to a broken tree after Monday’s storm. (Courtesy Angie Chambers Russe)\n"},{"type":"ad","media":"

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