Rock Creek Park Roadway Continues to Erode

As News4 first reported last month, a popular cut-through inside Rock Creek Park continues to erode without any permanent fixes.

District Department of Transportation workers moved protective barriers further on the Kalmia Road Culvert near East and West Beach Drive in Northwest Thursday -- a side of the culvert is collapsing off the roadway. 

"The cracks are actually growing a little bit wider," Reggie Arno, a DDOT engineer said. "It's not that it's unsafe, but as a precautionary measure, we are moving the weight of the traffic from the areas where the cracking is growing to the more secure part of the culvert."

DDOT will have to eventually shut the culvert down for a few months while a new bridge is built. Meanwhile, it was closed for only a couple hours and drivers took notice.

"When you block this, we are concerned about safety issues, for police and fire protection," Northwest D.C. resident Judith Lewis said. 

DDOT officials last month said they are close to awarding a contract for a permanent fix. Montgomery County transportation leaders have been warned to expect a lot more traffic once the culvert is shut down.

Part of the culvert collapsed three years ago, washed away by a hard rain.

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