The northbound lane of the George Washington Memorial Parkway reopened Tuesday afternoon and the southbound lane reopened Wednesday morning after being closed since Saturday's downbursts littered the roadway with fallen trees and broken limbs.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to the public for their patience and understanding during this closure period," George Washington Memorial Parkway superintendent Charles Cuvelier said in a release.
Crews have been working to clear the fallen trees and hazardous limbs from on and near the roadway and the trails alongside the parkway.
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“If there are not downed trees in those areas, blocking paths, there could be broken limbs that pose a risk to not only travelers but some of our people who enjoy our parks as well,” said Christopher Hershey of the National Park Service.
The National Park Service said it had to call in extra crews to help with the cleanup.
“Yesterday, crews removed 250-325 hazardous trees, resulting in 100 dump-truck and 15 chipper-truck loads, and more than 500 tons of wood and debris,” George Washington Memorial Parkway Superintendent Charles Cuvelier said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
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Drivers are encouraged by NPS to use caution when driving in the three lanes of the north parkway rehabilitation project.
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