Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House will be closed until March 2020 due to fence construction, the National Park Service said Tuesday.
The road will be closed from West Executive Avenue to East Executive Avenue starting Wednesday during construction of a new fence that will be more than double the height of the current one, officials said in a news release.
The closure is meant to protect pedestrians and cyclists throughout the north portion of the fence, as heavy machinery and large vehicles often drive by.
Several areas near the section will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists, including Lafayette Park, the north sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue, Jackson Place NW and Madison Place NW.
The NPS and the Secret Service are working to create the $64 million project that will surround the 18-acre White House complex using more than 3,500 feet of steel fencing.
The new fence will eventually be 13 feet tall with wider and stronger pickets than the existing one, officials said. It incorporates anti-climb and intrusion detection technology and is designed to mitigate current and future security threats, the NPS said in a July news release.
The NPS will continue to issue permits for demonstrations in Lafayette Park while Pennsylvania Avenue is closed. Scheduled tours of the White House will continue as planned.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
The first phase of construction began on July 8 and is expected to continue into 2021.
