A major construction project on the northern section of the George Washington Parkway will shift the flow of traffic soon and create a reversible lane.
The traffic shift is set to begin on Saturday, April 15 and affect the stretch of roadway between the Capital Beltway (I-495) and Route 123.
All traffic will be shifted from the southbound side to the northbound side. Southbound lanes will be closed during the work.
During the weekday morning rush hour from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m., there will be two lanes for southbound traffic toward D.C. and one lane for northbound traffic toward Maryland and Virginia.
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During the weekday evening rush hour from 2:45 to 7:15 p.m., there will be two lanes for northbound traffic and one lane for southbound traffic.
At other times, including on weekends, there will be simply one lane in each direction.
National Park Service officials ask drivers to pay attention.
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“Once you get into one of those lanes, you are going to have to stay in your lane while you are driving through,” Mark Malloy said. “The lanes will be slightly narrower, so we are asking people to use caution.”
The parkway has not had a full rehab since it was built in the 1950s and ‘60s. Problems have included sinkholes and trouble with drainage.
Once work on the southbound lanes finishes, the work will shift over to the northbound side.
The expected completion date of the $161 million project is 2025.
For now, one driver said he expects to spend another 10 to 15 minutes on the road because of the work.
