Press Releases

December 7, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents the Northern Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital, today hailed the National Park Service (NPS) announcement that it would award a major contract in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration to restore the northern section of the historic George Washington Parkway.

The $161 million contract is the largest yet awarded as part of infrastructure investments funded under the Great American Outdoors Act, and comes in the wake of the enactment of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Beyer voted for both bills in the U.S. House.

Beyer said:

“The contract to repair G.W. Parkway’s northern section is a huge infrastructure win for our region.

“Northern Virginians have been pleading for major repairs to this section of the G.W. Parkway for years, as potholes and other damage accumulated over the past six decades put the parkway in ever-worsening shape. Thanks to legislation we passed in Congress and the Department of the Interior under Secretary Haaland’s leadership, we are finally going to get that fixed.

“I also deeply appreciate the ongoing efforts of the National Park Service to improve safety on G.W. Parkway’s southern stretch. Together these projects deliver a top transportation objective for my constituents: making the historic G.W. Parkway as safe as it is scenic.

“The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will lead to so many projects that will benefit Virginia and the rest of the country as we deliver on the promise to rebuild America’s infrastructure.”

George Washington Memorial Parkway is a scenic roadway administered by the National Park Service, running from Mount Vernon along the Potomac River up to the American Legion Bridge and the Capital Beltway. 70,000 drivers take the parkway each day, and the northern section from Spout Run to the American Legion Bridge is the busiest section. The stretch of road opened in 1962 and has never had undergone a major repair.

According to the National Park Service, construction is tentatively scheduled to run from 2023 to 2025, with detailed information to come for drivers during the repairs.