The Beach Drive section in red is one of three that have been closed to motor vehicles seven days a week since April 11th, 2020.
Three northern sections of Beach Drive in the District have been largely car free since a few weeks into the pandemic, for the purpose of socially-distanced outdoor recreation. The National Park Service is proposing that car-free summers continue, but with vehicle through-traffic resuming their pre-pandemic weekday access for the rest of the year.
NPS released its proposal and its environmental assessment on Monday. WAMU/DCist’s reporting on the recommendations included an interview with Rock Creek Park Superintendent Julia Washburn. The assessment is available for download and for comment here. Scroll to the bottom of the page for those links and for information on a July 18th virtual public meeting, where the public’s comments will also be recorded. The deadline for comments is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 11th.
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Gawain Kripke says
honestly, this is disappointing. I was hoping they would open beach drive permanently to non-auto use. The park is such a treasure and treating it like a highway is a shame. The beach drive “closure” has been a god send during the pandemic, but also revelatory for how great the park could be if not a parkway.
Tess says
I agree! It’s really changed my relationship with the park.