Environmental Assessment for Roadway and Trail Safety Improvements George Washington Memorial Parkway: Virginia and Washington, DC

摘要

The George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) is a linear park located in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia along the Potomac River. The park is owned by the Federal government and operated by the National Park Service (NPS). The GWMP Unit includes four separate roadway segments the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway, the Clara Barton Parkway and the Spout Run Parkway totaling 38.3 miles and 7,248 acres. The George Washington Memorial Parkway is mostly located in Virginia, on the west side of the Potomac River. The parkway extends from the Capital Beltway (I-495) on the northern end to Slaters Lane in the City of Alexandria on the southern end. The Columbia Island portion of the GWMP is located in the District of Columbia. The Mount Vernon Memorial Highway is also on the west side of the Potomac in Virginia and connects Hunting Creek at the south end of Alexandria to Mount Vernon. The Clara Barton Parkway is located in Maryland, on the east side of the Potomac. It extends from MacArthur Boulevard west of Carderock Park on the northwest end to the Chain Bridge across the Potomac River on the southeast end. Finally, the Spout Run Parkway provides a connection between the GWMP and Lee Highway/Interstate 66 (I-66) at Spout Run Creek, north of the Key Bridge. A number of recreational, historical and memorial sites are also part of the GWMP Unit, including Great Falls Park, Glen Echo Park, Arlington House, the Clara Barton National Historic Site, Theodore Roosevelt Island Park and the Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Memorial Grove. The Mt. Vernon Trail, a bicycle and pedestrian route, extends along the GWMP and the Potomac River from Theodore Roosevelt Island to Mt. Vernon. The area being investigated focuses on the GWMP in the vicinity of its intersection with Interstate 395 (I-395), just west of the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River. While collectively referred to as the 14th Street Bridge, the crossing consists of three bridges: the George Mason Bridge, which carries the southbound lanes of I-395 from the District of Columbia to Virginia; the Rochambeau Bridge that connects northbound I-395 to 14th Street; and the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge (Williams Bridge), which also carries northbound I-395 across the Potomac River from Virginia. The general boundaries of the Study Area are the Potomac River to the east, the Williams Bridge to the south, Boundary Channel Drive to the west, and Columbia Island Marina to the north.