WASHINGTON — For three years, commuters between D.C. and Maryland have been without a thoroughfare. But now, their frustrations are over, as Beach Drive has reopened after a major rehabilitation project. Crews completed the fourth and final section of more than six miles of work on Friday.
Construction crews kept busy on Beach Drive until the bitter end, using every minute leading up to the noon Friday deadline to ensure the 23,000 tons of new asphalt was ready for drivers.
"You can open it, go ahead," the foreman from Fort Myer construction called, opening a 2.7-mile stretch from Joyce Road Northwest to the D.C.-Maryland line.
"This is great, a culmination of three years of work," Jonathan Shafer, public affairs specialist of the National Park Service (NPS), said.
NPS, along with the Federal Highway Administration, oversaw the project, installing new pavement markers, center-line rumble strips, guardrails and road signs. It’s a major improvement from the potholes of before.
"It’s been great to put in three years of work on this project and see the final product, which is a smoother, safer drive," Shafer said.
Crews who finished the project were on deck to shake hands with the first drivers to experience the updates. But you don’t have to be on four wheels to see the difference.
"I’m glad to be on D.C. roads for the first time ever," one cyclist said.
Drivers will notice right away how smooth the road is. NPS says this was not just some patch job, but that crews dug up old asphalt all the way down to the dirt.
Crews also installed an entirely new drainage system. Fourteen new retention ponds now prevent runoff into Rock Creek.
"Working on this project was about more than improving the road," Shafer said, even though 12 million people take Beach Drive each year. "Folks are going to be able to come here and enjoy this for decades to come."
Because Beach Drive is part of a National Park, the road was not expanded beyond its original footprint.