Planning For GW Parkway Sinkhole Fix Underway, 1 Lane Closed

MCLEAN, VA—One lane of the George Washington Memorial Parkway remains closed as the National Park Service works on a long-term plan to fix a sinkhole.

The sinkhole was found near Dead Run on the northbound parkway on Friday, May 10. Crews worked to stabilize the sinkhole and reopened one of two northbound lanes days later. NPS does not have an anticipated opening date for the other northbound lane, WTOP reported.

The issue relates to a 40-foot deep brick inlet. Engineers initially found leaks in a vertical drainage structure that takes water from the road to a pipe beneath the road. The temporary stabilizing work included adding flowable fill to the sinkhole and injecting grout into the ground. As part of the long-term fix development, a camera is inspecting pipes below the road.

According to WTOP, the long-term fix could result in closures of the northbound direction and possibly one southbound lane. Dates have not been announced yet.

The sinkhole is located in the same area as another found in March. The repairs shut down the northbound parkway Friday, March 22 into part of that weekend.