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Apr 16, 2025:
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Clara Barton Parkway Cantilever Project
George Washington Memorial Parkway » Clara Barton Parkway Cantilever Project » Document List
The George Washington Memorial Parkway, a unit of the National Park Service, is proposing rehabilitation/replacement of the cantilever structure and adjacent retaining walls on Clara Barton Parkway in Glen Echo, MD. Additionally, NPS is considering demolition of an associated feature, the Glen Echo overpass.
The cantilever section is significant as an original design feature of the Clara Barton Parkway, which was constructed between 1957 and 1965. Designers used retaining walls and the cantilever structure to fit the Clara Barton Parkway between the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the bluffs leading up to Glen Echo and Brookmont. The proposed project involves rehabilitation/replacement of 1,409 feet of a cantilever structure and 2,048 feet of adjacent retaining walls on the Clara Barton Parkway between Cabin John Parkway and the Macarthur Boulevard exit ramp. The cantilever structure and adjacent retaining walls are exhibiting widespread deterioration, which will eventually result in reduced the load-carrying capacity of the cantilever structure and severely impact its structural integrity. As such, NPS is evaluating several alternatives to either rehabilitate or replace the cantilever structure and retaining walls.
The Glen Echo overpass was built in 1961 as part of the later abandoned plan to expand the Clara Barton Parkway to four travel lanes inbound into Washington, DC. As the parkway expansion never came to fruition, the structure has remained unused by traffic since its completion. The Glen Echo overpass crosses over the northbound lane of the Clara Barton Parkway but is unconnected to the surrounding roadway network. The bridge is deteriorating and as such, the NPS is evaluating whether demolition is appropriate at this time based on the future risk and needs for rehabilitation that the structure is likely to require if left in place.
The objective of this project is to provide a reliable and safe structure that will carry the Clara Barton Parkway at this specific location in a manner that maintains to the extent possible the historic character of the structure and minimizes the required closure of the structure during construction.
703-289-2500
The cantilever section is significant as an original design feature of the Clara Barton Parkway, which was constructed between 1957 and 1965. Designers used retaining walls and the cantilever structure to fit the Clara Barton Parkway between the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the bluffs leading up to Glen Echo and Brookmont. The proposed project involves rehabilitation/replacement of 1,409 feet of a cantilever structure and 2,048 feet of adjacent retaining walls on the Clara Barton Parkway between Cabin John Parkway and the Macarthur Boulevard exit ramp. The cantilever structure and adjacent retaining walls are exhibiting widespread deterioration, which will eventually result in reduced the load-carrying capacity of the cantilever structure and severely impact its structural integrity. As such, NPS is evaluating several alternatives to either rehabilitate or replace the cantilever structure and retaining walls.
The Glen Echo overpass was built in 1961 as part of the later abandoned plan to expand the Clara Barton Parkway to four travel lanes inbound into Washington, DC. As the parkway expansion never came to fruition, the structure has remained unused by traffic since its completion. The Glen Echo overpass crosses over the northbound lane of the Clara Barton Parkway but is unconnected to the surrounding roadway network. The bridge is deteriorating and as such, the NPS is evaluating whether demolition is appropriate at this time based on the future risk and needs for rehabilitation that the structure is likely to require if left in place.
The objective of this project is to provide a reliable and safe structure that will carry the Clara Barton Parkway at this specific location in a manner that maintains to the extent possible the historic character of the structure and minimizes the required closure of the structure during construction.
Contact Information
George Washington Memorial Parkway Superintendent703-289-2500