(Washington, DC) –DC Water’s contractor on the Potomac River Tunnel Project will begin performing utility investigations along portions of Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, NW, and the Rock Creek Trail between F Street, NW, and Virginia Avenue, NW on or about the week of July 1, 2024, weather permitting. This activity involves temporary traffic lanes, bike lanes, trail, and sidewalk closures, near the work zones.  Temporary closures are necessary to ensure the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and workers during the investigation process and will be reopened upon completion. Please refer to the maps below for additional details.  

The contractor will use the potholing method to investigate the locations of underground utilities. The road will be restored when the investigation work is completed. Potholing is necessary to prepare the site for constructing the Potomac River Tunnel (PRT).   

Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, NW Work (Map A) 

• Date: July 1, 2024, weather permitting 
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm 
• Location: Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW between F St, NW, and Virginia Ave, NW 
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours:  
  • Traffic: Temporary closure of one northbound travel lane.  
  • Pedestrian Detours: Sidewalks will remain open. 
  • No parking restrictions 

Map A (above): Rock Creek Parkway Potholing – July 1st 

Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, NW Work (Map B)

• Date: July 2, 2024, weather permitting
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
• Location: Northbound sidewalk along Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW between F St, NW and Virginia Ave, NW
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours: 
  • Traffic: Temporary closure of one northbound lane along Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW between F St, NW, and Virginia Ave, NW 
  • Pedestrian Detours: The sidewalk on the east side of Rock Creek Pkwy will be closed. Pedestrians will be detoured around the work zone. See map below for additional details.
  • No parking restrictions.

Map B (above): Rock Creek Parkway, NW Potholing – July 2nd

Virginia Avenue, NW Work (Map C) 

• Date: July 8th and 9th 2024, weather permitting
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
• Location: Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW between F St, NW, and Virginia Ave, NW
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours: 
  • Traffic: Temporary closure of one northbound lane along Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy between F St NW and Virginia Ave, NW 
  • Pedestrian/Bicyclist Detours: Sidewalks and bike lanes will remain open. 

Map C (above): Virginia Ave, NW Potholing – July 8th - 9th 

Virginia Avenue, NW Work (Map D) 

• Date: July 10 – July 11, 2024, weather permitting
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
• Location: Intersection of Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW and Virginia Ave, NW 
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours: 
  • Traffic: Temporary closure of the right turn lane from Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy to Virginia Ave, NW, and temporary closure of one eastbound lane on Virginia Ave NW.   
  • Pedestrian and Bicyclist Detour: A flagger will assist pedestrians and bicyclists through the work zone located in the crosswalk and in the bike lane. Pedestrians and bicyclists will share a barrier-protected path.  

Map D (above): Virginia Ave, NW Potholing – July 10th – 11th 

Virginia Avenue, NW Work (Map E)

• Date: July 12, 2024, weather permitting
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
• Location: Near the intersection of Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW and Virginia Ave, NW 
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours: 
  • Traffic: Temporary closure of one eastbound and one westbound lane on Virginia Ave, NW. Temporary closure of one southbound travel lane on 27th St NW. The right turn from 27th Street, NW to Virginia Ave, NW will be reduced to one lane.    

Map E (above): Virginia Ave, NW Potholing – July 12th 

Virginia Avenue, NW Work (Map F)

• Date: July 15, 2024, weather permitting
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
• Location: Southbound travel lane along Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW between F St, NW, and Virginia Ave, NW. 
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours: 
  • Traffic: Temporary closure of one southbound lane on Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy.  
  • No Pedestrian or Bicyclist Detours during this phase.    

Map F (above): Rock Creek Trail, NW Potholing – July 15th   

Virginia Avenue, NW Work (Map G)

• Date: July 16 – July 17, 2024, weather permitting
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
• Location: Rock Creek Trail along Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW between F St, NW, and Virginia Ave, NW. 
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours: 
  • Traffic: Temporary closure of one southbound lane on Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy.
  • Pedestrian Detours: Pedestrians and bicyclists will be directed to use the path closest to the river. 

Map G (above): Rock Creek Trail, NW Potholing – July 16th & 17th 

Virginia Avenue, NW Work (Map H)

• Date: July 18, – July 23, 2024, weather permitting. 
• Time: Monday – Friday from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
• Location: Rock Creek Trail along Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy, NW between F St, NW and Virginia Ave, NW. 
• Traffic Pattern Changes and Pedestrian Detours: 
  • Traffic: There are no anticipated impacts to roadway users during this phase.    
    Pedestrian Detours: Pedestrians and bicyclists will be directed to the path adjacent to the road. 

Map H (above): Rock Creek Pkwy, NW Potholing – July 18th– 23rd 

Important Information 
Commuters and pedestrians will notice road signs and flagging personnel directing them through the temporary closures. 
Please plan your travel routes accordingly and anticipate potential delays. Traffic control measures will be in place to guide motorists safely through the area.

Project Details
The Potomac River Tunnel is the next major phase of the DC Clean Rivers Project. The project consists of a large-diameter deep sewer tunnel, diversion facilities, drop shafts, and support structures to capture flows from existing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) along the Potomac River and convey them to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project is needed to reduce CSOs that contribute to water quality impairment of the Potomac River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay; and to comply with the 2005 Federal Consent Decree entered by DC Water, the District of Columbia, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Department of Justice, as amended in January 2016.

CSOs are released into the Potomac River from CSO Outfalls during rainfalls that exceed the capacity of the system. CSOs impair water quality by increasing water bacteria levels, contributing to low dissolved oxygen impacting aquatic life, and increasing the amount of trash in waterways. An estimated 654 million gallons of CSOs currently enter the Potomac River in a year of average rainfall. The proposed controls are estimated to reduce the volume of CSOs to the Potomac River by 93% and reduce their frequency from approximately 74 events to 4 events in a year of average rainfall.

For more information 
Project Email: dcpotomacrivertunnel@dcwater.com 
Project Website: www.dcwater.com/prt
Project Hotline: 202-972-1388 
DC Water 24-hour Emergency: 202-612-3400