For those of you who may enjoy straying out of Arlington and up the C&O Canal towpath, you may want to be aware that the construction has fenced off the connection from the Brookmont trail to the towpath. You can make it down the trail from Ridge Drive in Brookmont, across the footbridge and down the curlicue ramp. But the construction area has fenced off access to the towpath. This closure may be a rude surprise for those who have ridden down the steep path from the Brookmont neighborhood off MacArthur. (Don’t ask me how I know but, theoretically, it may be possible to squeeze around the chain link fence and tiptoe across the top of the upstream canal gate — though a misstep could mean a big drop into the canal.)
Project website says work is to continue through winter of 2025/2026. But it appears possible that this aspect of the larger lock renovation project which includes work in Georgetown may be finished earlier.
The towpath remains open for through traffic.
This site has a map of the work. It also mentions that alternate access is available up at Lock 6; I’m not familiar with that path or whether it requires you to cross Clara Barton Parkway at grade.
https://www.nps.gov/choh/learn/news/2024_03_04-locks-and-walls.htm
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