Tidal Basin, Memorial Bridge, Lincoln Memorial Street closures

[arlcxrider]

Metropolitan Police and National Park Service announce street closures around the tidal basin area and environs, effective today, 3/22. Includes the Memorial Bridge. Unknown to me whether the closure includes bicycles. I was down there on early Thursday evening, and it was the usual cherry blossom traffic snarl.

https://mpdc.dc.gov/release/traffic-advisory-street-closures

Closures include:

The Memorial Bridge
Lincoln Memorial Circle
Potomac River Freeway (all exits to Ohio Drive and Independence Avenue)
Rock Creek Parkway/Potomac Parkway Drive between Virginia Avenue and Independence Avenue, SW (to include Ohio Drive, SW)
Independence Avenue between Ohio Drive and 14th Street, SW
23rd Street between Constitution Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Circle
Henry Bacon Drive between Constitution Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Circle
17th Street between Constitution Avenue, NW and Independence Avenue, SW
15th Street between Constitution Avenue, NW and Independence Avenue, SW
Maine Avenue between Independence and 12th Street, SW
All vehicular exits to East Potomac Park and West Potomac Park

MPD adds this note:

Individuals and groups will encounter delays in the vicinity of this closure. To help flatten the curve, we strongly discourage any Tidal Basin visits because social distancing has not been possible due to visitor volume.

Topic

[DrP]

@ursus 199657 wrote:

I just tried this today. There is a police car blocking the path which leads from Banneker Park Circle toward the Case Bridge.

This morning I found the following web site from NPS: https://www.nps.gov/nama/learn/management/record-of-determination-for-the-temporary-public-road-and-pedestrian-access-closure-of-the-tidal-basin-to-prevent-the-spread-of-covid-19-during-the-cherry-blossom-festival.htm

It indicates that the whole area is closed from 7am to 8pm each day (which may be why I saw people on the bridge around 7am on Tuesday. It expires on Sunday (unless they extend it, I suppose)). There is a map showing it all being closed. I ended up metro-ing over to my appointment.

[arlcxrider]

The NPS map shows Memorial Bridge closed to motorized traffic, but outside the pedestrian (and bike?) closure zone. That was patently not the case on Monday morning, as I was shoo’ed away by a DC cop.

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Update: Memorial Bridge is open to bikes and pedestrians. I rode across in the main traffic lanes about 5 this evening. Woo-hoo, and got to check out the ongoing work on the north side. A lot of bored National Guard and cops standing around near the Lincoln Memorial. They still aren’t allowing people to turn south towards Independence Ave.

[dragonflycrk]

I saw on Strava a friend who ran across the 14th St bridge today at 3pm, accessing it from Ohio Dr. Maybe they’re starting to ease restrictions? Or as someone said earlier, it really might be hit or miss depending on what officer is there.

[ursus]

@arlcxrider 199664 wrote:

The NPS map shows Memorial Bridge closed to motorized traffic, but outside the pedestrian (and bike?) closure zone. That was patently not the case on Monday morning, as I was shoo’ed away by a DC cop.

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Update: Memorial Bridge is open to bikes and pedestrians. I rode across in the main traffic lanes about 5 this evening. Woo-hoo, and got to check out the ongoing work on the north side. A lot of bored National Guard and cops standing around near the Lincoln Memorial. They still aren’t allowing people to turn south towards Independence Ave.

Where were you able to go on the DC side? That is, are there other changes?

[arlcxrider]

@ursus 199677 wrote:

Where were you able to go on the DC side? That is, are there other changes?

You could continue to Henry Bacon Drive, 23rd, or Rock Creek Parkway.

[Emm]

@dragonflycrk 199670 wrote:

I saw on Strava a friend who ran across the 14th St bridge today at 3pm, accessing it from Ohio Dr. Maybe they’re starting to ease restrictions? Or as someone said earlier, it really might be hit or miss depending on what officer is there.

Yesterday 2 of my friends tried to cross. One was stopped by DC police, and told to go back to VA. The other was waved onto Hains Point after taking the staircase down from the 14th st bridge by a different cop (we only know it’s different since they report one cop was male, the other female).

So who knows what is happening…

[dragonflycrk]

Update from my friend who was able to run over 14th St bridge yesterday afternoon: “Tried biking to VA this morning. Tons of police. Wouldn’t let me through. And they were confused among each other as to what was allowed.”

Craziness.

[ursus]

Has anyone been able to get a glimpse of the cherry blossoms, so we can predict if the ban will be lifted on Sunday? Based upon past experience, I doubt it.

[zsionakides]

Why can’t they just ban parking and buses all along Ohio drive and tow anyone that parks there, at the golf course who isn’t golfing or at the tennis courts who isn’t playing tennis. That should thin out the crowds enough to have reasonable social distancing.

[Starduster]

A neighbor around the corner from our apartment complex has a cherry tree blooming in synch with the Tidal Basin. Observing it, I expect blooms, and the traffic control measures, through the weekend. Sorry…

[LhasaCM]

@Starduster 199706 wrote:

A neighbor around the corner from our apartment complex has a cherry tree blooming in synch with the Tidal Basin. Observing it, I expect blooms, and the traffic control measures, through the weekend. Sorry…

I would hazard the same guess based on how well the trees are holding up here in Edgewood (near Catholic U).

[arlcxrider]

Latest information suggests the streets/bike/pedestrian closures will last through Sunday, March 29.

https://twitter.com/NationalMallNPS/status/1242788872880349184

[jjlis]

Yesterday (Friday, March 27) access to the 14th Street Bridge bike/pedestrian path was closed in Virginia at the Mount Vernon Trail entrance. No one was being allowed onto the bridge from Virginia to bike to D.C. In D.C., nearly all bike access routes to the 14th Street Bridge were closed, notably 15th Street. I ended up getting back to Virginia by biking on lower 14th Street (where it becomes the freeway ramp to I-395 south), then crossing over the median to the roadway that passes in front of the Jefferson Memorial (East Basin Drive). Not a recommended bicycle route. The police in front of the Jefferson Memorial allowed me to access the bridge bike path and ride back to Virginia. Had to dismount at the Virginia end and walk around the barrier.

Ohio Drive was closed east of the Memorial Bridge underpass. It was possible to bike up to Lincoln Memorial Circle and then east along the Mall.

Rock Creek Parkway was closed to cars east of Virginia Avenue, so it was a very nice ride as far as the Memorial Bridge. Police officer said the Memorial Bridge was closed to bike traffic, so I did not check it out.

Key Bridge was open in both directions.

[dbb]

I rode Memorial Bridge this morning (downstream side) with no drama. The shitshow of the 14th St Bridge is a completely different issue.

[Henry]

Appears to be open. Can someone pls confirm?

[Author]

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