The National Park Service has issued its long awaited report
https://wjla.com/news/local/national-park-service-beach-drive-rock-creek-park-dc-closed-during-summer-memorial-labor-day-holidays-weekend-environmental-concerns
The Park Service has wimped out and “compromised” despite the fact that the DC and Montgomery Councils are both in favor of making the closure permanent. Beach Drive will be closed to through traffic in the summer and open the rest of the year. Here is a choice quote from the report:
“After careful consideration of the potential effects of these alternatives on park resources, as well as consideration of traffic analysis and the many comments received from the public, the NPS sees the seasonal closure as the best way to protect park resources and strike a balance of different uses – whether visitors are walking, cycling, commuting or scenic-driving,” I fail to understand how opening Beach Drive most of the year to about 5,000 daily commuers helps protect park resources. And the suggestion that there is much scenic driving on the road is simply nonsense, to put it mildly.
Well, part of a loaf is better than none, but this is disappointing.
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