C&O Canal Set for 18-Month Restoration, Limiting Access

With a goal of replacing the (replica) canal boat and making things happen along the C&O Canal in Georgetown, the National Park Service revealed it has pegged $5.5 million to fund the repairs to Lock 3, set to begin in October and end in April 2018. The 18-month reconstruction will require an unusual scale of disruption, and the canal boat tourist attraction will still require an additional $1 million of less-intrusive repairs to Lock 4, as yet unfunded.

The canal will need to be drained east of Lock 5 and access, including the sidewalks and towpaths between 30th and Thomas Jefferson Streets, will be limited. Salvageable material from the canal will be stored on adjacent NPS property and used to restore the canal to its original condition, with a few modern improvements to the structure.

At the April 4 meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission, C&O Canal National Historical Park superintendent Kevin Brandt said that customers trying to access businesses with their main entrances near Lock 4 will still be able to get through. He pointed out that many of the leaks into residential property along the canal will be reduced.

As restoration of the canal has been a top priority for the commissioners, they unanimously supported the project, though it still must be approved by the Old Georgetown Board. Brandt said he is working with the Georgetown Business Improvement District to temporarily offset some of the disruption by planting wildflowers along the canal bed.