A $123 million, multi-year project to rehabilitate several segments of the Colonial Parkway is set to begin next week.
Construction will start on Monday for the project’s first phase, which will include closure of the parkway from Ballard Street in Yorktown to Fusiliers Road. Other closures during this phase include the stretch of parkway from Route 199 to the Williamsburg Tunnel and the Route 17 access ramps.
“We appreciate motorists’ awareness and patience as this first phase of this incredibly important infrastructure project begins,” Colonial National Historical Park Superintendent Jerri Marr said in a city news release. “We encourage all visitors to stay safe.”
Marr also requested that motorists pay attention to information provided on detour signs and caution signs, as well as stay on the lookout for construction works and equipment and any traffic stoppages or lane closures.
Over the course of three years of construction, approximately 10 miles of parkway, 11 bridges and the stormwater drainage systems will be rehabilitated, with additional repairs being done to the Williamsburg Tunnel. The project is slated to be completed by June 30, 2026, ahead of the semiquincentennial celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding.
Funding for the project was provided by the Great American Outdoors Act.
Last month, Wagman/JMT Design Build Team project manager Jerry Whitlock came to the July work session to give the Williamsburg City Council an overview of the project timeline, with the first phase set to wrap up in October 2025. Phase two, which includes the stretch of road between Felgates Creek and Penniman Road, is scheduled to begin in spring of 2024 and the final portion between Penniman Road and Parkway Drive will begin in winter of 2024.
According to Whitlock, as additional segments of the road begin work and new detours are posted, there will be additional public information meetings to update people. There will also be ongoing updates on the project website, which Whitlock estimated would be posted every month or so. The website can be found at www.nps.gov/colo/planyourvisit/colo-parkway-rehab.htm.
Sian Wilkerson, 757-342-6616, [email protected]
