The National Park Service (NPS) and Georgetown Heritage will begin work this month to assess and stabilize a Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal) canal wall near Grace St. and Wisconsin Ave. in Georgetown.
Workers will begin by drilling holes in the canal and an adjoining parking lot to understand the characteristics of the soil below the surface. The results will inform the design and installation of a temporary support for the wall, which the NPS plans to begin constructing later this year.
This project is part of a multi-year effort to preserve and restore the C&O Canal in Georgetown. The NPS recently approved a plan to revitalize the C&O Canal in Georgetown. The Georgetown Canal Plan was prepared in partnership with Georgetown Heritage with support from the District of Columbia and the Georgetown Business Improvement District.
The work to assess and stabilize the canal wall is necessary to both preserve the wall and allow for the future operation of a canal boat in Georgetown. The new boat is currently under construction and is set to arrive in Georgetown in early 2021.
Georgetown Heritage, C&O Canal’s non-profit partner in the Georgetown Canal Plan, funded a condition assessment that identified the need for this work and will fund the test boring and engineering for the temporary support structure.
For more information about Georgetown Heritage and the NPS’ shared vision to restore and revitalize the first mile of the Canal, visit www.georgetownheritage.org.
Tags: georgetown heritage canal deferred maintenance chesapeake ohio canal national historical park partnernships
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
