View source for Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway

{{Distinguish|Rock Creek Park}}
{{Infobox road
|header_type=hist
|country=USA
|name=Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway
|marker_image=none
|map=Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Map.svg
|map_notes=Map of the District of Columbia with Rock Creek Parkway highlighted in red
|length_mi=2.9
|length_round=2
|length_ref=<ref name="google"/>
|established=1944
|restrictions=No commercial vehicles<ref name="restrictions">[http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/7-96-national-capital-region-19768726 36 CFR 7.96 (f )(1))] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804073738/http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/7-96-national-capital-region-19768726 |date=2009-08-04 }}</ref>
|maint=[[National Park Service|NPS]]
|direction_a=South
|terminus_a=[[Lincoln Memorial|Lincoln Memorial Circle]] on the [[National Mall]]
|junction={{jct|state=DC|I|66}} in [[Foggy Bottom]]<br>{{jct|state=DC|US|29}} in [[West End, Washington, D.C.|West End]]
|direction_b=North
|terminus_b=Shoreham&nbsp;/ [[Beach Drive|Beach]] Drives in [[Rock Creek Park]]
|system={{infobox road/browselinks/USA|state=DC}}
|embedded={{Infobox NRHP
  | name = Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Historic District
  | nrhp_type =
  | location= Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, [[Washington, D.C.|Washington, District of Columbia]]
  | coordinates = {{coord|38|54|47|N|77|3|16|W|display=inline}}
| built = 1889
  | architect = Olmsted, Frederick Law, Jr.; Langdon, James G.
  | architecture = Designed Historic Landscape
  | added = May 4, 2005
  | area = {{convert|0|acre}}
  | governing_body = National Park Service
  | mpsub = {{NRHP url|id=64500258|title=Parkways of the National Capital Region MPS}}
  | refnum = 05000367<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a|dateform=mdy}}</ref>
  | embed= yes
}}
}}
The '''Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway''', often known simply as the '''Rock Creek Parkway''', is a [[parkway]] maintained by the [[National Park Service]] as part of [[Rock Creek Park]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] It runs next to the [[Potomac River]] and [[Rock Creek (Potomac River)|Rock Creek]] in a generally north–south direction, carrying four lanes of traffic from the [[Lincoln Memorial]] and [[Arlington Memorial Bridge]] north to a junction with [[Beach Drive (DC)|Beach Drive]] near [[Connecticut Avenue (DC)|Connecticut Avenue]] at Calvert Street, N.W., just south of the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoological Park]].

The Parkway was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on May 4, 2005. Built from 1923 to 1936, it is "one of the best-preserved examples of the earliest stage of motor parkway development".<ref>{{cite web |work= [[Historic American Buildings Survey]] |id= No. DC-697 |url= http://loc.gov/pictures/item/dc0806/ |title= Rock Creek & Potomac Parkway |publisher= Library of Congress}}</ref>

During [[rush hours]], a [[reversible lane]] setup is used between [[Ohio Drive (DC)|Ohio Drive]] and [[Connecticut Avenue (DC)|Connecticut Avenue]] to permit all lanes to be used for the predominant direction of travel. More specifically, the Parkway is [[one-way traffic|one-way]] southbound on weekdays from 6:45&nbsp;a.m. to 9:30&nbsp;a.m., and one-way northbound from 3:45&nbsp;p.m. to 6:30&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nps.gov/rocr/faqs.htm#CP_JUMP_68721 |title= When is the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway one way? |work= Frequently Asked Questions |publisher= National Park Service }}</ref> The Parkway officially became one-way during rush hours on Valentine's Day 1938.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ghostsofdc.org/2013/01/29/rock-creek-parkway-becomes-one-way-traffic-zone/|title=When Did Rock Creek Parkway Become One-Way?|last=Tom|date=2013-01-29|website=Ghosts of DC|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-19}}</ref>

Plans for Rock Creek Park announced by the National Park Service in November 2005 include a redesign of the intersection between the Parkway and [[Beach Drive (DC)|Beach Drive]] for greater safety and a reduction of the [[speed limit]] on part of [[Beach Drive]] from 25&nbsp;mph (40&nbsp;km/h) to 20&nbsp;mph (30&nbsp;km/h).{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

==Route description==
[[File:2016-10-07 12 40 22 View north from the south end of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway at the Lincoln Memorial Circle in Washington, D.C..jpg|thumb|left|View north on the parkway at the Lincoln Memorial Circle, including the sculpture group ''[[The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace|The Arts of Peace]]'']]
[[File:Rock Creek Parkway and Beach Drive time-lapse.webm|thumb|left|Time-lapse video of a northbound trip on the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway and Beach Drive]]

The Parkway has two points of origination on its southern end, one at the [[traffic circle]] around the [[Lincoln Memorial]], and the other at the intersection of [[Ohio Drive (Washington, D.C.)|Ohio Drive]] and [[Independence Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Independence Avenue]]. The eastern portion of the Lincoln Memorial traffic circle has been closed for several years, and there is no longer any easy access to the northbound parkway from that point.  The Ohio Drive branch is now the main originating branch.  Before the [[Theodore Roosevelt Bridge]] ([[I-66]]) was built, [[Constitution Avenue]] ran to the parkway, with Ohio Drive ending at Constitution Avenue.<ref name="google">{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Rock+Creek+Pkwy+NW%2FShoreham+Dr+NW&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&sll=38.905365,-77.06046&sspn=0.035867,0.084543&geocode=FZLkUQIdukpo-w%3BFZlnUQIdjklo-w&t=h&mra=prv&z=14|title=overview of Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway|accessdate=August 1, 2012}}</ref> The parkway's entrance is framed by two monumental statues, ''Music and Harvest'' and ''Aspiration and Literature'', which together form a group known as ''[[The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace|The Arts of Peace]]''. They were designed by [[James Earle Fraser (sculptor)|James Earle Fraser]] and erected in 1951.<ref name="Folliard">Folliard, Edward T. "Truman Accepts Italy's Gift of Memorial Bridge Statues." ''Washington Post.'' September 27, 1951.</ref><ref name="FourBronzeHeroes">"Four Italian Bronze Horses Here for Span." ''Washington Post.'' June 8, 1951.</ref>

After passing under the Roosevelt Bridge, the parkway passes the [[Kennedy Center for Performing Arts]], including an [[at-grade intersection]] with [[F Street Northwest (DC)|F Street Northwest]] north of the building. Prior to the building of the Kennedy Center, [[New Hampshire Avenue]] ran to the parkway.  Beyond F Street, the parkway runs past the [[Watergate building]]; there it intersects [[Virginia Avenue]], which provides easy access to and from the [[Interstate 66|Potomac River Freeway (I-66)]].  The Potomac River sweeps to the west at approximately this point; the parkway continues along its rough north–south path and instead parallels the small Potomac tributary of Rock Creek.

[[File:2016-10-07 14 23 07 View south along the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway at Calvert Street NW in Washington, D.C..jpg|thumb|right|View south at the north end of the parkway]]
Past Virginia Avenue, the parkway has many characteristics of a [[freeway]], most notably limited access by ramp.  The first [[interchange (road)|interchange]] is with [[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street Northwest]], lying inside the newer [[Whitehurst Freeway]]/[[Potomac River Freeway]] interchange. Due to the partial nature of the interchange, some movements are made via Virginia Avenue instead. Just to the west, K Street crosses Rock Creek over the [[L Street Bridge]], with the Whitehurst Freeway overhead and separate side bridges for the ramps to and from the northbound Parkway. After K Street, the parkway crosses Rock Creek, paralleling it to the west for a while.

[[Image:RockCreekParkway directions.jpg|thumb|right|Signage indicates the times during which the Parkway is one-way.]]
[[Pennsylvania Avenue]] crosses over both the parkway and the creek on a [[Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge|combined bridge]], with a single loop ramp from the southbound Parkway to Pennsylvania Avenue eastbound. Just to the north, [[M Street (Washington, D.C.)#M Street NW|M Street Northwest]] also crosses the parkway and creek together, with no access between the roads.

Further north, [[P Street (Washington, D.C.)#Northwest|P Street Northwest]] crosses the parkway and creek, with ramps from P Street to the parkway both northbound and southbound and from the southbound Parkway to P Street. Just after crossing under P Street, the parkway crosses to the east side of the creek on the [[Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Bridge near P Street|Bridge near P Street]], and a northbound onramp from P Street merges. It passes under [[Q Street Northwest]]'s [[Dumbarton Bridge (Washington, D.C.)|Dumbarton Bridge]] over the creek with no access.

The [[Charles C. Glover Bridge]] carries [[Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Massachusetts Avenue]] over the parkway and creek. Access to and from the south is provided via Waterside Drive, which merges into the parkway at a Y interchange. To the north, Waterside Drive merges back into the parkway, providing for all movements but a southbound offramp.<!--what about when the parkway is southbound?--> Soon after, the parkway again crosses to the west side of the creek on the [[Shoreham Hill Bridge]].

The end of the parkway is near an intersection with [[Beach Drive (DC)|Beach Drive]], which continues next to the creek. A left turn from southbound Rock Creek Parkway provides access to Beach Drive from local roads. Just north of Beach Drive, the parkway again splits, with [[Cathedral Avenue (DC)|Cathedral Avenue]] heading northeast next to Beach Drive under the [[Taft Bridge|William H. Taft Bridge]] and [[Duke Ellington Bridge]] ([[Connecticut Avenue]] and [[Calvert Street (DC)|Calvert Street]]), and the parkway becoming [[24th Street Northwest (DC)|24th Street Northwest]] at Calvert Street, with easy access to Connecticut Avenue. Cathedral Avenue is one-way at the same times as the parkway. Beach Drive continues as a two-lane road parallel to Rock Creek, enters a [[tunnel]] under a hill, passes the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoo]], and continues towards [[Maryland]].

Commercial vehicles, such as trucks, are prohibited from the entire length of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway.<ref name="restrictions"/>

==Major intersections==
{{mileposts}}
The entire route is in [[Washington, D.C.]] All exits are unnumbered.{{jcttop|state=DC|nocty=yes|hatnote=off|unnum=yeslength_ref=<ref name="google"/><ref name=Mapquest>{{cite web|title=Route of Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway|url=http://mapq.st/1o1a5tH|archive-url=https://archive.is/20140806113741/http://mapq.st/1o1a5tH|dead-url=yes|archive-date=August 6, 2014|publisher=MapQuest, Inc.|accessdate=August 3, 2014}}</ref>}}
{{DCint
|location_special=[[National Mall]]
|lspan=2
|mile=0.00
|road=[[Independence Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Independence Avenue SW]] / [[Ohio Drive (Washington, D.C.)|Ohio Drive SW]]&nbsp;– [[National Mall and Memorial Parks|Memorials]]
|notes=[[At-grade intersection]]}}
{{DCint
|mile=0.28
|road=[[Arlington Memorial Bridge|Memorial Bridge]]&nbsp;– [[Virginia]], [[Arlington Cemetery]]
|notes=}}
{{DCint
|location_special=[[Foggy Bottom]]
|lspan=3
|type=incomplete
|mile=
|road={{jct|state=DC|I|66|road=[[E Street Expressway]]}}
|notes=No southbound exit}}
{{DCint
|mile=0.42
|type=incomplete
|road=[[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|Kennedy Center]]
|notes=[[At-grade intersections]]; no left turn southbound}}
{{DCint
|mile=0.92
|type=incomplete
|road=[[File:I-66.svg|20px|link=|abbr=]] [[Virginia Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Virginia Avenue NW]] to [[I-66 (DC)|I-66]]&nbsp;/ [[E Street Expressway]]&nbsp;– [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|Kennedy Center]], [[Thompson Boat Center]]
|notes=At-grade intersection; no left turn northbound}}
{{DCint
|location_special=[[West End, Washington, D.C.|West End]]
|mile=1.03
|road=[[K Street (Washington, D.C.)|K Street NW]]&nbsp;/ [[Whitehurst Freeway]] ([[US 29 (DC)|US 29]] south)
|notes=}}
{{DCint
|location_special=[[Rock Creek Park]]
|lspan=4
|mile=1.17
|type=incomplete
|road=[[Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Pennsylvania Avenue NW]] east
|notes=Southbound exit only}}
{{DCint
|mile=1.62
|mile2=1.77
|type=incomplete
|road=[[P Street (Washington, D.C.)|P Street NW]]
|notes=No northbound exit<!--during PM rush, northbound traffic cannot use southbound onramp-->}}
{{DCint
|mile=1.99
|mile2=2.62
|type=incomplete
|road=[[Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Massachusetts Avenue NW]] (via [[Waterside Drive (Washington, D.C.)|Waterside Drive NW]])
|notes=No southbound exit<!--during AM rush, southbound traffic cannot use southbound onramp-->}}
{{DCint
|mile=2.90
|road=[[Beach Drive (Washington, D.C.)|Beach Drive NW]]&nbsp;/ Cathedral Avenue NW&nbsp;/ [[Connecticut Avenue|Connecticut Avenue NW]]&nbsp;– [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoo]]
|notes=At-grade intersection; access via Shoreham Drive NW}}
{{Jctbtm|keys=incomplete}}

==Parallel Trail==
The Rock Creek Park Trail runs parallel to the Parkway from the Lincoln Memorial to Connecticut Avenue where it then continues along Beach Drive to Broad Branch Road. Another section of the trail runs along Beach farther north from Joyce Road to Bingham Drive. The section of the trail along the Potomac was built first, prior to 1967, when it was known as the Shoreline Trail.<ref name="upgrade">{{cite news |title=Recreation and Parks Plans Upgrade of Bike, Hiking Trails | work=The Washington Post |date=2 October 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=AMAZING PHOTO OF WATERGATE AND KENNEDY CENTER CONSTRUCTION FROM THE AIR |url=https://ghostsofdc.org/2013/10/15/amazing-photo-watergate-kennedy-center-construction-air/?goal=0_d9e00475ec-97b5311c63-69318673 |website=Ghosts of DC |accessdate=5 December 2018}}</ref> The trail was extended through the park in September of 1971 between the Whitehurst Freeway and Calvert Street.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bike Lanes End on Friday Night |work=The Washington Post |date=16 September 1971}}</ref> That year the Park Service set aside a lane of the Parkway north of Virginia Avenue for a week to promote commuting by bicycle. The experiment was a success, but caused traffic jams, so the Park Service paved over bridle paths dating back to the founding of the park to create the multi-use trail.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cranor |first1=David |title=A brief history of biking in Rock Creek Park |url=http://www.thewashcycle.com/2012/09/a-brief-history-of-biking-in-rock-creek-park.html |accessdate=7 September 2018}}</ref> In 1997, the Shoreline Trail section was repaved and realigned.<ref name="upgrade"/>

==See also==
*{{portal-inline|National Register of Historic Places}}
*{{portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}
*{{portal-inline|Washington, D.C.}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway}}
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
*{{HAER |survey=DC-55 |id=dc0966 |title=Rock Creek Park Road System}}
*[http://www.nps.gov/rocr/ Rock Creek Park (National Park Service)]
*[http://ghostsofdc.org/2013/01/29/rock-creek-parkway-becomes-one-way-traffic-zone/ Rock Creek Parkway Becomes One-Way Traffic Zone]

{{Streets in Washington, DC}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway}}
[[Category:Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway| ]]
[[Category:Streets in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:United States federal parkways]]
[[Category:Parks in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Rock Creek (Potomac River)]]
[[Category:Roads with a reversible lane]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1936]]
[[Category:Historic districts in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:National Park Service areas in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Rock Creek Park]]