DC Water has nearly completed construction site preparation for the Piney Branch Tunnel project, including tree removal, and installation of fences, erosion and sediment controls, utilities, and trailers. To complete site setup a section of Piney Branch Parkway will be relocated before starting the shaft and tunnel work.

On or about May 12, 2026, Piney Branch Parkway will be closed between Arkansas Avenue NW and Beach Drive. The closure is anticipated to last twenty-seven days, weather permitting. Detour signs will be in place to notify and direct motorists to alternate routes. The roadway will ...

DC Water will initiate the next phase of construction at the Capital Crescent Trail site near the Aqueduct by opening a temporary trail around the work zone. The new trail will open on or about May 6, 2026. Safety features will include rumble strips, traffic mirrors, and overhead protection. The following week, DC Water will resume preparing for deep excavation by drilling reinforced steel columns into the ground. The columns, known as secant piles, will act as a retaining wall holding soil in place and preventing groundwater from entering the excavation area.

Secant pile work is expected to ...

Workers are excavating potentially impacted soil and rocks by hand from the ground at the bottom of the canal’s locks, to avoid damaging the historic structures with excavators or other heavy equipment.