For immediate release: May 14, 2021
National Park Service construction near Maryland Heights starts on May 17
Expect flaggers and detours around Harpers Ferry Road this summer
Harpers Ferry, W.Va. – The National Park Service (NPS) is taking action to stabilize a hill next to Harpers Ferry Road (Sandy Hook Road) in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Construction will begin on or about Monday, May 17. This area was the site of a landslide in 2018. The NPS is installing new, buried steel supports that are designed to reduce the possibility of future landslides.
The NPS will complete this work in phases:
- On or about Monday, May 17 and for about a week, flaggers will direct traffic in a single open lane.
- On or about Monday, May 24 until late-June, the NPS will temporarily close Harpers Ferry Road . The closed area will start near Clark Road and end near Hoffmaster Road. Drivers accessing homes between Clark Road and the work zone will be able to drive past the initial closure on Clark Road.
- From late-June to late-July, flaggers will direct traffic in a single open lane.
Temporarily closing the road this spring will allow the NPS to complete this work faster. Overall, the project ensures park neighbors and visitors will be able to travel without delay on Harpers Ferry Road over the long-term. The NPS took steps to ensure that fire and other emergency service providers will still be able to use the road during construction.
During construction, we will post detour signs so that park neighbors and visitors know what to expect and how to navigate near the work zone. The parking lot at Maryland Heights will be closed, however visitors will be able to walk from Lower Town in Harpers Ferry to Maryland Heights and to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath.
