MacArthur Boulevard (Washington, D.C.)

MacArthur Boulevard
Former name(s)Conduit Road[1]
NamesakeDouglas MacArthur[1]
Length12.9 mi (20.8 km)[2]
Tourist
routes
C&O Canal Scenic Byway
RestrictionsNo commercial vehicles over 4 wheels or 6 tons in Maryland[2]
West endChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Major
junctions
Clara Barton Parkway in Potomac, MD
MD 614 in Bethesda, MD
East endFoxhall Road in Washington, DC

MacArthur Boulevard is a road in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The road follows a northwest–southeast route from the Great Falls area of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Potomac, Maryland, to Foxhall Road NW and 44th Street NW in the Foxhall neighborhood of Washington, D.C., near the Georgetown Reservoir. MacArthur Boulevard runs parallel to the Clara Barton Parkway and the C&O Canal for most of its route, passing through the Palisades area of the District. In Cabin John, traffic is reduced to a single alternating lane as it passes over the Union Arch Bridge, the longest span masonry arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere, and which also carries the Washington Aqueduct.

History[edit]

The road was originally named Conduit Road,[1] as it was built atop the Washington Aqueduct. The aqueduct delivers water from the Potomac River to the Dalecarlia Reservoir, which is the primary source of drinking water in the District of Columbia.

The road was renamed for General Douglas MacArthur on March 5, 1942, when a local resident living off the road proposed the name change to his friend, Texas representative Luther Alexander Johnson, who sponsored the bill in Congress.[1]

Bike path[edit]

In 1975, a bike path, the MacArthur Boulevard Bike Trail, was built along MacArthur Boulevard from Berma Road to the south driveway for the Defense Mapping Agency Topographic Center (DMATC), a short distance from the District line.[3] In 2013, the county began a project to rebuild the road and bikeway to make it safer and more pleasant. The project widened the existing road by four feet (1.2 m) to provide three-foot (0.91 m) bike lanes in each direction and rebuild the bikeway with a five-foot-wide (1.5 m) vegetative buffer. Segment 2, between I-495 and Oberlin Road, was completed in 2014. Segment 3, between Oberlin and DC is scheduled to begin in 2020. Segment 1 will rebuild the road and trail between I-495 and Berma Road.[4]

Major intersections[edit]

State/districtCountyLocationmi[2]kmDestinationsNotes
MarylandMontgomeryPotomac0.00.0Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical ParkDead end near Great Falls
1.32.1
Falls Road / C&O Canal Scenic Byway west
Scenic byway continues west
3.55.6

Clara Barton Parkway east / C&O Canal Scenic Byway east to I-495
Western terminus of Clara Barton Parkway; scenic byway continues east
Cabin John6.510.5
Clara Barton Parkway to I-495 – Washington
Access via Clara Barton Access Road
Cabin John Creek6.6–
6.7
10.6–
10.8
Union Arch Bridge
Glen EchoBethesda line6.810.9Wilson Lane (MD 188 east)Western terminus of MD 188
7.411.9
MD 614 north (Goldsboro Road)
Traffic circle; southern terminus of MD 614
Glen Echo7.712.4
Clara Barton Parkway west to I-495
Signalized with pedestrian/bike crosswalk and non-turning west-bound lane
 9.815.8District of ColumbiaMaryland border
District of ColumbiaWashington12.920.8Foxhall Road NW / 44th Street NW – DowntownEastbound traffic can only access Foxhall Road south.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Why is it named MacArthur Boulevard?". Ghosts of DC. May 14, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Google (February 1, 2020). "MacArthur Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Beck, Jody (August 22, 1975). "Happy Ending to the Brookmont Bike Trail Tale". Washington Evening Star.
  4. ^ "MacArthur Boulevard Bikeway Improvements" (PDF). Retrieved May 5, 2019.

External links[edit]