Alerts
NPS At the request of the United States Park Police, the National Park Service is imposing the following closures and public use limits. Fort Dupont Drive SE between Randle Circle SE and Fort Davis Drive SE, Fort Davis Drive SE from Massachusetts Avenue SE to Ridge Road SE, and the alley connecting Ely Place SE to F Street SE will be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic on September 7, 14, and 21, 2024, from 6:00 am until approximately 11:59 pm. This closure and public use limitation is to provide for the safety of park visitors attending the 52nd Annual Fort Dupont Park Summer Event Series. Additionally, at the request of the United States Park Police, the National Park Service is also imposing a public use limitation and will not allow into the event:
A full copy of the Public Notice can be found at National Capital Parks-East Headquarters. ROD: Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5, the National Park Service is imposing a temporary closure and public use limit of certain parkland within Fort Dupont Park. Specifically, the following areas will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6:00 am to 11:59 pm on September 7, 14, and 21, 2024: Fort Dupont Drive SE between Randle Circle SE and Fort Davis Drive SE, Fort Davis Drive SE from Massachusetts Avenue SE to Ridge Road SE, and the alley connecting Ely Place SE to F Street SE. A map of the area affected by this closure is attached to this record of determination and incorporated for reference. These closures and public use limits come at the request of the United States Park Police to provide for the protection of pedestrians walking from neighboring communities into Fort Dupont Park for the Fort Dupont Park Summer Event Series and for the safety of attendees. Large crowds are expected to attend the events, so the roads will be crowded. Closing these roads to vehicular traffic also protects park resources by preventing people from parking in sensitive areas such as in fields or on the side of the road. Controlling vehicular access also ensures emergency responders can access the Fort Dupont Theater in the event of an emergency. Additionally, at the request of the United States Park Police, the National Park Service is also imposing a public use limitation and will not allow into the events:
assessment that this limit is necessary to ensure protection of the public and park resources during these large-scale events. This temporary and partial closure and public use limit is not of a nature, magnitude and duration that will result in a “significant alteration in the public use pattern.” The park will remain open to pedestrian visitation, and other nearby park areas will remain open to the public. The closure will not adversely affect the park’s natural, aesthetic, or cultural values; nor require significant modification to the resource management objectives; nor is it of a highly controversial nature. Accordingly, the National Park Service determines that publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted per 36 C.F.R. § l.5(b). This is consistent with hundreds of earlier partial and temporary park closures, the legal opinion of the Office of the Solicitor, and judicial adjudications. Picciotto v. United States, No. 99-2113 (D.D.C.); Picciotto v. United States, No. 94-1935 (D.D.C.); Picciotto v. Lujan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C.); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C.); Spiegel v. Babbitt, 855 F.Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), aff’d in part w/o op. 56 F.3d 1531 (D.C. Cir. 1995). Pursuant to 36 C.F.R.§ 1.7, notice of these temporary closures will be made through media advisories, the park’s website, fencing and/or road blocks, and posting of signs at strategic locations in the affected park area. Finally, pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(c), this determination is available to the public upon request. A full copy of the Record of Determination can be found at National Capital Parks-East |
Last updated: September 5, 2024