George Washington Memorial Parkway northbound to remain closed through weekend

MCLEAN, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - The George Washington Memorial Parkway northbound in Fairfax County will remain closed through the weekend after a sinkhole shut it down early Friday.

The National Park Service is still trying to "fully assess" the extent of the sinkhole and the repairs it will require.

The sinkhole appears to be about 10 feet deep, 12 feet wide, and 30 feet long.

They say excavation work must be completed before experts can determine how long it will take to fully repair the pipe and rebuild the section of road.

The sinkhole was reported around 6 a.m. and closed traffic along all lanes in both directions between Interstate 495, the Capital Beltway, and Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) for much of the morning Friday.
National Park Service officials say the sinkhole appeared to be caused by a broken storm water pipe deep below ground.

Crews reopened the southbound lanes of the roadway around 10:30 a.m. saying engineers do not believe the sinkholes poses a risk to those lanes. The closures to the northbound lanes will be 'extensive,' officials said.