Drivers who use the George Washington Memorial Parkway near McLean and Turkey Run Park face a new enforcement reality: Fairfax County Police officers can now pull them over and write tickets for speeding, reckless driving and other traffic violations.
The authority took effect July 1, under Virginia Senate Bill 81, which Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed in April. The law authorizes state and local police to cite drivers for traffic infractions on federal highways in Northern Virginia. For Vienna-area residents who commute the northern Parkway stretch toward D.C., the change means local officers can now enforce the same traffic laws they do on any Fairfax County road.
Before SB 81, local and state officers could respond to felonies on the Parkway but lacked clear authority to enforce routine traffic laws. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who introduced the bill for a second consecutive session, said the change removes that ambiguity.
"They can go out and they can start writing tickets for speeding or DWI, things like that," Surovell told FFXnow.
U.S. Park Police remain the primary law enforcement agency on the Parkway. FCPD said its officers will enforce applicable state laws and local ordinances within Fairfax County's jurisdiction along the corridor. The department said it is working through policy updates, training and internal approvals before officers begin active patrols. FCPD has not announced a start date for enforcement operations.
Other agencies' responses
Arlington County Police said they have no plans to conduct routine patrol or traffic enforcement on the Parkway. Virginia State Police said the National Park Service has not requested their assistance and they are not actively patrolling the road, though they will direct patrols there when staffing allows.
Safety record
The GW Parkway stretches more than 25 miles along the Potomac River, from Turkey Run Park in McLean to Mount Vernon. Speed limits range from 35 to 45 mph, but a 2021 National Park Service study found most drivers routinely exceed them. That study also identified speed as a likely primary cause in many of the 389 crashes recorded between 2005 and 2018.
Speed cameras possible but not imminent
SB 81 also allows localities to seek federal permission to install automated speed cameras on the Parkway. The National Park Service said any such proposal would be evaluated through appropriate federal processes and that no speed camera announcements have been made.
Separately, Rep. Don Beyer has introduced a bill that would direct speed camera fine revenue back to the Park Service for Parkway maintenance. That legislation has not been scheduled for a vote.
Residents can report dangerous driving on the GW Parkway to U.S. Park Police dispatch at 202-610-7500 or to Fairfax County Police non-emergency at 703-691-2131.
