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Updated at 6:30 p.m. with comment from the Four Mile Run Conservancy on the cause of the failure and the project's cost. Originally published at 1:30 p.m.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Tree limbs and other large debris piled against the upstream end of Alexandria's new kayak launch during last weekend's storms, and the pressure of fast current tore the structure away from the shore, the head of the nonprofit that built it said Tuesday.
The launch rotated outward, the gangway detached from the shoreline, and the structure floated downstream and lodged against an abutment of the Richmond Highway bridge, about 0.2 miles from Four Mile Run Park, Four Mile Run Conservancy President Kurt Moser said.
"The situation is still being assessed, and engineers will be on site later this week to evaluate the damage and causes of failure," Moser said in an email.
Crews secured the launch to the shoreline Tuesday, he said, but recovery cannot begin until engineers finish their assessment.
The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities announced the closure shortly after noon Tuesday, citing storm damage without describing what had failed.
"Due to recent storm damage, the Four Mile Run Kayak Launch is temporarily closed until further notice," the department said. "We appreciate your patience as we make the necessary repairs."
At the park Tuesday afternoon, the raised boardwalk that led to the gangway ended at the water's edge. Metal barricades and caution tape blocked the entrance, and a city sign read, "Pardon the Interruption — This Area Will Be Under Construction, Renovation or Repair."
The department and the city project manager did not respond to questions Tuesday.
Two days of heavy weather
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning covering Alexandria on Sunday afternoon, in effect until 7:45 p.m. Forecasters reported 1.5 to 3 inches of rain had fallen, with another 1 to 2.5 inches possible, and warned of flooding on small creeks and streams. Parts of the region had received 1 to 2 inches earlier that day. A flood watch ran through midnight.
The Weather Service also issued a special marine warning Sunday afternoon for the tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head, Maryland — the stretch that includes the mouth of Four Mile Run — for wind gusts of 34 knots or greater, about 39 mph.
Storms continued Monday.
Eighty-seven days after the ribbon-cutting
The launch is the first public paddling access on the Potomac River built to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and the city described it in April as the first of its kind in the Washington region. The grand opening was held May 9 with City Council and the project team, 87 days before Tuesday's closure. A soft opening had taken place the previous Dec. 4.
The Four Mile Run Conservancy led the project in partnership with the city. The design paired a raised boardwalk ramp with accessible slopes and a gangway to a floating dock, plus a wheelchair transfer platform and a roller entry and exit system — features the city said would make launching and landing safer for beginners, solo paddlers and people with mobility challenges. The Conservancy is a Gold Medal recipient of the Governor's Environmental Excellence Award for its Water Access for All initiative.
Building it took years. The Conservancy completed the design in 2021, and environmental approvals, including permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Commonwealth of Virginia, were finished in 2024. Construction began with a March 2025 groundbreaking. Weather, supply chain problems and difficult soil conditions delayed the opening.
What it cost
Moser put the total project cost — design, permitting and construction — at about $630,000, with the city contributing $68,000 in grant funding and the Conservancy raising the remaining $562,000 through grants and community donations. He said he did not have precise figures available.
City Community Matching Fund records list somewhat different numbers, drawn from the Conservancy's applications rather than final costs. Those records show a fiscal 2023 award for a project with a stated total cost of $436,885, with $50,000 from the city, and a fiscal 2020 award for a $32,000 engineering design, with $16,000 from the city.
A sign at the site lists additional grant funders including the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Virginia Recreational Trails Program, the American Water Charitable Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Chesapeake Gateways Network Grants.
This story will be updated.
