Four Mile Run kayak launch closed; its dock and gangway are gone from the site

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Alexandria's new kayak launch at Four Mile Run Park is closed and its floating dock and gangway are no longer at the site, less than three months after a grand opening ceremony that City Council attended.

The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities announced the closure shortly after noon Tuesday, citing storm damage.

"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."

The city did not describe what was damaged, identify which storm caused it, or estimate when the launch might reopen. The Alexandria Brief contacted the city's communications office and the project manager Tuesday; neither immediately responded.

At the park, the raised boardwalk that led to the gangway now ends at the water's edge. Metal barricades and caution tape block the entrance, and a city sign reads, "Pardon the Interruption — This Area Will Be Under Construction, Renovation or Repair."

The boardwalk at the Four Mile Run kayak launch ends at the water on Tuesday. The gangway and floating dock that extended from it are no longer at the site. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

About 0.2 miles downstream, an aluminum structure with railings and X-bracing rests under the southbound Richmond Highway bridge, one end submerged, with debris collected against it. The city has not said whether that structure came from the launch, and The Alexandria Brief could not independently confirm it.

An aluminum structure rests under the southbound Richmond Highway bridge over Four Mile Run on Tuesday, about 0.2 miles downstream from the kayak launch. The city has not said whether it came from the launch. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

Two days of heavy weather

The closure follows a couple of days of severe weather conditions.

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.

Railings and cross-bracing are visible on the structure lodged under the Route 1 bridge. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

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.

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, which slipped to a Dec. 4 soft opening before the May ceremony.

What it cost

City records put the project's total cost at $436,885. Alexandria contributed $50,000 through the Community Matching Fund in fiscal 2023, about 11% of the total, with the rest raised by the Conservancy and through grants.

The design work was funded separately. In fiscal 2020, the group received a matching fund award for a $32,000 engineering design, with the city covering $16,000, to produce a design and cost estimates for construction.

A sign at the site lists 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.