From the Penniman Road corridor, the Colonial Parkway is normally the slow, pretty route to Riverwalk Landing. This October, the Parkway's closed stretches all run up to Penniman Road and Route 199. Yorktown, meanwhile, is starting its most crowded run of the year.
Penniman Road sits where the closures and the calendar meet. Here is what's closed, why it closed a second time, and what is happening in Yorktown that makes the longer drive worth it.
The Closed Stretches All Lead Back to Penniman Road
The National Park Service splits the Parkway rehabilitation into lettered segments. Its project page was last updated August 24, 2026. In that update, every segment listed as closed or scheduled to close either ended at Penniman Road or Route 199 or connected directly to one that did. Every segment marked open was somewhere else.
| Segment | Stretch | Status as of the Aug. 24 NPS update |
|---|---|---|
| A | Ballard Street to Fusiliers Redoubt Ramp | Complete and open |
| B & C | Fusiliers Redoubt Ramp to Felsgates Creek | Scheduled to close on or about Sept. 9; Mine Depot Bridge to be fully replaced |
| D & E | Felgates Creek to Penniman Road | Scheduled to close on or about Sept. 9; shoulder grading and stabilization |
| F1 | Parkway Drive to Hubbard Lane | Complete and open |
| F2 | Hubbard Lane to Penniman Road | Closed; concrete panel construction under way |
| G1 | Newport Avenue to Route 199 | Closed; new concrete panels under way |
| G2 | Parkway Drive to Newport Avenue | Complete and open |
Look at it from a Penniman Road driveway. The Yorktown-bound stretch running east from Penniman Road was set to close all the way to Fusiliers Redoubt Ramp, covering Segments D and E, then B and C, which pick up where D and E end. On the Williamsburg side, F2 and G1 both run up to Penniman Road or Route 199 too. Segment A, the stretch closest to Yorktown, is open. So is the far end of the Williamsburg side. The closures sit in between, at the neighborhood's own on-ramp.
The Park Service lists all of it as expected to finish in fall 2026. One related job runs later: the rebuild of the Jones Mill Pond Dam, the earthen dam that carries about 600 feet of Parkway road, was on schedule for mid-December 2026.
Why the Road Closed Twice
If the stretch toward Yorktown looked finished in July, it was only open for the summer. The Park Service says the section between Fusiliers Redoubt Ramp and Penniman Road at Route 199 "had been temporarily reopened in June to accommodate increased visitation for summer Signature 250th events." The same update said that section would close again on or about September 9 so construction could resume.
The finish line has moved more than once. The Daily Press reported in March 2026 that the work would not be done by summer. In May, WTKR reported that the Park Service had pushed completion to late fall 2026. The station said project officials had once hoped to finish in time for America's 250th birthday celebrations.
The reason is the road surface itself. WTKR reported that the Park Service blamed the weather and the difficulty of meeting strict appearance standards, and that "some completed portions of the project have required additional work and reconstruction." The Park Service describes the Parkway's exposed-aggregate concrete as slower and more labor-intensive than ordinary blacktop. It requires full-depth reconstruction, from the subgrade up to the finished driving surface.
That surface explains the scale of the project. It is a four-year, $123 million effort, launched in 2023 with the Federal Highway Administration, to restore about 10 miles of the Parkway, including 11 bridges and the Williamsburg Tunnel. The Park Service calls it the first comprehensive rehabilitation since the Parkway's full length opened in 1957. The plan for the Mine Depot Bridge in Segments B and C calls for full replacement with new concrete arch beams.
We couldn't find a newer Park Service update after the late-August pages, and none of the local outlets we checked had one either. The date to trust is whatever the live NPS page says on the day you drive.
Yorktown's Calendar Didn't Wait for the Concrete
The closure lands right on Yorktown's busiest stretch of the season. Here is what's on the schedule:
- Yorktown Victory Weekend, Oct. 16–19. The weekend in Historic Yorktown opens with a 7 p.m. concert by Michael Ray at Riverwalk Landing on Friday, followed by the Victory Market on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Yorktown Victory Celebration at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Oct. 17–18. Artillery demonstrations are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Continental Army Encampment.
- Yorktown Day, Monday, Oct. 19. A wreath-laying ceremony at Victory Monument, then a parade down Main Street with The Fifes & Drums of York Town, and time to explore sites such as the Nelson House, Custom House and Watermen's Museum.
- Paws at the River, Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A Market Days event at Riverwalk Landing, 331 Water Street, with adoptable pets, local rescues and early trick-or-treating at participating vendors.
- Yorktoberfest, Sunday, Oct. 25, noon to 5 p.m. Beer, cider, music, classes and vendors, also at Riverwalk Landing.
- York County Vintage Market, Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. At McReynolds Athletic Complex.
- Yorktown Tea Festival, Friday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
- Maritime Festival, Nov. 14, and Harvest Festival, Nov. 21. Both run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Riverwalk Landing.
That's five of the six October event dates in one nine-day window, from Oct. 16 to Oct. 24. Yorktown Day falls on a Monday, so the Victory Weekend stretch takes up a weekday as well as the weekend.
Getting There While the Scenic Route Is Out
The Park Service asks drivers to follow the posted detour signs. It publishes a current detour map on the project page. It also says all segments within the project limits are closed to traffic until each one passes inspection for safety, pavement, drainage and appearance. Pull up that map before you leave, because it is the Park Service's own version of the route.
Once you're in Yorktown, parking is easier than the drive. York County's fall guide promotes free parking and the free Yorktown Trolley for its fall events. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown says parking is free for museum visitors and that the free trolley serves Historic Yorktown. That makes the museum lot a good starting point for the Victory Celebration weekend. From there, the trolley covers the trip down to the waterfront.
Paws at the River has two details that change how you plan the morning:
- The free, ADA-accessible Yorktown Trolley doesn't start running until 11 a.m., two hours after the market opens at 9 a.m.
- In bad weather, the market moves to the lower level of the Water Street Parking Terrace.
If you want the early-morning market hours, you'll be walking from wherever you park. If you arrive after 11, the trolley picks up that last stretch.
When Yorktown Can Wait
Not every fall plan needs the drive to Yorktown. The Greater Williamsburg Sports and Events Center at 250 Visitor Center Drive is a 200,000-square-foot facility built jointly by Williamsburg, James City County and York County. WYDaily reported on its ribbon-cutting in June 2026. It hosts the Virginia Cat Festival on Nov. 7–8, with admission listed at $30 to $45. That's the same weekend as the Vintage Market at McReynolds Athletic Complex, so Nov. 7 gives you one event on each side of the county line.
Penniman Road has also changed recently. VDOT finished widening Penniman Road between Fillmore Drive and Alexander Lee Parkway in July 2025. The project added 11-foot lanes, bicycle lanes, curb and gutter, and a separated "T" intersection at Government Road. Penniman Road's own repairs are finished. The Parkway it connects to is still under construction.
The Park Service's stated target is a full Parkway reopening in fall 2026, and that season has arrived. Until the live NPS project page shows Segments B through E open, Yorktown means the posted detour.
If you're thinking about how the reopened Parkway fits into daily life on this corridor, about what that means for your home, or for a move within the Historic Triangle, Debbie Childs and her team can walk you through how this corridor is changing. Let's Connect.
