The portion of Beach Drive that is situated in D.C. will remain closed to through traffic until Labor Day, as planners continue to study the idea of keeping it that way permanently for recreational use. Beach Drive was slated to reopen to regular traffic this Saturday until the National Park Service (NPS) made the decision to extend the deadline.

“This extension will ensure that we maintain recreational opportunities this summer, through Labor Day,” NPS spokesperson Chelsea Sullivan said in a statement. “The NPS will continue to limit drivers’ access to this section of Beach Drive until a final determination is made.”

The 4.3-mile stretch of road, from the Maryland state line to Broad Branch Road, has been closed to through traffic since April 2020 when space was at a premium during the beginning of the pandemic. It has since become a haven for cyclists, runners, dog walkers, rollerbladers, and more for its scenic views and safe space away from vehicular traffic. Cars can still drive to picnic sites and parking lots but cannot drive through the entire park uninterrupted.

A National Park Service spokesperson says planners are still working on the environmental assessment that will determine the future of the road. It could stay the way it is now, revert to pre-pandemic times when the road was closed to traffic only on weekends, or some hybrid version. That report and a decision were due in late December. NPS did not provide a reason for the delay in the decision but did say the assessment should be done later this summer.

The Park Service says it received more than 4,400 comments during the public comment period which ran from last July to September. The topic has been contentious, largely pitting drivers who used the thoroughfare for commuting and scenic drives against cyclists, runners, and other users who say they have few safe places to go in the city to recreate.

“Our team is still carefully reviewing and taking those comments into consideration,” NPS spokesperson Katie Liming said in a January email. “Once we share the Environmental Assessment, we’ll hold a second public meeting and open a second public comment period.”

The D.C. Council, Montgomery County Council, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton have expressed the desire for NPS to keep the road closed to through traffic, saying there are alternatives to getting around, including 16th Street and other thoroughfares. Some nearby neighbors and association groups have said that no decision should be made until the pandemic is over and routines return to normal.