The National Park Service backed away from an earlier proposal to reopen Beach Drive to cars.

As the NPS weighs whether to reopen Rock Creek Park to drivers, they explain that too many people are using the park, creating unofficial trails and damaging sensitive habitat. More cars, they believe, will deter this behavior.

The National Park Service will accept comments on their plan through August 11.

A study on whether to keep Beach Drive permanently closed to through traffic was scheduled to be completed last December, but that work is ongoing.

A four-mile stretch of Beach Drive has been largely closed to cars since the pandemic started, but some nearby residents say it has only pushed traffic onto their streets.

It’s unclear whether pressure from public officials will convince the National Park Service, which controls Rock Creek Park and its roadways, to keep Beach Drive closed to cars.

Volunteers have been counting the number of users during the pandemic and argue there will be less of a commuting need through the park after the pandemic.

The roadway was first closed to cars in early April as a means to give people space to exercise during the pandemic.

The road renovation project took $33 million and three years.

The 1.5-mile stretch from Broad Branch Road to Joyce Road reopens after nearly a year, while a 2.7-mile section from Joyce Road to the Maryland line closes.