The National Park Service (NPS) began work on a project to protect Washington D.C.’s Tidal Basin shoreline from flooding in 2024. The seawall construction, which began in spring of that year, included the removal of about 150 Japanese cherry trees, the source of D.C.’s famed pink cherry blossoms. Now that the project is finished, the park service will plant nearly double that number of cherry trees for the next generation of cherry blossom tourists.
The seawall reconstruction project is on track to be finished early, with a major milestone complete. The newly complete Tidal Basin seawall has deeper foundations, a wider and more accessible walkway, and a “resilient design that better prepares the area for future sea-level rise and stronger storms,” NPS says. The park service is now working on the second project phase, rebuilding the seawall on the Potomac River side. That’s expected to wrap up by May 2026. The two phases are on track to finish eight months early and come in about $30 million under budget, NPS says.
It was evident that the Tidal Basin shoreline was beginning to degrade in recent years, with tidal flooding covering sections of the walking path and then leaving sediment behind on the pathway after standing water receded. The seawall was built upon former wetlands, rather than solid bedrock, back in the 1880s with few renovations since then. Access had became an issue for those with wheelchairs or strollers, NPS said back in 2023 when the project was approved.
By raising about 6,800 feet of seawall an average of five feet, NPS expects to protect the shoreline for the next 100 years. This shoreline is especially important because it surrounds some of the nation’s most treasured landmarks, like the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the cherry trees.
As for the beloved blooming trees, crews will begin planting replacements in spring 2026. NPS will plant 426 trees total, including 269 cherry trees, around the Tidal Basin and along the Potomac River work area. 302 cherry trees and other species had to be removed for the construction project.
The trees, whose ancestors were gifted to the United States by Japan, are a famous springtime draw for visitors, since they are in peak bloom for only about four to ten days. The National Cherry Blossom Festival typically brings about 1.5 million people to our nation’s capital.
The new trees being planted around the reconstruction area won’t be ready for visitors this coming spring, however. The project area in the Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park will remain closed during the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival, to allow the young trees and surrounding landscape to stabilize. NPS expects to reopen those areas soon after.
