There are two major new trails being planned for the district. The first is the Metropolitan Branch Trail which is in various states of design, construction and re-design. The other is the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail.
The ART came out of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, an ambitious plan for the District's other river. It involves a sprawling trail, running sometimes on both sides of the river, from Fort McNair to Bladensburg. It would connect to the Rock Creek Trail, Watt's Branch and the Anacostia Tributary Trail System.
It has the potential to be the city's signature trail system, since it's being planned with the development of the area instead of being squeezed in later. There are some problems with the Arboretum and Langston Golf Course - neither of which wants to make room for a bike trail, but right now the trail is brimming with potential.
The environmental assessment was submitted for a 30 day public review that ended January 20, 2005. Then there was a public meeting period. Now the NPS has selected its preferred alternatives for the three design sections of the trail. In each case they chose option A, because those alternatives "minimized impacts across the range of all environmental impacts analyzed."
On section 1 this pushes the trail up from the river's edge and along Anacostia Drive.
On section 2 this keeps the trail on Water Street in one small stretch and down to the river at another.
On section 3 is where this makes a big difference. Instead of going along Benning and Kenilworth Roads, the trail were turn on the riverside of the PEPCO plant and the NPS maintenance Yard and then go around the trash transfer station. Despite the trash transfer part, I actually prefer this one. Eventually, when the old Kenilworth land fill site is cleaned up, the trail should cut across there.
The Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued and so the study period for this batch seems to be complete.
Comments