The MTA announced at the County Council Purple Line Master Plan work sessions last July that plans for the future trail crossing of CSX at Talbot Ave. had changed.
The previous plan was for the future CCT to go between Talbot Avenue and the back side of Rosemary Hills Elementary School, and to cross the CSX tracks on a new trail bridge a few feet south of the historic Talbot Avenue Bridge. But Montgomery County Public Schools strongly requested that the trail cross the CSX tracks north of the school. The MCPS was concerned that if the trail were to pass immediately behind the school, it would require a high retaining wall that would badly impact the school.
Behind Rosemary Hills Elementary School
The MCPS has a valid concern. The school sidewalk behind the school is already pinched between the existing retaining wall for Talbot Avenue and the wall of the school building, and is heavily used by students and staff. A higher retaining wall there would be oppressive.
MTA announced to the Council at the July worksessions that they had developed a new plan that would have the trail cross to the other side of the CSX tracks before it reached the back of the school. The trail would be elevated on a ramp alongside Talbot Avenue and would cross the CSX tracks to the Hanover Street/4th Ave. area. Talbot Avenue would be shifted a few feet to the west and part of Talbot Ave. would become one-way. Additional right-of-way would be taken from five private homes along Talbot Ave. MTA did not present much detail at the Council worksessions.
The Sept. 13 briefing to CCCT provided more detail on the new plan. Parts of the MTA Plan and Profile drawings for that area are shown below.
Trail ramp between CSX tracks and Talbot Ave.
(click on image for a larger scale image)
Source: MTA Plan and Profile – Trail, Sept. 2010
Trail bridge over CSX tracks to 4th Ave.
(click on image for a larger scale image)
Source: MTA Plan and Profile – Trail, Sept. 2010
The first of the two plan views above shows the location of the new trail ramp between Talbot Ave. and the CSX tracks, from Michigan Ave. to Lanier Drive. That drawing also shows the additional right-of-way that must be taken from the five homes between Michigan Ave. and Lanier Drive to allow Talbot Ave. to be shifted to the west.
The next drawing shows the location of the new trail bridge across the CSX tracks, from the intersection of Talbot Avenue and Lanier Drive on the west side (Rosemary Hills side) to the corner of Hanover Street and 4th Ave. on the east side (North Woodside side). It also shows the trail alignment along 4th Ave. The trail will cross Talbot Avenue at the end of the single-lane Talbot Ave. Bridge.
The major drawback to this plan for trail users, compared to the old plan, is the new trail ramp. The ramp will be about 500′ long and will have a 5% grade to elevate the trail for the bridge over the CSX tracks. This total elevation is about the same as required in the old plan to cross CSX, but the old plan followed the grade of Talbot Avenue for a longer distance to beyond the Talbot Ave. Bridge to gain the elevation needed, for a gentler grade. The new ramp also separates the trail from the end of Lanier Drive, so local trail traffic going to/from Lanier Drive will have to follow a detour to access the ramp. Overall I consider the new plan to be acceptible for trail users – it is a reasonable compromise to spare the school from a severe impact.
I have heard some concerns about safety on the trail along 4th Ave. at the crossing at end of the Talbot Ave. Bridge. I don’t think that is a serious issue. That three-way intersection has an all-way stop. Motor vehicle traffic has to take turns on the one-lane bridge, creating regular gaps in traffic flow when trail users can cross the road. The old plan called for the trail to have two at-grade roadway crossings on the west side of the CSX tracks: Michigan Ave. at the corner with Talbot Ave.; and also Lanier Drive at Talbot Ave. These at-grade crossings would have been no better than we will now have at the end of the Talbot Ave. Bridge.
There was some discussion at the CCCT meeting about the impact this new plan will have on the five homes that will lose parts of their yards. It can be seen from the first of the two drawings above that the three homes on Talbot Avenue closest to Lanier Drive would only be slightly impacted, because of the orientation of the homes on their lots and the minimal amount of property to be taken. The two homes nearest to Michigan Ave. would be impacted more heavily and should be given significant compensation for the “taking”. Converting Talbot Ave. from two-way to one-way on this block would be a minor inconvenience. Lanier Drive/Pennsylvania Ave. is a good alternative route for the little through traffic that now uses this street.
Trail users need to go to the MTA meetings! I’ve touched on some of the major trail features of the newest Purple Line/CCT plan in this blog series. Many other design issues came up at the Sept. 13 CCCT meeting: details of access paths and crossings all along the trail; questions about retaining walls and fences between rail, trail, and neighborhoods; adequacy of the sound barriers; trail access at the transit stations, etc. These “details” will be important to the quality of the trail. MTA will be holding public “work sessions” on different aspects of the Purple Line design – including work sessions focused on different parts of the trail. It is important that trail users attend. MTA needs our perspective. Contact MTA at www.purplelinemd.com to be put on their list for meeting announcements.
Cross-posted from Silver Spring Trails
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