The Town of Cheverly is working on the Cheverly Green Infrastructure Plan
Mayor Julia Mosley said until the town has a "really good map and a really good plan," green spaces will continue to disappear. The committee's goal is to present a plan to the Town Council by spring 2009.
One item to come out of it
Councilman R.J. Eldridge (Ward 3), a steering committee member, wants the town connected to the Anacostia River Trail system for a bike path. This would be challenging, Eldridge acknowledged, as the path would have to cross I-295 and Kenilworth Avenue. He said Cheverly is isolated because it is mostly sealed in by major roads such as I-295, Route 50 and Route 202.
Considering how close Cheverly is to the Anacostia, it is pretty shocking how difficult it is to bike or walk to it. A trail connection would either have to cross 295 (not I-295), Kenilworth Avenue and the railroad line or several railroad lines and US-50.
The easiest option would be to connect the new piece of trail along the Anacostia to a new sidepath along the BW Parkway; then crossing over the rail line to Baldesburg, either over or under the entrance ramp from Kenilworth South to the Parkway; over Kenilworth Avenue; then looping around to the north side of Kenilworth Avenue and under the Parkway through the same underpass.
There's about 5 feet of grass, 6 feet of shoulder and another 3 foot buffer on the otherside. So if things were reconfigured, they could easily add a bike/ped lane similar to the lane connecting the Mt. Vernon trail to Crystal City.
Then the trail could turn north, cross Pepsi Place at grade and with some more trail connect to both Cheverly Euclid Park (for recreation) and the west end of Greenleaf Road (for transportation).
Of course that means 1.3 miles of trail, two bridge retrofits, a new bridge or tunnel (altought this could be a Mt. Vernon trail style at grade crossing, but I wouldn't recommend it), and a reworking of the underpass. No small task. Better get started Cheverly.
Photo by pbo31
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