Last week it was mentioned that work began on closing the Trolley Trail gap between College Park and Hyattsville and that a bridge over the railroad tracks there could create an additional connection between it and the Anacostia Tributary Trails.
Well, here's the M2 Masterplan that shows what such a connection might look like (if we imagine the bridge too). The bridge will connect the Trolley Trail to Rivertech Court. An existing bike trail connects Rivertech Court to the end of Taylor Road. Turning left on Tuckerman will take cyclists to 51st Avenue where a future trail connection would connect cyclists to the existing spur trail along Haig Drive and from there to the Northeast Branch trail. Once done, some signage and possible some sharrows, would be all one needs. Perhaps equally important is that it connects directly to the Purple Line station along River Road.
Speaking of the Purple Line. Is it going over NE Branch on it's own bridge? I wonder if there's an opportuity to create a trail spur to the east side of the river (and even along it for some distance.
In other trolley trail news, PG County Councilman Eric Olson reports that
The trail will be complete north of Franklins up through College Park in a year. The section between Armentrout Drive and Franklins is at 30 percent design.
Franklin's is at Farragut Street in Hyattsville, and Armentrout Drive is where the Northwest Branch Trail is (and it's the limit of the trolley right-of-way that isn't Rhode Island Avenue). The northern end of the trail is at Holland Drive in Beltsville, though the northern section is really bike lanes. That's a nice linear trail, with several connections to the Anacostia Trails.
I'd be surprised and impressed if the trail were ever extended to the end of the trolley line along the Patuxent in Laurel. But it would be great to get bike lanes/cycletrack on Rhode Island all the way to the Met Branch Trail.
Regarding the connection between the trolley trail and the NE Branch - even without the planned connector from Tuckerman, by taking 51st to the park entrance across from Somerset.
This is the first I have heard about extending the trolley trail south to Armentrout - any idea how they plan to do that? I don't think there is any right of way on which to to build more trail - it would need to involve some sort of bike lane or cycletrack on route 1? I would welcome a bike lane or similar facility along route 1 to Franklin St, which can then be used to connect to the Met Branch (I ride this way now, and it's not bad, at least at 7:00am).
To the north, a connection along RI Ave could have intersected with the ICC trail, if it had been built. What a lost opportunity.
Posted by: Purple Eagle | October 14, 2014 at 07:35 AM
It would also be great for businesses along Rhode Island Ave in DC to get a cycletrack from Armentrout to the Met Branch Trail!
Posted by: Greenbelt | October 14, 2014 at 12:04 PM