11 years after Maryland made money available to buy the land, and more than 3 years after getting additional funding to buy (more land?) and to design the trail, it appears that they might break ground on the southern terminus of the 2 mile long Pope's Creek Rail Trail in 2018.
Steve Engle of Vista Design Inc. outlined a conceptual plan for the trail, which includes an elevated observation platform over the Potomac River and a possible museum at the site of the old Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative power plant at Popes Creek, built in 1938. The facility closed in 1953, but because it was as the first power-generating station to serve Southern Maryland, its flat-roof, brick structure and arched windows make it architecturally worth preserving.
“We would like very much to incorporate the old power plant into the rail trail plans,” Engle said. “There’s a lot of history with this area. It would be a very nice enhancement for the Popes Creek area.”
The trail would run from the old power plant on to Route 301, he added.
The park is just phase I, which frankly has very little of the trail. Phase II appears to be off to the right in the image above and that is where the other 1.99 miles of trail will go, all the way to Crain Highway at Crossover road (and then I suppose a little beyond that to the existing railroad tracks). No idea when work will begin on that.
The tracks will not remain, but the sidewalk will use colored pavers to look like tracks.
Nothing to do with bicycles but I like the railroad inspired design.
Posted by: drumz | July 24, 2017 at 09:14 AM