Riverpark trail section briefly closed and then reopened. New sidepath too.

Back in November a temporary trail opened through the Riverdale Park Station development that closed a gap in the Rhode Island Avenue trolley trail. But then early last month it was closed. The sign said it was closed due to vandalism and community concerns. 

Apparently they were angry about the barrier that was between the townhomes being removed multiple times by folks who were annoyed by it.  They stated some other reasons like that a car had used the path..

The also stated safety as an issue on the current trail because it uses the alley behind Woodberry.

Luckily, that didn't last long, as by the next week they had reopened it, with bollards and lighting. 

As many are aware, the Developer of Riverdale Park Station was made aware of a concern about the safety of the temporary Hiker-Biker trail along the old DC/Baltimore trolley line.

In response to the concerns raised and other incidents that had occurred, the Developer determined that better safety and security could be accomplished by modifying the north-south route across the private property to points south of much of the current construction while a better interim alternative was studied. As a result of input from the Developer, Town of Riverdale Park, City of College Park, Residents of Riverdale Park Station and Calvert Hills, modifications are being added that will allow the prior interim route to be reestablished. Bollards that will prohibit vehicular traffic on the trail have been installed along the northern section of trail at the City of College Park Boundary. Light fixtures have been installed in the alley—the east/west section of the interim alignment that runs parallel to Woodberry Street. The last item to be added is some additional directional signage for the interim alignment which should be completed by March 14th at which time the fence that is currently at the southern boundary of the WMATA property will be removed.

They also built a new 300-foot long sidewalk/sidepath along Route 1 that creates a long desired connection. 

Thompson said people have been complaining about a lack of sidewalks in this area for at least 20 years. The two communities are divided by Route 1, he said, and without sidewalks, the two communities won't interact.

Before the construction, the bike path on Route 1 in front of Riverdale Park Station abruptly ended in front of the development, Wojahn said, forcing cyclists into traffic. The bike lane now connects to the side path, allowing cyclists to get from Riverdale Park to College Park and vice versa, Wojahn said.

As a nod to the area's history, the path also runs between two pillars that marked the entrance to the historical MacAlpine House, which was built by Charles Baltimore Calvert in 1863, Olson said.

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

Thanks for the update. When I went through the area a couple of weeks ago, it looked like the bridge over the RR tracks is finished, but they are still blocking access to it because in order to reach the bridge on the west side you need to go through an active construction area. Now that it's light later it should be possible to check out the bridge after work hours . . .

[Purple Eagle]

That new sidepath is a pretty big deal, IMO. I checked it out on my way home today. For anyone who could not envision the location - it's along the east side of route 1, north of the new development. If you are cycling route 1 you still probably want to merge into the regular travel lane at the top of the hill, since the alternative is a "normal" sidewalk. But this path is on an uphill which would be a harder spot to merge. I am pleasantly surprised with this addition, because I feared nothing would be happen and we would be left with a frustrating gap in the network. Now if we could just address the sidewalk gaps along route 1 further north, beyond Greenbelt Rd . . .

[bikester]

Glad to see that the side path is usable for biking, but I was confused as to why they didn't continue the bike lane up to Albion Rd as well, since it looks like there is plenty of space.

[Purple Eagle]

There is an update on the bridge in a newsletter I received from state senator Pinsky: "One of the conditions that I insisted upon as a condition to building Riverdale Park Station (Whole Foods) was a bridge to the east to reduce congestion on Route 1. I am pleased that the bridge is physically built and final approvals are pending. The developers expect the bridge to be open to traffic by Father's Day. Once open, the back entrance/exit will allow access from Lafayette Ave across the railroad tracks"