Wells Run Trail, lots of potential but no current plans

Someone wrote to ask me what I know about the Wells Run Trail and if there were plans to improve it. My first response was to look up what the Well Run Trail is and try to at least figure out what state it's in. So, the answer was that I knew nothing about it.

After some research, I can't say I know much more.

I do know this, the current trail, located in University Park, isn't much of a bike trail. It's narrow. It's isolated and small. 

And it's not really built for cyclists - the connection to Adelphi Road is via a set of narrow stairs for example. It does look like a great way to walk to and from the bus stop on Adelphi or otherwise around the neighborhood. 

But it has potential.

Wells Run flows into the NE Branch of the Anacostia passing through Hyattsville, University Park and Riverdale Park on the way. But oddly, it looks like there is an unnamed stream bed that starts from almost the same spot and flows in the opposite direction to the NW Branch. Thus a trail built along Wells Run and the stream bed; using Wells Boulevard, the Wells Parkway and, on the east side, the stream itself, could become a nice east-west connection between the NE and NW Branch trails. Though something would have to be done about the part where it runs down the middle of East-West Highway. I would go from Riverdale Park to University Hills. That would be a very useful connection.

Wells Run and stream bed in blue

If they were to upgrade the current sections of the trail and connect it to Adelphi Road, that would form a very nice 3 miles of connector trail. 

Sadly, such a trail is currently not in the 2009 PG County Bikeways and Trails Master Plan or the 2009 Hyattsville Bike and Ped Plan. In 2010, after residents became concerned that the stream might flood their homes, the three jurisdictions formed an Inter-Municipal Collaborative Committee on Wells Run which would

• Develop a short-term and long-term stream restoration plan.
• Develop passive recreational enhancements along Wells Run;
• Evaluate storm water plans that may impact Wells Run; and,
• Collect and provide environmental data in support of the above items.

I'm not sure if a MUT is passive, but that's reason for hope. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like much has happened in the last 8 years. Which is too bad, that thing could use some stream restoration. 

A trail along Wells Run, coupled with a utility corridor trail from the Takoma Substation to the NW Branch Trail only blocks from where Wells connects to it, and then continuing north to Metzerott Road, would really tie that whole area together. 

But in short, the Wells Run Trail looks like a pedestrian pathway system, and it will probably stay that for a while. 

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

I concur with your assessment - the trail is a nice pedestrian option within University Park, but not much use for cyclists. However the streets in UP appear to be pretty low-traffic, so biking approximately along the route you identified is pretty easy using Wells Parkway and Van Buren St (among other options). There is a traffic light at Wells and Adelphi, and a new light at Van Buren and rt 1 by the entrance to the Whole Foods development.

[David]

I live and UP and yes, the trails in town aren't much good for commuting / biking (very narrow and winding).

But traffic in town is very low (and low-speed), so there's little minimal risk riding on the roads.

The town recently painted bike marks on the road (forgot what the actual term is) between Adelphi/Wells and the traffic light at Van Buren/Baltimore.

[Beltsville]

@David - "sharrows of dooooooooommmmmmmmm"

[David]

@Beltsville - ah yes

Looking at street view, you can see sharrows on Van Buren near Baltimore. They stop, but that may be because the age of the streetview images? I'm pretty sure there are sharrows all the way from Adelphi/Wells -> Van Buren. Which is exactly how I would recommend getting from Northwest Branch trail to the Rhode Island Trolley Trail.

Is there a mechanism to get Google to recognize a bike route (even it is just sharrows)?

[David]

One more point - there's no evidence of a stream from the Duck Pond to Adelphi. It's a a fairly steep climb from the Duck Pond to Adelphi. The Wells stream becomes visible when Wells Parkway splits into two sides as it curves southward.

[sbg1]

I commute from Wheaton to Riverdale Park through UP. At the Adelphi Wells Road intersection UP painted sharrows on Wells for two or three blocks east to the split at Clagett Rd. There is no direct way to Baltimore Ave so I take Clagett to Queens Chapel to the intersection with Baltimore/RT1 where there is a traffic light. To access the new bridge over the RR tracks I take Albion road down the hill (watch out for three speed bumps recently installed) to the trolley trail then detour through the new development alley to access the bridge which has bike lanes on both sides to Rivertech Court. The Purple Line will be built along River Road and new apartments will be built on the Metro surface lot at CP Metro. This area is rapidly urbanizing would be nice to have a better way to cross Rt 1.

[Purple Eagle]

Hi sbg1, it looks like you could go Wells to VanBuren and take that straight down to the light at the Whole Foods. Maybe there's something about that route that's not optimal? I live sortof nearby so I have biked through there but not often.

[washcycle]

David, it's more like a dry creek. You can see it here in the median of Wells Parkway (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9775991,-76.9484491,3a,75y,185.3h,86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spb73RDOYcluTZkjD_Z8xgg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) and then at Calverton it appears to go underground.

[Purple Eagle]

@WC, that's the creek that flows to the NE branch it appears to me. It joins what is labeled as Wells Run in the park area behind the elementary school. If I understand correctly David says there is no creek flowing through the neighbhorhood on the west side of Adelphi towards the NW Branch. I don't see it either.

[washcycle]

Ok, so that little creek runs east (when it rains). Now I get it. I looked on a topo map and Adelphi Road looks like a hill there, Wells road does run down what was/is clearly a gully, but not a stream.