Little Paint Branch Extension to open soon

By the end of the month, the Little Paint Branch Extension project should be finished. The project will create a connection between the Paint Branch Trail, part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System, and the Little Paint Branch Trail which is entirely within the Little Paint Branch Park in Beltsville. That trail connects via other bike facilities all the way to Fairland Regional Park near Laurel

The project is called the Little Paint Branch Extension, but the website says it's the Paint Branch Trail that's being extended. It's all in how you look at it I guess.

The Little Paint Branch Trail Extension Project is a 2.1-mile extension of the Paint Branch Trail from Cherry Hill Road to the Beltsville Community Center. Extending the Little Paint Branch Trail will provide a shared use path route across the Beltway and connect two M-NCPPC park facilities: the Paint Branch Stream Valley Park with the Little Paint Branch Stream Valley Park.

This is the first extension of the ATTS since the Anacostia Trail was extended to US-50 in 2012. It's also creates only the 2nd of the system's trails to extend outside the Beltway.

Closing this gap in the Anacostia Tributaries Trail System will create a continuous 75-mile trail route from Fairland Regional Park near Laurel, Maryland to Purcellville, Virginia at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Comments

[Shalom]

This trail fills such an important gap, Cherry Hill Rd was just a death trap before.

But it's still a little frustrating that the trail network is so focused on the stream valleys / recreational riding. E.g., the project ignored the two block gap on Sellman Road to the *east*, which connects to the bike lane on Montgomery. Especially when going uphill, there's absolutely no shoulder, and pretty heavy traffic in rush hour.

It's even more frustrating, because the Agricultural Research Center land has plenty of space between the road and the fence, but it seems they can't be bothered to give permission to the County to install a path -- in that location and many others.

But still, this new facility will be fabulous compared to what we had before.

[Purple Eagle]

I am excited to check it out.

I know some people who work for BARC (not admin level). ~10 years ago they were pushing to get their decision-makers to approve a route for this trail across BARC land along the stream valley. At the time IKEA was said to be supporting a connector to their store as well and may have offered some funding. But BARC did not go for it.

I am not sure I agree that the trail will now extend to Fairland. Unless there is a connection I am unaware of, you need to use the road along Old Gunpowder to close the gap between the trail that ends on the north side of Little Paint Branch Park and another trail that starts on Briggs Chaney and connects to Fairland. (OK I guess the press release says "via other bike facilities" and there are bike lanes part of the way on Old Gunpowder. But not a continuous trail, and no bike facility on the bridge over 95 I don't think)

[washcycle]

But for a 1.5 block gap south of I-95, there are sidepaths along Gunpowder and Briggs Cheney from one piece to another. The gap has wide shoulders, but they should try to close it.

[Purple Eagle]

You are correct about that side path. I remember now what's odd about it - it switches sides (with a crosswalk) a bit north of Ammendale Rd. I always just ride the road through that section - it's easier than dealing with an incomplete and non-continuous path.

[Tom Ruggieri]

I have been riding through Beltsville on to Cherry Hill Rd to the PB Trail and in to the University for 14 years. This new trail reduces the tremendous risk I always felt at the top of Cherry Hill where there is no bike lane and cars speed up to merge from 2 lanes to one. I have heard that part of the funding for this trail was through donations. Can anyone provide more specific information about this?

[Shalom]

Rode this area on New Year's Day -- the trail is definitely *not* open, still a fair amount of work to do.

Starting from the south, the bridge over Paint Branch is blocked, and the side path climbing up to the bridge over the Beltway is nowhere near complete. The bridge itself is overgrown and strewn with debris. Heading further up Cherry Hill, one can ride on the mostly-complete trail, by lifting your bike over the mud-filled gaps at each intersection where the connections to the curbs aren't yet installed.

And they really made a mess of the erosion on the hillside sloping down to the west, as you head towards Sellman.

Nonetheless, the trail will definitely be a vast improvement over the previous conditions, and I'm excited for when it's finally complete.

[Purple Eagle]

This trail is now open. I ran on it last week. Nicely-constructed overall, if not particularly scenic (it's next to the road most of the time). They had to do some pretty serious construction, including retaining walls on both sides of the trail due to steep slopes, in the area near the Knights of Columbus facility, just south of the Beltway crossing. Trail uses sidewalk crossing beltway; that section is narrow.