Zoo fencing will remove Rock Creek Trail entrance

The National Zoo is planning to add several thousand feet of fencing that will reduce the number of entrances to the Zoo from 13 to 3, and one of the closed entrances will be the one from the Rock Creek Park Trail via the North Road Bridge. As GGW notes

From the various materials, it's clear the zoo sees this not as a real visitor access point but just a staff access from the Research Hill facility, on the other side of the creek and trail. That's because going into the zoo here takes you to more of a back section that the zoo doesn't really mean to be a front entrance.

Despite this, the Zoo claims that "Vehicular entrances to the NZP grounds will remain unchanged, as will the bike trails adjacent to Research Hill" which I suppose is true if bicycles aren't vehicles. This is a minor issue, since I don't think many trail users used this entrance to get to the zoo, but the number wasn't zero. Trail users will still be able to cross on the North Street Bridge and travel around on it to the lower zoo entrance.

The other big issue with the trail near the zoo is the night time closure of the trail around Research Hill. Improvements to the tunnel have made the bypass more pleasant, but the tunnel is still below standards. On this, there will be no change.

During the July 2018 review of the previous draft, the DDOT and NPS requested additional follow-up to see if the new checkpoints and fencing would enable the Research Hill bicycle/pedestrian trail section to remain open past normal visitor hours. NCPC staff followed-up with the Smithsonian Institution on this request, which indicated that secure, unobstructed access is still required from the hospital at Research Hill to the animal collection at the park, so the nighttime closures are still required.

The other, very minor, impact is that the zoo will look different from the trail. If you're bothered by that, I don't think there's anything I can say to comfort you. This is the world we live in now.

Assuming that the entrance is to be closed, access can't be made 24/7/365 and the view will change, there is one more thing that would be great - albeit totally unlikely. Currently the trail connects to the neighborhoods on the west side at Porter, Klingle and Cathedral/Shoreham. But a trail connection from the zoo side of the North Street Bridge and up the hill to Hawthorne Street would probably be very useful and pleasant. It would also cross the perimeter gate and so would be closed at times the other trail section is, but it would still be useful.  

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

It seems to me that if they are going to close public access where the trail crosses between the research and public areas, that closure would allow them to keep the trail open after hours. What am I missing here?

[washcycle]

I think they need to close the trail now for the same reason as before; and that seems to be for the movement of animals between the two parts, which they do after hours.

[Purple Eagle]

I guess that makes some sense. Thanks.