CWL 2020: #4 Indian Creek

Indian Creek is a 6.5 mile long stream in Prince George's County. It starts in the hills of Beltsville and flows almost due south to the College Park airport and the confluence with Paint Branch where the two form the Northeast Branch. Several other streams flow into it, most notably the Upper Beaverdam Creek which stretches east into the patchwork of federally owned lands north of Greenbelt. There's an Indian Creek Trail along the lower 1 mile of the trail, but an extended trail would go past the Greenbelt Metro/MARC Station and into Beltsville where it could connect to several areas in North Beltsville and the Muirkirk MARC station. 

There are plans to extend the trail a short distance north toward the Metro station, and in fact part of that trail has been constructed, but where those plans stand now that the FBI Headquarters are not moving to that area is unclear. 

Just north of the end of the trail, the Narragansett Run flows in from College Park. The Greenbelt Sector Plan calls for a bike/ped connection across the railroad tracks, as does the Greenbelt Metro Area Plan (below). Neither shows a trail along this tributary that flows in a man-made channel down the middle of Narragnasett Parkway from Muskogee Playground (where it emerges from concrete pipes).  The Parkway is a slow, traffic-calmed street and might be suitable for most cyclist anyway, but there would be room for a protected bike lane if one side or the other was converted to one-way traffic.

The plan above also shows a connection north, across the Beltway, to the Indian Creek Trail. The sector plan north of the Beltway, from 1989 mind you, mentions a "trail along Indian Creek" but not where along it. 

But if the trail could be carried over or under the Beltway, then the valley opens up into a long green corridor along Edmonston Road all the way to Powder Mill and then past that to Beltsville and Route 1. At this point there's a confluence of at least five streams, one flowing from Beltsville North Park, another from Kontera past the east side of MLK middle school, another from Virginia Manor Road, one in between those and a channelized stream along Route 1 that ends a short distance from the MARC station. 

It may not make sense to build trails along all of these, but each has their advantages, most notably the ones that go off to the west as they intersect with the old streetcar right-of-way where another trail makes sense. As for the Upper Beaverdam Creek system to the east, it would likely be beautiful, but it has little transportation value and may not be worth the environmental impacts. 

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

The city of Greenbelt website indicates that construction on the trail connecting the new townhouses ("South Core") just north of Greenbelt Rd to the metro station is supposed to be underway now. However I was in the area recently and saw no evidence of work. (https://www.greenbeltmd.gov/government/departments/planning-community-development/special-projects-2832)

Regarding northward extension from the metro - there is currently a narrow paved trail that goes under the Beltway and connects to the WMATA maintenance yard. If they were to open it to the public it could provide access to Sunnyside Rd. Regarding a trail along Beaverdam Creek - I agree that it would be scenic; Beaverdam Rd provides a nice low-traffic alternative and is popular with cyclists.

[Purple Eagle]

As for the branch of Brandywine Creek that "points" south on this map (that is, it runs from the area near the Goddard employees-only interchange on the BW Parkway to intersection Beaverdam Creek near Beaverdam Rd just west of the BW Parkway) - it's known as Goddard Branch. The upper portion of it runs through the Greenbelt Forest Preserve, which is owned by the city and managed as a wilderness. Getting the city to sign off on a paved trail there would be a tough sell. A narrow hiking trail exists within the city boundaries.

In addition, one potential route of the proposed Maglev train would have the train emerge from underground roughly in this area. If the train is built on this corridor it will have significant impacts on Goddard Branch

[washcycle]

Yeah, I don't think anything to the east would be built out, nor maybe should it.

[Purple Eagle]

Oops, Beaverdam, not Brandywine. I used to live in Northern Delaware but that still came out of left field . . .