Watts Branch is a 5 mile long tributary of the Anacostia River in Prince George's County and Washington, DC. It starts in Capitol Heights, MD and then flows north and west through the entirety of northeast DC east of the river. A tributary of the stream flows north from Oakcrest Country Club to the DC boundary. A 2 mile long trail, the Marvin Gaye Park Trail, already runs alongside the stream from the DC Boundary to Minnesota Avenue. Extending the trail west to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and east to Rollins Avenue would extend the reach and connectivity of the trail, and that would become more pronounced if a trail along Cabin Branch (the blue line below) also connected to Rollins Avenue. The tributary is mostly buried, and where it isn't it's channelized, but with long-term planning it could be day-lighted and utilized.
The east corner of DC was a railroad hub in the early 20th century, when a streetcar and two railroads met there, and it's shaping up as a trail hub today. In addition to the Watts Branch Trail, the tiny Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, a promoted extension of the WB&A Trail and the planned Central Avenue Trail all currently or could meet there. And all would tie into the Capitol Heights Metro Station which sits next to the stream and tributary.
The good news is that PG County has already signaled that they see value in a trail along Watts Branch. In the governing 2010 subregion plan for the area they state that
A public park or plaza is envisioned at the intersection of Capitol Heights Boulevard and Chamber Avenue, featuring a green sitting area, street trees, and a public fountain. Additionally, the Watts Branch Stream Valley Parkway will be enhanced and a pedestrian/bike path will run along the cleaned-up and restored Watts Branch stream.
The bad news, of course, is that lots of things make it into plans that then never happen.
The tributary is unmentioned in the plans, but the portions north of Cumberland and then between Capitol Heights Boulevard and Marlboro Pike hold promise. The middle part would almost surely require the county to buy land and remove structures.
On the DC side, AWI recently identified the need for a trail between the Marvin Gaye Park Trail and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, which they've called the Kenilworth Park Extension, but if they've done more at this time than add it to their map then I'd be surprised. Safely getting across DC-295 and the railroad tracks is going to be the issue, as a sidepath along Deane Avenue should be a breeze.
The Watts Branch has a great trail, but connecting it to the trails and proposed trails on each end of it would make it key part of a trail network.
Good ideas. With current traffic volumes a sidepath along Deane might not even be needed. After NPS completes restoration work at Kenilworth Park, it will be transferred to DC. If DC adds more park amenities and/or promotes access there might be more auto use of Deane Rd. But it would also mean DC could potential fund a sidepath. The underpass for the railroad is quite narrow, so that's definitely a challenge. Underpass for 295 is better but there's a lot of traffic there getting on/off the highway.
Posted by: Purple Eagle | December 16, 2020 at 02:11 PM