Wells Run is a 2 mile long tributary of the Northeast Branch in Prince George's County. It's starts along the ridge west of Adelphi Road and flows east through University Park and Riverdale Park. Along the way it goes through residential areas and parks, along the south side of the new Riverdale Park Station development, under the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail and the Camden Line and then in the median of East West highway before passing under the Northeast Branch Trail. From the headwaters along Adelphi it is only a short distance down Wells Parkway to the Northwest Branch Trail, so a trail along the stream would create the opportunity to create an E-W trail that connects all three major N-S trails. It could also tie into the Riverdale Park Metro station.
In University Park, two main tributaries meet and along one of those there is already a short system of narrow trails.
On the west side of the ridge, it's not clear that anything more than signs and markings on Wells Boulevard (the blue line in the map above) is needed, but if something more is needed, there is room. An improved crossing of Adelphi Road would be needed to make this connection appealing to a wider group of potential cyclists.
Wells Parkway is, at first, narrow and there's not much room near the stream for a trail, so this section might need to be on-road or a sidepath along the residential side. But east of Chansory, Wells Parkway switches to a road on each side and there is room for a trail facility. The road here already has sharrows, but if the Parkway were made into one-way, one-lane road on each side it would create ample space for a trail. Desire lines along the road and pedestrians walking in it indicate a need already exists. A narrow trail exists along the stream where Wells Parkway breaks up for parkland.
Another barrier exists at US-1 where some kind of improved crossing would again be needed. East of US-1, the trail would likely need to divert from the stream often due to a lack of room and barriers, often running on route, at least in the short tern. Between US-1 and the railroad tracks the streams proximity to homes would likely require an on-road route. But it could just go down Tuckerman to the Trolley Trail and then follow the Trolley Trail under East-West Highway.
Stairs connect Calvert Memorial Park to the south sidewalk along East West Highway, but a trail/ramp connection would make this an acceptable way to access East-West and use that to cross over the railroad tracks. Someday, the sidewalk on East-West could be improved as has been done on other bridges over the years.
Maybe a trail along the stream between 49th and Lafayette (the pink line in the map above) would make sense as a neighborhood trail, but not for transportation. (Too bad this old bridge can't be used for anything).
On the east side of the railroad tracks, where Wells runs in the median of East-West, the best option is probably a ramp down to 48th Street and then a bike route or other on-road facility on that street and Queensbury Road east to the end and then a trail along the desire line to the NE Branch Trail. When East-West Highway is eventually rebuilt perhaps it could be built with better space for the stream and a bike facility along it in the corridor.
A complete Wells Run trail wouldn't be easy to build, but some parts of it would, and it wouldn't be so difficult as to be prohibitive especially considering all the connections it would make.
It's an on-road route, but cyclists and pedestrians can take the trolley trail south to Queensbury and then cross the RR tracks there. I have been crossing there frequently this year to avoided flooded sections of the NE branch trail south of Decatur St.
Posted by: Purple Eagle | December 15, 2020 at 12:02 PM