TheWashCycle

CWL 2020: Bonus! Dueling Creek

I left one off the list, but had already written this, so then I had 13. Enjoy!

Just north of the District Boundary on the east side of the Anacostia lies Dueling Creek. Technically, the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail ends at a parking lot about 700 feet from the Creek, but a small connection to it would be easy. A short trail along the stream has the potential to create some neighborhood connections, but even a short trail has some serious barriers to overcome.

The mouth of the creek is in Colmar Manor Community Park, which was built on an old landfill site in the 1980's. It sits just north of Fort Lincoln Cemetery. A trail from the existing ATTS terminus to the Anacostia along the creek would have a recreational value, but if it could be extended south between the Anacostia and the Cemetery to New York Avenue, Fort Lincoln Drive and/or the Arboretum then it would have some transportation utility, more so if the New York Avenue bridge gets a bike crossing as is often suggested. 

North of the park road, the creek runs in a concrete channel passing under the low traffic streets of Lawrence and 37th before reaching the Dueling Grounds, from which the creek gets its name, and Bladensburg Road. The section of trail would be the easiest to built, but could also be considered redundant to the park road. A facility alongside the road might be easier and have less environmental impact. 

There is some talk of this. In August, Anacostia Heritage Trails Area, Inc. and the town of Colmar Manor hosted a community planning meeting on a new Dueling Creek Heritage Trail. They considered adding a short trail segment along the lower part of the creek. They identified four possible routes between the trail and the park near Bladensburg Road.

A grade separated crossing of Blandesburg would really open up Colmar Manor to the trail; but it would be expensive, perhaps prohibitively so depending on the expected use. 

Between Bladensburg Road and the Camden Line railroad the creek runs naturally between parking before reaching a small residential area. A trail on this section would make sense on its own, since it would create a shorter connection between Cottage Terrace and the closest Bladensburg Road crosswalk. In the 2009 Port Towns plan, this area is meant to be a park, but no trail is identified along Dueling Creek at all. 

Getting across the railroad tracks is similar in difficulty to getting across Bladensburg Road. On the other side the creek is again in a concrete channel to Wells Avenue with absolutely no room on the sides. The nearest pedestrian crossings of the railroad tracks are about 1000-1700 feet away.

East of Wells, the creeks is encased in a concrete box, the top of which, with some improvement, could serve as a bike path to 35th Street. Parts of it appear to be on private property, which would be a significant complication. 

A trail from 35th to the river would be a great amenity, but it would be expensive and difficult. From the railroad to the river would be easier and useful, even it it required an at-grade crossing at an uncontrolled crosswalk. But it's not without complexities and limitations which explains why it's last on this list. 

CWL 2020: #1 Lower Beaverdam Creek

Lower Beaverdam Creek (LBC) is a 5 mile long stream that flows from just inside the Beltway near the New Carrollton Metro/MARC station then parallel to the Penn Line to the Anacostia River just inside the District. It has several tributaries including the 4 mile long Cabin Branch and the 3.5 mile long Cattail Branch. It flows through an odd assortment of greenspace along the streams and industrial land that cropped up along the rail line, passing through New Carrollton, Landover Hills and Cheverly and it's tributaries reach into Seat Pleasant and Capitol Heights.

A trail along LBC would have obvious transportation benefits as it would tie the Anacostia Trail into three Metro stations and a Marc Station. And in places at least, users would find a trail that sits in some green space - even if the rail and highway infrastructure nearby won't exactly leave it quiet. If the area along the rail line should ever convert from industrial to other uses, that creates an opportunity to widen the green space and improve the trail. But there is enough land there for a trail now. 

If built as far as Cabin Branch, the pink line above, it would allow for a north-south trail between the Cheverly Metro and the Addison-Road Seat Pleasant Metro and then on south to Walker Mill Road and the District Heights area. Other streams with trails - Watts Branch, Oxon Run and Henson Creek all start in this same area, as does Ritchie Branch, meaning that District Heights could be, like nearby Seat Pleasant, a trail hub.

Cattail Branch, the green line above, takes an unusual route. It starts on the other side of the Beltway near the Lanham Costco, then flows north along and under the Beltway before flowing west and then south through Glenarden. It then goes west and northwest to meet LBC near Landover Road. On the west end it passes through a park with a small existing path, past neighborhoods and shopping centers, a community center and a library, and it could make a great trail for Glenarden. A Custis-style trail along the outside of the Beltway in this area makes sense and would run along Cattail Branch for some way, but crossing the Beltway where it flows under would be very expensive. Trails along Cattail and Cabin Branch would also intersect with an expanded WB&A Trail and the planned Central Avenue Connector Trail. 

Other tributaries of LBC or it's tributaries reach north into Cheverly and south into the hills along Sheriff Road. Any or all of them would make good paths for trails, most notably the stream along Cheverly's east side - though it would have a half-dozen significant barriers to overcome. 

Encouragingly, trails along these streams are included in many County Plans. The 2010 Subregion plan for the area shows a trail along LBC from the Anacostia to Cattail Branch and then along that stream to the Beltway. It also has a trail along the full length of Cabin Branch and a sidepath along Pennsy Drive on the east end that would largely parallel LBC. (highlighted in dark green below). Such trails have been in County plans for YEARS.

The more recent Greater Cheverly Sector Plan echoes this and shows it in greater detail with a trail along LBC from the Anacostia to the Cheverly Metro station and then continuing to the east as well as south along Cabin Branch. 

The 2019 Cheverly Metro Non-Motorized Access Study went into more detail about what such a trail would look like. It also includes other bike and trail connections to the nearby areas. 

The Landover Plan shows that the trail going north of Cattail would be both along Pennsy and LBC. It suggests a bike trail along the abandoned rail spur along the creek corridor parallel to Pennsy Drive with access to the Metro station. But it does not mention Cattail Branch, which is on the edge of the area. The greenway is highlighted in red.

Just building trail along the three main streams would add 15 miles of bike trail and connect thousands of people to each other, the Anacostia and it's trail network and four separate transit stations. It's such a no-brainer that it's a surprise it hasn't started happening yet. 

CWL 2020: #2 Northwest Branch

The Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River, along with the Northeast Branch, is one of the two streams that forms the main stem of the Anacostia River.  It's a 21.5 mile long stream running from the Sandy Spring area of Montgomery County to the confluence of the two streams in Prince George's County. Dozens of tributaries feed into it along the way. A paved multi-use trail runs for 7 miles along the stream from the Beltway in Montgomery County to the confluence in Bladensburg. Unpaved hiker/biker trails (in blue below) proceed north along the stream from the end of the paved trail to Bonifant Street on the other side of the Intercounty Connector. 

There's room for a paved multi-use trail through much of the section north of the Beltway, but perhaps not a lot of political will. There may be less of an argument for a paved trail to Wheaton Regional Park where it runs parallel to the nearby Sligo Creek Trail, but north of that there is no such alternatives. A trail through the valley between Wheaton Regional Park and the ICC, and then to a trail closing a gap in the ICC trail from Notley to Layhill road would have significant utility. 

North of the ICC it passes the Trolley Museum and then runs into the Northwest Branch Golf course, though a way around that - and to Blake High School - would not be difficult.  North of the high school the stream flows through parkland before reaching the ridge at Olney-Sandy Spring Road.  There are far too many tributaries, especially north of Wheaton Regional Park, to go into but many have potential, and a trail through this area opens them up as possibilities. 

Some of this is in county plans. Montgomery County plans include a mutli-use trail from Wheaton Regional Park along roads and the stream to the ICC and a connection to it through the Poplar Run development to the Matthew Henson Trail, which would add some extra connectivity. The trail would then extend NW along the ICC. The county plan also includes an extended natural surface trail from the ICC to Blake HS. (Highlighted in yellow below)

A need to provide multiple kinds of space for different users and to protect the environment limit the county's ambitions with respect to the Northwest Branch, but the stream valley represents a big opportunity and the county plans to use the most important part, but it's unfortunate a trail north of the ICC isn't in the plans. Maybe someday the county will trade the golf course for an expanded trail network.

CWL 2020:#3 Brier's Mill Run

Brier's Mill Run is a 3.5 mile long tributary of the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia in Prince George's county. It used to be known as Brier Ditch, but stakeholders renamed it in order to increase awareness of it. The new name is not official, but reflects the community's vision of it. Significant portions of the stream were channelized in the 1950's as part of the Anacostia River Flood Control and Navigation project. It runs from Magnolia Spring on the campus of Capital Christian Academy in Lanham west through New Carrollton to meet the NE Branch, with Still Creek, in Riverdale Park. A pair of tributaries meet up with the main branch at a confluence in New Carrollton. Another tributary meets up with it just east of Auburn Ave in Lanham. 

Unlike Still Creek to the north, BMR runs through neighborhoods and near a school. There's already a small, narrow piece of trail along it in New Carrollton's West Field. And there are plans to build more. The East Riverdale-Beacon Heights Sector Plan calls for a trail from Auburn Avenue to the NE Branch Trail, including a new bridge over the NE Branch. It also calls for the stream to be removed from the channel it's in as much as possible. The 1995 New Carrollton plan calls for the trail to extend all the way to Carrollton Parkway, which is where the existing segments are. If extended along Carrollton Parkway, there might be room for a trail crossing of the Beltway here, which would be the only bike/ped crossing in a 1.4 mile stretch, and far better than the closest two. From there a trail through the woods along the stream and then off to the east could end at the Seabrook Park and the Good Luck Community Center.

The two tributaries to the east of West Field are of the type that flow down the middle of a divided road. They don't leave much room for a trail, but could be better designed for biking if parking were removed or traffic were calmed. 

The canal leading south from West Field leads along county property to the New Carrollton Library and makes for a natural connector trail. 

The tributary south from Auburn, after a difficult crossing of Riverdale Road, flows to and along Veterans Highway, across the street from the future Purple Line and a trail built along it could be extended to the PL's Annapolis Road station or connected to the bike lanes being added to Veterans as part of that project.  Though the bike lanes are just bikeable shoulders. 

A trail here would be even better if the Purple Line trail network envisioned in 2011 was built. That proposal included a trail along Riverdale Road from the BW Parkway to Auburn road and a trail along Veterans Parkway between it and the tracks. 

A Briers Mill Run trail system could become a critical bike/ped backbone for this area of New Carrollton and East Riverdale and serve as a connection to the Purple Line. 

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. 

CWL 2020: #5 Still Creek

Still Creek is a 3.5 mile long tributary of the Northeast Branch in Prince George's County. It flows from the Shrom Hills area of Greenbelt, underneath the Beltway and the BW Parkway and then mostly through Greenbelt National Park (GNP) where it and Brier Creek meet up just a few feet before flowing into the Northeast Branch. A trail along the creek would mostly serve GNP, but would also be a nice east-west trail, especially if it crosses either one or both of the highway barriers. A second creek which NPS calls Deep Creek, flows from the park's Good Luck Parking Lot down to Kenilworth Avenue and a trail there would also be useful.

The bad news is that such trails are extremely unlikely. Neither PG County nor NPS has any plans to build them, though the county does have plans to build along Brier Creek (more on that later). Trails along the park side of Good Luck and Kenilworth might even be too much to ask and the creeks are even tougher since NPS sees the creeks as important to preserve. 

East of the park, the streams are buried, channelized and squeezed by residences. 

If NPS would allow a trail from the Park Road to Kepner Court (along the north tributary) and one along Good Luck Road; and then bridges or underpasses could be constructed to get the trail over and under the two highways it would create a useful, mostly off-road trail between the ATTS and the southeast side of Greenbelt. But that's all pretty unrealistic at this point.

CWL 2020: #6 Paint Branch

Paint Branch is a stream through eastern Montgomery and western Prince George's Counties that merges with Indian Creek near the College Park Airport to form the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia River. There's an existing trail that follows it from the NE Branch to a point south of the Beltway where the trail switches to the Little Paint Branch. Outside the Beltway Paint Branch flows flows from Spencerville Road and from Cloverly in Montgomery County south. After passing the ICC another Paint Branch Trail runs along it for about 2 miles from Fairland Road to Columbia Pike. From there it continues southeast through White Oak, Power Mill Community Park and the I-95/Beltway interchange to the Anacostia Tributary Trail system in College Park.

About 4.4 miles of trail would be needed to close the gap between the two sections of trail, and that would somehow need to navigate the I-95/Beltway interchange under which Paint Branch flow. It would also need to get across Powder Mill Road and Columbia Pike/US-29. Those won't be easy, but much of the stream flows through forests - even around the Beltway - meaning the trail would likely be a nice park ride without many other street crossings. In addition to connecting to the PG and MoCo trails, it could also connect to the Old Columbia Pike Bridge which is a bike and ped only bridge now. Just north of Powder Mill, a small tributary leads north to the shopping areas along Cherry Hill Road. Along the stream valley there's an assortment of neighborhoods, parks, shopping areas and employers creating an assortment of destinations.

The bad news here is that while this used to be in Montgomery County's Trail plan, the section from the existing MoCo trail to Old Columbia Pike was dropped to an unpaved trail in 2016 due to "Adverse Natural Resource Impacts" and the section to PG County was removed because the land is part of the FDA campus and unlikely to become available. That likely dooms any PG County expansion, which was unlikely anyway as it's not in that county's trail plan. The good news is that the natural surface trail was a top priority.

North of Fairland Road, where the MoCo section ends at a very narrow sidewalk, Paint Branch continues through wide woodlands crossing a few major roads including the InterCounty Connector before ending at the hills of Cloverly. This section of the ICC doesn't have a trail along it, but a trail along Paint Branch, along with one along the tributary to the west, could serve double duty and would go a long way to closing the gap between New Hampshire Ave and Columbia Pike. A barrier to this is that Montgomery County already decided that a trail through this area would cause too much environmental damage to be worthwhile. 

Upper Paint Branch Stream Valley Park, between New Hampshire Avenue and Route 29 in northern Silver Spring, is considered the most sensitive to more asphalt, which could create storm water runoff. Its special natural resources include several streams where brown trout survive only in cold and very clean water, park officials said.

Instead they recommended sidepaths along New Hampshire Ave and Fairland Road and a future trail along the north side of the ICC between Cape May Road and Countryside Lane. The 2016 County Trails plan meanwhile calls for a natural surface trail from Fairland to Briggs Chaney. 

Another tributary across the ICC leads to the Burtonsville Library and the park next door. North of the ICC, the Paint Branch goes to Maydale Conservation Park and Cloverly Elementary School and the adjacent park. 

Altogether, an extended trail along the Paint Branch would connected dozens of destinations in Montgomery and Prince George's County, create a new outdoor opportunity and help fulfill the promise of the ICC Trail. A paved trail the length of the valley is unlikely due to environmental concerns, the FDA campus barrier (it's unclear that the FDA would oppose a trail across their land, but the security there is pretty serious) and the fact that new paved trails through it are not in either county's plans.  

CWL 2020: #7 Watts Branch

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. 

CWL 2020: #8 Wells Run

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. 

CWL 2020: #9 Little Paint Branch

Little Paint Branch is an ~8 mile long tributary of Paint Branch that flows from Burtonsville in Montgomery County to a location just north or the Paint Branch Golf Course in College Park, which is in Prince George's County.  A piecemeal set of trails follows it from College Park north to Fairfield Regional Park in Montgomery County, with on-road sections to get around the Beltsville Agricultural Center and the Powder Mill Road/I-95 interchange. A trail on the last 1.3 miles would extend it almost all the way to Howard County and while the gaps would be hard to close (BARC is unlikely to allow a trail and at I-95, the stream runs down the median for about 3000 feet, there are a few other tributaries that could be useful. One of those requires a new crossing of I-95, but that's something that's needed anyway).

(the blue lines represent existing connections that don't show on the map)

One tributary splits off just as the Little Paint Branch reaches I-95. IF this interchange were rebuilt, then this would be a good place to create a new I-95 crossing as it's about the halfway point in a 2.4 mile barrier. Once on the other side the stream flows 1.5 miles through residential areas to Calverton-Galway Local Park. There's room to extend the trail to Columbia Pike thereby running the trail east west across the entire city of Calverton. 

While following Little Paint Branch through I-95 is difficult, a trail from where it comes out on the other side to the existing portion of trail at Briggs Chaney Road would be easy. Following the stream north of Briggs Chaney to the ICC Trail would be easy too, were it not for the Cross Creek Gold Course, but it's something to consider should that ever be redeveloped. Such a trail would make a nice connector for Calverton.

The last piece on the very north end could extend through the headwaters area to the bike path along Columbia Pike to Sandy Spring Road in Burtonsville. Not far beyond that is a power line corridor and not much farther is the Patuxent River and Howard County. 

Once again, with the exception of a sidepath along Briggs Chaney road, neither county has any of this in their plans. Though Montgomery County does plan a trail along the section of the Patuxent north of Burtonsville that something like this could extend to. Still, this is less crazy than other ideas, perhaps in part because there are three smaller parts and each has value on its own. Further the golf course, should it ever shut down, represents another possible future opportunity.