TheWashCycle

CWL 2020: #12 Long Branch

Long Branch is a 2 mile long stream through Silver Spring and Takoma Park in Montgomery County. It's a tributary of Sligo Creek, and has a trail along part of it, but that part doesn't connect to the Sligo Creek Trail and it generally isn't considered a part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System (ATTS) despite being built at roughly the same time as the other trails. 

On the south end, there's a half-mile long gap from the Sligo Creek Trail at New Hampshire Avenue and the existing Long Branch Trail (LBT) at Maple Avenue. Closing this Takoma Park gap would tie the LBT into the ATTS as well as the connector trail at Jackson Ave and Becca Lilly Park. While the 2000 East Silver Spring Plan placed a high priority on closing this gap, the 2008 Countywide Trails update doesn't seem to show it. 

2008 Update Countywide Trails Plan

On the north end, the creek in Silver Spring goes all the way to its headwaters at Indian Spring Local Park at the Beltway. Like the Takoma Park gap it passes through residential greenspace and parks. And like the Takoma Park gap, there is conflicting plans on whether to built a trail here. The most recent bike plan doesn't extend the trail, but it does recommend a bikeway north from the trail to Franklin Avenue, likely along Sudburry Road.

But the 2013 Sector plan shows a trail going north from Piney Branch a small distance to Garland Avenue. There's already a trail connector between Garland and the Long Branch Community Center and it's possible the driveway to that will be all that trail users will get.

A trail along the length of Long Branch and, dare we dream, to the Beltway and over it to Montgomery Blair High School would make for a great neighborhood trail and local alternative to New Hampshire Avenue. It's unclear why extensions aren't in the County Trails plan.

Study to consider improving biking in Takoma-Langley & Long Branch Area

On Tuesday Montgomery County hosted a public meeting on the Takoma-Langley & Long Branch Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area Improvement Study.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation is studying potential bicycle and pedestrian improvements within the Long Branch and Takoma-Langley areas under the Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Areas (BiPPAs) program.

At the public meeting the Project Manager and other MCDOT staff will present an overview of area, discuss planned improvements and host discussion of public concern. Study Purpose Purpose of these improvements is to provide safer areas for pedestrians and cyclists as well as improve connectivity to surrounding areas and walkability within community. Improvements include but are not limited to sidewalks, curb ramps, implementation of shared-use paths and cycle tracks.

I can't find any meeting material online, but there is likely some overlap with the Long Branch Sector Plan. That plan recommended extending the Long Branch Trail north of Piney Branch Road along the pool and recreation center to connect to the Long Branch pedestrian bridge and Long Branch-Arliss Neighborhood Park; and establishing a non-park trail connector along neighborhood streets that will provide a route for cyclists and pedestrians to link the Long Branch Trail with the Sligo Creek Trail. Other recommendations - some of which are outside the study area - include:

• Improve the pedestrian bridge over the Long Branch Stream Valley at Clayborn Avenue.

• Provide a shared use path on a bridge over the Long Branch Stream Valley at Domer Avenue. A standard shared-use path on a bridge is 14 feet, including a 10-foot treadway and two-foot offsets from lateral obstructions on either side.

• Install a signed, shared on-street roadway along Sligo Creek Parkway.

• Provide bicycle lanes along: - Wabash Avenue (between Sligo Creek Parkway and Garland Avenue) - Piney Branch Road (between Sligo Creek Parkway and University Boulevard) - Flower Avenue (between Arliss Street and Piney Branch Road) - Arliss Street - Carroll Avenue.

• Create shared-use paths along: - Wabash Avenue (between Sligo Creek Parkway and Garland Avenue) - Garland Avenue (between Wabash Avenue and Clayborn Avenue) - Clayborn Avenue (between Garland Avenue and Long Branch Trail) - Domer Avenue (between Flower Avenue and Barron Street/Seek Lane Local Park) - Barron Street (between Domer Avenue and Gilbert Street) - Gilbert Street (between Long Branch Trail and University Boulevard) - Gilbert Street extension (between University Boulevard and Piney Branch Road).

• Create a dual bikeway along University Boulevard between Carroll Avenue and Piney Branch Road (the Purple Line will accommodate bike lines along University Boulevard).

• Provide an interim shared-use path along the east side of University Boulevard between Carroll Avenue and Piney Branch Road.

• Transition from shared use paths to directional cycle tracks, as appropriate.

• Create bike lanes along Piney Branch Road between Arliss Street and University Boulevard.

• Create a dual bikeway along Piney Branch Road between University Boulevard and Carroll Avenue that includes a shared use path and bike lanes.

• Create a shared use path along the Gilbert Street extension between University Boulevard and Piney Branch Road.

• Improve the visibility and safety of the Long Branch Trail crossing at the intersection of Barron Street and Piney Branch Road with signage and pavement markings.

• Improve the design of streets and pedestrian routes to provide better access throughout the community using: - new public street connections between neighborhoods and the Town Center - new or improved crosswalks that are safer and better links to neighborhoods - pedestrian and bicycle paths (such as the walking and recreation loops).

The proposed bike routes will ultimately connect trails in the Sligo Creek and Long Branch stream valleys and can extend bikeways close to the Northwest Trail. They also provide bikeway connections to the two planned Purple Line stations and will connect to employment centers in Silver Spring, Bethesda, and North Bethesda

The Purple Line is going to run right through the middle of the area, so making it easier to walk and bike is going to be critical to getting the most out of the transit line.