NOVA Parks Tree Cutting for Proposed W&OD Trail Expansion
More NOVA Parks tree cutting in the works!
Hope you are following NOVA Parks plans to expand the W&OD Trail from near East Falls Metro to into Bluemont Park. More mature trees will be cut down for this project if it is funded, particularly near N. Roosevelt Street (see photos at right). This project is proposed even though most of the distance it will cover already has two separate paths so there is already a good supply of pedestrian and bike path capacity in the area.
Overall Map - Dual Trail Arlington9-20-19 (3).pdf
Trees at Brandymore Castle would be lost to "straighten" the curve. Also trees just to the east of Brandymore castle and the bridge over Four Mile Run would be cut down by the widening.
Depending on how the widening goes, seems the trees in Arlington County's Ornamental Tree Garden could also be at risk.
W&OD Trail fairly empty during the morning rush hour in early Dec 2019 (photo from Bluemont Park). Additional capacity not needed particularly as it involves putting road cum bicycle trail right next to Four Mile Run!
Jan 8 ,2020 - Not really crowded! Which is the case for most of the cooler months in fall, winter and spring.
Still pretty empty in mid-Oct 2020. Orange flag a good reminder of the large fees NOVA Parks receives from the underground utilities along the W&OD trail. Could use the funds for invasive clearing and restoration along Four Mile Run.
Sunny day in early September was exciting. Actually some people on the trail! But then it became empty again.
No room to widen the trail here at the Ohio Street bridge. So for those times it gets a bit crowded, this choke point will remain.
Plenty of passing room in any event seemingly any time of the year!
And, with a bit more education, toddlers and parents can spend more of their walk on Arlington County's Four Mile Run trail that runs parallel to the W&OD Trail on the other side of Four Mile Run through most of this segment of the W&OD trail. Speedy bikers can stick to the W&OD trail. (Little grey patch through trees in right center is W&OD trail).
