The new bridge south of the zoo will mean trail users won’t have to squeeze onto a narrow sidewalk.

/ Courtesy of DDOT

Major construction on the Rock Creek Park Trail is set to begin Wednesday, rehabilitating 3.7 miles of the paved trail and adding a new, 110-foot pedestrian bridge just south of the Beach Drive tunnel near the National Zoo. Construction on the trail, from M Street in Georgetown to Broad Branch Road NW is expected to be finished in spring 2023.

The long-awaited project is expected to improve conditions of the trail — considered un-bikeable at some points — and will repair the section of the trail near the zoo that collapsed into the stream in 2018. In addition, the city will add 0.9 miles of trail along Piney Branch Parkway between Beach Drive and Arkansas Ave NW.

“This project is another great example of the National Park Service and District government collaborating and sharing expertise to better serve neighbors and visitors,” said Rock Creek Park Superintendent Julia Washburn in a statement. “The National Park Service looks forward to continuing to work with DDOT to improve trails and access to parks across Washington, DC.”

The planned trail, north of Porter St. NW, will be wider with fewer curves.Courtesy of DDOT
Before and after images of the trail, just south of where it crosses under Connecticut Ave., NW.Courtesy of DDOT

Workers will also make improvements to the trail’s storm drains and traffic signals, reconstruct a retaining wall, and widen the trail to 8 to 10 feet.

The project is the result of decades of negotiations and collaboration between community advocates, D.C.’s Department of Transportation, the National Park Service, and Federal Highway Administration’s Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division.

For the next seven months, DDOT is closing the Western Ridge Trail between Porter Street and Bluffs Footbridge along Beach Drive NW, as construction takes off. In Georgetown, Rose Park Trail between P and M Streets NW will be closed, as well. Both trail sections will have detours and adjacent trails for cycles and pedestrians.

DDOT’s closures in Rock Creek Park for the trail rehabilitation project. Courtesy of DDOT

This trail closure is necessary to reconstruct the existing Western Ridge Trail as part of the Rock Creek Park Multi-Use Trail and Pedestrian Bridge project.

“We are thrilled to finally start construction on this project,” DDOT Interim Director Everett Lott said in a press release. “The planned repairs and upgrades like the addition of a pedestrian bridge will make this very popular DC destination much more enjoyable for all who use it.”

Previously:
D.C. To Begin Long-Awaited Revamp Of Rock Creek Park Bike Path

Filed Under: ddot, environment, national park service, road closures, rock creek park,