Hiking / Biking Trail Planning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 29, 2007
MEDIA CONTACT: ERIK LINDEN 202-671-2004


DDOT Invites Proposals for Building Metropolitan Branch Trail

(Washington, DC) The District of Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced today it took the next step toward making the planned Metropolitan Branch Trail - a hiking and bicycling trail - a reality.

DDOT has released a "Request for Proposals" for the design and construction of a one mile section of the planned seven mile trail.

The one mile section of trail will run adjacent to Metrorail's Red Line from New York Avenue to Franklin Street, NE. This section of the trail will connect to an existing elevated trail at the New York Avenue/Florida Avenue/Gallaudet University station.

The one mile section of new trail will provide a much-needed crossing of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue to access the Metrorail station from the Eckington neighborhood. The project includes an asphalt trail, fencing, lighting, emergency call boxes, and landscaping. After a contractor is hired, the design and construction is estimated to last approximately one year.

The Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) is a proposed 8-mile multi-use trail that runs from Silver Spring to Union Station. About two miles of the trail have already been completed. One mile of the trail is slated for Montgomery County, Md. - seven miles in the District.

The trail also includes a segment that will connect the MBT at Fort Totten to the Anacostia Tributaries Trail System in West Hyattsville, Maryland, and a connection to the National Mall. The MBT will be an important transportation route providing direct access to seven of Metro's Red Line stations and connecting to the Washington area's trail network at the Capital Crescent Trail and the East Coast Greenway.

The Metropolitan Branch Trail will link people to jobs, schools, stores and transit. The MBT will comprise a variety of trail types that change with each segment as the trail travels through parks, along major roadways, and through revitalized industrial areas.

For procurement information please contact Bernetha Armwood should call (202) 671-1563.