The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region identifies the capital improvements, studies, actions, and strategies that the region proposes to carry out by 2030 for major bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), made up of governments and agencies from around metropolitan Washington , has developed this plan with the support of its Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee. The plan builds upon the 1998 TPB Vision to guide the region's transportation investments into the 21st Century. This is the first all-new regional plan specifically for bicycle facilities since 1995, and represents the first-ever regional pedestrian plan.

In addition to building upon the TPB Vision , the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region draws on and has been shaped by a number of regional, state, and local policy statements, plans, and studies. These include the TPB's Transportation and Community and System Preservation Greenways and Circulation Systems Reports (published in 2001); the TPB's regularly updated Constrained Long Range Plan (CLRP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); federal and state guidance on bicycle and pedestrian facilities; and a wealth of state and local bicycle and pedestrian plans from around the region.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the National Capital Region is intended to be advisory to the CLRP and TIPs, and to stand as a resource for planners and the public. In contrast to the CLRP, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan includes both funded and unfunded projects – projects in this plan may not yet have funding identified to support their implementation.

Priority Unfunded Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects

The TPB endorsed nine unfunded pedestrian and bicycle projects as regional priorities in January, 2005. The projects, estimated to cost $23.7 million over six years, range from new trail construction to safety improvements. Developed by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Technical Subcommittee in the Fall of 2004, the list of projects reflects the growing regional emphasis on pedestrian safety. In addition to pedestrian safety, key criteria in selecting the projects included transit access and bicycle network connectivity. The projects can all be completed by 2011 and are considered priorities by the jurisdictions where they are located. Although some projects have already been funded for study, none has received a full funding commitment. The biggest project is the Metropolitan Branch Trail, which would run nearly eight miles from Union Station to Silver Spring, where it would connect with the Capital Crescent Trail and create a complete arc around the District of Columbia . At Fort Totten , the trail would connect with the Prince George 's Connector Trail. The TPB forwarded the list of priority projects to local and state jurisdictions with the recommendation that they should be funded in the region's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

The nine priority projects are the following:

• Metropolitan Branch Trail (D.C.) stretching 7.7 miles from Union Station to Silver Spring , parallel to the Metro's Red Line.
• Silver Spring Green Trail ( Montgomery County ) connecting the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the Sligo Creek Trail.
• Henson Creek Trail ( Prince George 's County) extending north and south of the existing trail.
• Holmes Run Stream Crossing ( Alexandria ) connecting the north and south ends of Chambliss Street at the Holmes Run Trail. Regionally, the trail crossing will connect to Fairfax County 's Stream Valley Trail system.
• Pentagon Area Bicycle Access Improvements ( Arlington County ) including the East Wall of Arlington Cemetery. The improvements would provide access to the Route110 Trail, the Washington Boulevard Trail, the Mount Vernon Trail, and Boundary Drive.
• Route 1 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Improvements ( Fairfax County ) including sidewalks, pedestrian crossing, and other pedestrian safety improvements.
• Centreville Road Underpass at Dulles Airport Access Road (Herndon) connecting the existing sidewalk networks in Fairfax County and the Town of Herndon.
• Trail construction parallel to Loudoun County Parkway ( Loudoun County ) from Route 7 to Waxpool Road , a distance of 4.4 miles.
• Trail construction along Dumfries Road ( Prince William County ), 1.2 miles, from the Lake Jackson Drive intersection to the Prince William Parkway West intersection.

The subcommittee emphasized that many other worthy projects deserve funding. In the fall of 2006, the Subcommittee will develop a new list of priority projects from the projects in the regional bicycle and pedestrian plan for the TPB's endorsement and will report on the progress of the nine priority projects listed above.