The W&OD trail is a real asset to Northern Virginia which connects neighborhoods as far west as Loudoun County to Arlington and DC. It is consistently used by commuters and recreational users alike and for some home buyers is a tangible benefit. The W&OD comes tantalizingly close to Tysons and the new Silver Line Metro station, but never connects; leaving many bike commuters to use shared lane roads instead.
Due to the densely developed residential neighborhoods of northwestern Vienna, it is almost impossible to acquire new right of way, typically 10′ to 12′ for multi-use trails, to find a path from the W&OD to Tysons. I come from the occam’s razor school of engineering in that the simplest solutions are often the best. There has been a lot of debate over bus routes, bike super highways, and striped lanes on Route 123 but the simplest solution might be to use a resource that already exists.
There is currently a Dominion Power electrical easement, which is far greater in size than the width necessary for a new trail, which literally connects between the W&OD trail and the new Spring Hill Metro Station. On its path it even connects the W&OD with the Wolftrap trail, which currently does not directly connect without on-street pathways. Best of all, because of the maintenance needs of electrical providers (the ability to get a service vehicle to an outage location) it is likely that the County, Town of Vienna, and Dominion could come to a cost sharing for the upgrade.
What kind of cost are we talking about? The trail itself would be approximately $25 per linear foot; for 11,000 feet that would run about $275,000. This is a huge bargain compared to normal trail construction in developed regions because of the lack of right of way acquisition.
Much of the path is already screened for existing residents, because of the presence of the overhead wires, so additional screening costs will be minimal. More importantly the trail will provide mobility and access for these same residents to commuting options in Tysons; something they currently don’t have. What is today a 20 minute drive (or bus ride) from northern Vienna to Tysons, could be a 7 minute bike ride without the fear of avoiding vehicle commuters.
The cost of this trail will be approximately the same as two years of operation for a bus route, possibly one year if a good cost sharing with Dominion is created. Unlike the bus route, this trail will be available to all residents all day and all week including weekends.
The W&OD/Tysons Trail Connector is a solution to an alternative transportation need for a part of Northern Virginia that has lacked alternatives, and instead face continued congestion growth. The trail could get more people off the roads, which can ease gridlock on Maple Avenue, and at the same time provide additional commute options for residents living even further away to Tysons, a growing commercial business district. It’s simple, cost efficient, and best of all it could be built and in place within a few months of approval. It is an example of how mini-projects, instead of mega-projects, could have huge benefits to our transportation needs.