A Trail Along New York Avenue in Northeast DC? Yes, Please.

On a toasty Friday afternoon, over 30 trail enthusiasts came out for a two-mile walk along the proposed New York Avenue Trail in Northeast DC. This trail would connect NoMa to the National Arboretum and the neighborhoods in between, and bicyclists in the surrounding area are thrilled to hear more separated infrastructure could be in their futures. A trail within the New York Avenue corridor is not a new idea. In fact, it was included in the District’s 2005 Bicycle Master Plan, and thanks to development along the corridor, specifically in NoMa and Ivy City, there is renewed interest in the trail concept.

Trail Rendering courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

The group, including representatives from the Bicycle Advisory Committee, local businesses, nonprofits and interested citizens, started out from Union Market. After navigating to Florida and 4th St. NE, trail development professionals from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), who completed a concept plan of the corridor which was released this January, described the connections that could happen to the south, linking up with the Metropolitan Branch Trail and providing access to NoMa. We peeked down the way to the Uline Arena, where the new REI store will open this fall, and Matt Liddle, REI’s Mid-Atlantic Manager spoke to the benefits that REI sees in having bicycle and pedestrian connectivity not just to their store, but throughout the entire city. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA We headed north to a tunnel that burrows under New York Avenue. Eli Griffen from RTC shared the opportunities and challenges associated with using the tunnel as part of the trail alignment. The proposed trail would follow the railroad tracks eastward, but without a trail to walk on, the group walked along a dirt path along New York Avenue. The heavy car and truck volume (and high speeds) was a stark reminder of how unpleasant (and for many, unsafe) the arterial would be to ride, and underlined the importance of having alternative options for walking and biking along the corridor. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA As we reached Ivy City, we were joined by Andrea Gourdine from Douglas Development, who talked to participants about Douglas’s involvement in the project and why they see trails and other bike infrastructure as central to their work. Erik Kugler from BicycleSpace shared why they chose to open a store in Ivy City and what a trail connection would mean for him and his business. While the idea of the corridor itself could be transformative, other visionaries including Robert Looper III, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for Single Member District 5C03 – Fort Lincoln, see the potential to go even further east. Looper spoke about his view for what the corridor could be, and the positive impact it would have on his constituents. Continuing the trail along the New York Avenue corridor could open up biking and walking options to neighborhoods beyond the current study area. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA WABA will work closely with DDOT, RTC and other stakeholders to move the trail development process forward. But that’s not to say that it will be easy- there’s a significant possibility that this could get quite complicated. Virginia Railway Express (VRE), a commuter rail service linking DC and Northern Virginia, has plans to relocate it’s railcar storage in light of the expansion of Union Station. Their chosen location is from 4th Street NE to 16th Street NE- right below New York Avenue, right where the concept plan routes the trail. Learn more about the proposal here What is clear is that New York Avenue is quickly becoming a residential and retail destination, and that both private developers and the city are significantly investing in the corridor. The planned trail connection will bring safe multimodal infrastructure to the community and should be built. WABA would like to extend a special thank you to DDOT Trail Planner Michael Alvino for joining us for the walk and answering technical questions along the way, and to all of the event participants for spending their Friday afternoon with us.
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