Index:

Council reviews the Purple Line Master Plan draft.

July 27 update: The County Council has approved the Master Plan draft with some revisions - See the Council Press Release for a description of the most significant revisions.

June 29, 2010

The Montgomery County Council held a public hearing to take testimony on the Purple Line Master Plan draft on June 29, 2010. The Planning Board had completed its work on the Plan draft and submitted the draft to the County Council for consideration last April.

The Plan draft follows the Purple Line light-rail alternative that was recommended by the County Council in January 2009 and that was selected by Governor O'Malley as the Locally Preferred Alternative in August 2009. That alternative is double track light rail transit that follows the Georgetown Branch and CSX Corridor between Bethesda and Silver Spring. The Trail is to be rebuilt alongside transit and completed into downtown Silver Spring as part of the project.

CCCT Chair Peter Gray presented our Coalition testimony to the Council. The testimony focused on those Trail design issues that need to be addressed in the design if the Purple Line is built:

1) The plan should incorporate the High Investment LRT design for the Capital Crescent Trail through the tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue. This design will maintain the Trail as a continuous one for users between Silver Spring and Bethesda. It is imperative, that the CCTrail maintain this continuous status and so effectively connect both sides of Wisconsin Avenue avoiding any at-grade crossings of that busy state road.

2) The plan should include at least a 12 foot paved width with two foot useable shoulders on each side (as in the trail west of Bethesda Ave). As County Executive Leggett noted in his June 25, 2010 memo, a minimum 12 foot wide paved Trail, 16 feet wide where possible, is recommended. It will not only provide better access for emergency vehicles but will also help avoid user conflicts on the Trail. We also agree with Mr. Leggett's recommendation that there be as many access points as possible along the Trail.

3) The Purple Line Plan must include a CCTrail that is completed off road directly connecting into the Silver Spring Transit Center and on to the Metropolitan Branch Trail, with funding for the Trail assured.

4) Further analysis should be conducted towards developing design details, notcurrently included in the Functional Master Plan, for the CapitalCrescent/Georgetown Branch Trail, including:
a. detailed plans for all access points
b. retaining walls and fencing for safety, noise reduction and privacy
c. planting of grass between and along the side of the train tacks for noise reduction purposes
d. regarding loss of trees and landscaping along the Trail corridor
e. aesthetic treatments for the bridges crossing Rock Creek
f. signage and marking along the Trail
g. bicycle facilities at all Purple Line stations (including parking and access for bicycles); and
h. a public plaza at the Woodmont East terminus.

The County Council has set tentative dates of July 15, 2010 for a T&E Committee worksession and July 20, 2010 for a full Council worksession on the Plan draft. Final Council approval on the Plan draft may come in late July. The Plan draft with any Council revisions will then go to the M-NCPPC for final adoption.

CCCT holds its Annual Meeting

Retiring Chair Peter Gray (at right in picture) gave a brief overview during the short business session of the CCCT goals for the next year. Peter introduced Ron Tripp (at left in picture) as the new CCCT Chair for the next Board Year. Peter has served as our Chair for four years, and will continue to serve as our vice-chair next year. Peter also introduced two new members to our CCT Board - Tony Marra, an active cyclist and runner from Bethesda, and Greg Drury, a cycling advocate and current Chair of the Potomac Pedalers Touring Club, PPTC. Returning Board Members are Pat Baptiste, John Dugger, Jenny Sue Dunner, Isaac Hantman, Jennifer Longsworth, Wayne Phyillaier and Charlie Wellander.

Meet the Met Party on the Met Branch Trail

WHEN: Saturday, June 5th, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WHERE: Meet the Met will take place on and along the trail from Franklin St., NE to New York Ave. Metro station. The main activity center will be 700 Rhode Island Ave., NE, Washington, DC (Parking lot at Rhode Island Ave. Shopping Center, in front of DC's largest public mural)

It's Open - Help Us Celebrate!

Ride to the event with us on the Capital Crescent Trail.

A new section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail has just opened in D.C., between Franklin Avenue and the New York Avenue Metro Station. When the Capital Crescent Trail is completed into Silver Spring, and the remainder of the Metropolitan Branch Trail is completed, they will form a 22 mile long trail loop that will be the heart of the regional trail network. See our Advocacy page for the status of the Metropolitan Branch Trail in Montgomery County.

Looking south on the MetBranch Trail near the
Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station

The "Meet the Met" grand opening will include community rides from numerous locations to the celebration on the Trail. One group ride will start at Bethesda and use the Capital Crescet Trail. Another group ride will start at Silver Spring and use the interim Metropolitan Branch Trail route through Takoma Park.

See the Meet the Met webpage for more information and ride registration. You can find the ride routes and schedules to choose from at their route map.

Snow is still the news of the trail.

Feb. 27, 2010

Much of the trail is still under snow nearly three weeks after the big snowstorms ended.

Looking west on the Interim CCT
at Mile 2.0 on February 27.

But some sections have been plowed and are now clear - the CCT in D.C. and the Interim CCT between Connecticut Ave. and Jones Mill Road. See Trail Condition Reports.

Massive snowstorm buries trail.

The massive snow storm of Feb. 5-6 has transformed the trail - leaving it with spectacular beauty, and also with 20+ inches of snow and many downed trees that may take many weeks to clear. Follow progress on clearing the trail at Trail Condition Reports.

On the Trail on Feb. 6, looking across the
Potomac River toward the Key Bridge Marriott.
Photo Courtesy David Alexander

Trail users seek snow removal.

If you have been following our Trail Condition Reports webpage, you know that while large parts of the trail are relatively clear in D.C., patches of ice persist near the Dalecarlia Tunnel. The Trail remains hazardous to use long after ice and snow has been cleared from streets and sidewalks.

The Bethesda Gazette picked up this story in Some cyclists seek snow, ice removal on trail. The contrasting views of CCCT Chair Peter Gray and Mont. Co. Parks Division Chief Brian Woodward, are reported:

Gray said the group has advocated for years for the Department of Parks to plow the trail after heavy snowfall. He said he understands funding constraints, but "the fact that thousands of people want to use the trail every day means that it might be something they would put a priority on, but they haven't," he said.

Brian Woodward, Southern Region Division Chief for the Montgomery County Department of Parks, said removing ice and snow on all 75 miles of paved county trails is "not practical." Re-freezing overnight would make the task a daily chore, and the department can't focus solely on the Capital Crescent Trail because "we can't treat one section of trail differently than we treat another."

The Trail Use Survey shows that the CCT is more than twice as heavily used as any other trail in Montgomery County. The three mile section of the CCT between Bethesda and D.C. is very heavily used by cycling commuters year round. Yet the Mont. Co. Parks is taking the position that it will not treat the CCT any differently than the least used trail. That would be analogous to the Department of Transportation saying it can't treat the beltway differently than the least used country road.

More news is available in our Crescent Newsletter, available online at our Newsletter webpage.

Some past website stories are at:
2009 Archived News
2008 Archived News
2007 Archived News
2006 Archived News
Trestle Archived News