From left, Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville), Bill Boston, Fairfax County Park Authority project manager, Kirk Holley, park authority manager with the Special Projects Branch, Planning and Development Division, David Bowden, director of the park authority’s Planning and Development Division; and Dranesville District representative to the Fairfax County Park Authority Board Kevin Fay at a newly-completed extension of trail that connections Churchill Road to Ingleside Avenue. Photo Contributed
McLean — The last few months have seen new trail connectivity in McLean, giving cyclists and pedestrians easier paths, without putting them in close proximity to cars.
One of the final sections of the trail along Lewinsville Road was opened in late June. The section provides a paved trail that connects Windy Hill Road and Scotts Run Road, just east of the Lewinsville Road bridge over the Beltway.
"It’s nice to have an official path there, before it was just an uneven, grassy patch of land," said John Chamberlain, a nearby resident. "If you were running, you took your chances with a twisted ankle, or you took your chances running closer to the heavy traffic on Lewinsville."
Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville) said the recently completed section of trail is one of the final pieces of a full trail along Lewinsville Road between Dolley Madison Boulevard and Spring Hill Road.
"Piece by piece we are putting together safe routes for pedestrians to reach both the McLean and Spring Hill Metro stations," he said.
The new section connects the trail on Lewinsville Road to the Lewinsville Road bridge, which was rebuilt as part of the construction for the 495 Express Lanes and features lanes for cyclists and pedestrians.
The final piece of the trail, which would run between Snow Meadow Lane and Elsinore Avenue, just west of the Beltway, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
The Fairfax County Park Authority recently completed a new asphalt trail that connects Churchill Road and Ingleside Avenue. The original trail starts at McLean Central Park and moves north parallel with Ingleside Avenue through the Dead Run Stream Valley Park.
"Before this last section of trail was completed, I would go from McLean Central Park to Churchill Road, and then have to go along the windy downhill part of Ingleside to get to Baron Road," said Dan Biggio of McLean. "Now I feel much more comfortable doing my circuit from the park to Baron Road to Kensington Road, then to Dolley Madison back to the park. The only street I cross is Old Dominion when I’m coming from my house, and that’s got much better visibility."
The process for building the last section of trail began in May 2011, when resident Julie Kerlin submitted a petition with 47 signatures to Foust’s office, which specifically called for the trail to provide "safe and direct access to the community center, library and all the assets of the park."
The land the trail is on is owned by the county and park authority, so no acquisition was necessary during the process.