- National Park Service studies show need for major safety and accessibility improvements to Mount Vernon Trail Corridor.
- Let your members of Congress know you support funding for the study’s recommendations.
The National Park Service (NPS) recently issued the “Mount Vernon Trail Corridor Study,” the first comprehensive analysis of the design, condition, usage, and crash history of the Mount Vernon Trail (MVT).
The study makes important recommendations for improving safety on the MVT, one of the most heavily used trails by bicyclists and others in the area, that are worthy of Congressional support and funding. FABB is asking everyone to let their members of Congress know that they support these recommendations. Cut and paste the following message into the contact pages for your representatives listed below.
Subject: National Park Service “Mount Vernon Trail Corridor Study”
I support the findings of the National Park Service “Mount Vernon Trail Corridor Study” on the need to improve safety and accessibility for this trail. This heavily-used trail is critical for transportation and recreational needs in northern Virginia. Most important, as the study points out, the Mount Vernon Trail requires Congressional support and funding for the needed repairs and improvement to make it the world-class multi-use trail this region needs and deserves.
I support the study’s recommendation for funding for the trail’s significant bridge reconstruction and pavement rehabilitation needs on the horizon. In particular, funding is needed for the section in Fairfax County spanning from Jones Point in Alexandria to mile marker zero at the Mount Vernon Estate, which is in desperate need of repair.
I support the study’s recommendation that NPS widen the high-use areas of the MVT to meet the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) multi-use trail width standards. The trail should be widened to at least 11 feet where feasible. In addition, as bridges are replaced in this area, they should be at least four feet wider than the approaching trail, when feasible. Widening will increase the trail’s capacity to serve all users.
I support the study’s recommendation that NPS hire a dedicated, full-time trail manager to ensure a comprehensive approach to trail maintenance and operations. The importance of this trail as a bike commuting, recreational, and tourism route is hard to overstate, given that it connects Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, and Washington, DC. Care and maintenance of the MVT requires the attention of a full-time employee.
I support the study’s recommendation of the installation of new trail counters in Fairfax County to obtain data on trail usage to help determine and justify proposed and future expenditures.
The Mount Vernon Trail is critical to building a world-class network of multi-use trails throughout the Washington D.C. metropolitan region. Such a network will transform public life by providing healthy, low-stress access to open space and reliable transportation for people of all ages and abilities. The ongoing pandemic has underlined the importance of adequate trail infrastructure to allow space for social distancing for bikers and pedestrians who depend on it for safe and reliable transportation and recreational opportunities. Please support the recommendations of the NPS study to improve the safety and accessibility of this treasured recreational and transportation resource here.
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Mail your comments to your two senators and appropriate member of Congress:
- Senator Mark Warner at https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactPage
- Senator Tim Kaine at https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact/share-your-opinion
- 8th District Representative Don Beyer at https://beyer.house.gov/contact/
- 10th District Representative Jennifer Wexton at https://wexton.house.gov/contact/
- 11th District Representative Gerry Connolly at https://connolly.house.gov/contact/zip-auth.htm
