Trail Networks Will Be Improved With $18.5 Million Federal Grant

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) an $18.5 million RAISE grant to fund the rehabilitation of multi-use paths to fill gaps in the Capital Trails Network. The Capital Trails Network is a plan developed by local jurisdictions, the National Park Service and trail advocacy organizations, to connect 990 miles of trail between Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Two Montgomery County trails will be among the five that will benefit from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) money. Those are the Northwest Branch Trail and the Sligo Creek Trail.

The grant emphasizes the importance of connected trails and active transportation infrastructure to equitably deliver quality-of-life benefits across the region. This grant will represent 34 percent of the funding needed for the renovation or construction of five high-priority projects in the network, which provide new access to recreation, outdoor space, and multimodal transportation in underserved neighborhoods.

“These enhancements to Prince George’s and Montgomery County’s trails and connections will allow residents to travel by bicycle, foot and other non-motorized means, easily and safely, and enjoy our park resources. This win is an important step as we work to design and construct our remaining planned trails in the Capital Trails Network,” said Peter A. Shapiro, chair of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

The funds will be used in Montgomery to:

• Rehabilitate the existing Northwest Branch Trail from the community connection at Oakview Drive down to the Piney Branch Road connection. Bridges and fords will be replaced across side streams.
• Rehabilitate the Sligo Creek Trail from its University Boulevard crossing in Montgomery County down through Chillum Park in Prince George’s County. The project will include Vision Zero safety improvements, enhance ADA access, replace bridges and improve drainage. It will bring the 30-year-old shared-use path up to current standards.

“Thank you to USDOT and the Biden-Harris Administration for this grant to help M-NCPPC advance its goals of creating more safe, convenient, walkable, and bikeable pathways for the more than two million Montgomery County and Prince George’s County residents we serve,” said Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Artie Harris. “This is another example of the value of our bi-county agency working together to harness federal dollars to enhance equitable access to public infrastructure and community connections.”

The grant money that went to M-NCPPC grant also will be used to:

• Develop a shared-use path between the Northwest Branch Trail in Chillum Community Park and the path that links Avondale Community Park to Eastern Avenue in Washington, D.C.
• Add to existing funding for phases 2-6 of the Central Avenue Connector Trail.
• Design and construct a new 10-foot-wide trail from the current trail terminus at the D.C.-Maryland border to the Naylor Road Metrorail Station in Prince George’s County

Sligo Creek Trail is a 10.2-mile hard surface trail located along Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, in Silver Spring. The Northwest Branch Trail is 11.7 miles long—nine miles are natural surface, and the remaining 2.7 miles are hard-surface trail.

There are 445 miles of natural and hard-surface trails throughout Prince George’s and Montgomery County Parks for people walking, biking and riding horses. Explore the trail network at pgparks.org/parks-trail and MontgomeryParks.org/trails.