The National Park Service, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser recently opened the newest section of the $12.9 million Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT).
The 0.8-mile trail connects the Fort Totten Metro to the Brookland Metro and nearly completes the approximately 900-mile regional trail network. It features wayfinding signage, security cameras, LED lighting, and stormwater management facilities.
DDOT partnered with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the National Park Service to develop real-estate agreements allowing the trail to be built on the agencies’ properties.
More than 1,500 people use the MBT daily. It follows the former Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Rail line.
“This project was located in a very challenging work environment and took a lot of collaboration with multiple stakeholders,” DDOT Director Everett Lott said. “Through our team’s vigilance and dedication, and the Mayor’s continued support, we are ecstatic to celebrate this key milestone and increase trails users’ safety by separating them from vehicle traffic, advancing our Vision Zero goal.”
The plan is to take the MBT all the way to Silver Spring, Md., and connect it to the Capital Crescent Trail.
Seventeen more miles of trail will be built over the next six years.