FABB Blog

Great News, Everyone! Riders of the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail (GCCCT) will soon see construction by the Fairfax County Park Authority to improve the surface of the GCCCT between King Arthur Road and Woodburn Road outside Annandale. The trail will be re-paved with asphalt and concrete and several culverts will be replaced. 

The work will be completed in four phases and detour routes will be available as sections are closed for construction. “Trail Closed” signs will be posted at the start and end of the construction zones and trail users are encouraged to check the project progress online at Park News. In addition, patrons should be aware of construction equipment that will be present on the trail during construction. As a safety precaution, portions of the existing trail may occasionally be closed during the project. Completion is scheduled for May 2019, weather permitting

For more information, contact Project Manager Som Govender at 703-324-2464 or the Public Information Office at 703-324-8688.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation and Bike Fairfax want you to join them in celebrating Bike Your Park Day this Saturday with a six-mile family ride from Wakefield Park to Lake Accotink via the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail. 

Congressman Connolly is expected to officially kick off the ride, which will start and finish at the Audrey Moore RECenter, 8100 Braddock Road, Annandale, beginning at 10 a.m.

Bike Fairfax is part of FCDOT's bicycle and pedestrian programs. The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail is a 40-mile long hiking and biking trail that begins in Occoquan and ends in Great Falls. 

To RSVP for the ride, please send a note to bikefairfax@fairfaxcounty.gov.

FABB tries to stay up on what is happening with bicycle-related developments in the county but sometimes we miss things. So, after posting a recent blog on the need for repairs to the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail (CCT), we were pleased to hear that, as a matter of fact, the Fairfax County Park Authority has scheduled major repairs for a portion of the CCT (not, however, the section that was the subject of the FABB blog post). 

This is great news. The project, which will be starting construction this month, will pave the trail through Wakefield Park between Braddock Road and Accotink Parkway and will include the replacement of one bridge. Completion is anticipated at the end of May 2018

The FCPA wants trail users to know that construction access to the site will be from the park entrances on Accotink Parkway, Mockingbird Drive, and Braddock Road. The work will be phased and detour routes will be available as sections are closed for construction. Signs will be posted and trail users are encouraged to check the project's progress here.  

In addition, trail users should be aware of construction equipment that will be present on the trail in Wakefield Park during construction. As a safety precaution, portions of the existing trail may be occasionally closed during the project.

If you have any questions, please contact Project Manager Som Govender at 703-324-2464.

1. Bridge

The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail (CCT) needs some love. FABB members Eric Lengel and Kelley Westenhoff recently rode one part of the trail, taking photos and notes to alert County officials and help get the trail the attention it needs.

They entered the CCT where it crosses Rt. 50 @ Pickett Road, near Thaiss Park. Within the first .10 of a mile heading east, they encountered this bridge (Photos 1 and 5).

2. Root Damage

Further along the trail, continuing east, there were numerous places where tree roots have made the trail dangerous for all users (Photo 2). 

In the next .10 mile, the path goes from gravel to paved to this kind of mixture (Photo 3). These sharp edges are dangerous for bike tires and people who are mobility-impaired. 

3. Mixed Path

The ride also revealed that the CCT needs better marking. The CCT markers don’t really inform except with an occasional arrow. Trail markers should be used to provide important locator information including some kind of identifier that would assist law enforcement personnel responding to calls.

There were also dangerous posts at the trail entrances (Photo 4). They are perfectly positioned to stop car traffic from entering, but they are also dark without any reflective qualities. In low light conditions, they are extremely dangerous to trail users.

4. Entrance Post

The sad thing is that this was one of the “better” parts of the CCT. Granted, the CCT is not supposed to be a sweetly paved trail in its entirety. It is NOT and was never intended to be the W&OD. But it is an important commuter route in some places (notably where Eric and Kelley were evaluating). If the trail is going to be natural surface in one section, it should be consistently natural surface, not crumbling asphalt. We are aware of and appreciate the work that went into getting a dry and stable path through this stream valley park, but more effort to maintain this good work is needed. 

The Fairfax County Park Authority has made its draft Great Parks, Great Communities Parks and Recreation System Master Plan available for public comment. The FCPA staff will be using the finalized plan as part of an upcoming accreditation review to maintain the park system’s Gold Medal status. 

FABB encourages its members to review and comment on the plan. The current draft is attractive but short on substance. For example, the draft plan contains no specific and measurable goals for increasing the number and quality of trails even though trails were the top priority need for adult park users. It provides no details on claimed plans to develop a strategy and roadmap for system maintenance. It appropriately emphasizes the strong parts of the park system but ignores problem areas, such as the unsafe trail conditions on portions of the 40-mile Cross-County Trail. 

This comment period is an opportunity for trail users to speak up and tell the park authority and others that our trails need help. 

There will be a public input meeting on Tuesday, September 12, from 7 to 9 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria.

You also can submit comments via Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov and the comment box on the FCPA webpage. 

The Park Authority will be accepting comments until September 22, 2017.  

Please join FABB this coming Saturday, 13 May, for a social ride from George Mason University through Old Town Fairfax, the Cross-County Trail, and the Vienna Metro station area to downtown Vienna. It will be fun and educational! The round trip of 16 miles will include four to five brief stops to view and discuss recent and planned bicycling facility improvements throughout the area. 

Find more details and sign up for the ride here. 

In continuation of the Park Authority's effort to understand the desires of the community regarding Lake Accotink Park, we will host a community workshop specifically intended to focus on trails within the park. Join us on December 5, 2016 at Crestwood Elementary School, 6010 Hanover Avenue in Springfield from 7:00 – 8:30 to help us better understand how you use the trails, what works well for you, and ways to improve the experience.

We look forward to hearing your opinion!

Kings Park Elementary School is located at 5400 Harrow Way, Springfield, Va.

For more information, visit the Lake Accotink Park Master Plan Revision page.

Click on image for larger pdf version

In response to recommendations and suggestions offered by community members and trail users, the Fairfax County Park Authority is planning trail improvements of the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail at Wakefield Park in Annandale, Va. A public meeting to discuss the project will be held at 7 p.m. on October 15, 2015 at Kings Glen Elementary School Cafeteria, which is located at 5401 Danbury Forest Drive in Springfield, VA.

The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail is one of the most heavily used trails systems in Fairfax County. The Park Authority’s project includes paving approximately 7,800 linear feet of the trail in Wakefield Park between Braddock Road and Americana Park. The proposed route will follow the existing gravel trail, will be approximately eight to ten feet wide, and will be designed to minimize the impact to natural resources contained within the park. The Park Authority’s project team includes environmental and historic resource professionals who will be closely involved in the design process and will work to ensure that any impacts are limited.

For comments or questions about the project, please call Project Manager Bill Boston at 703-324-2710 or send email to William.boston@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The Cross County Trail in Wakefield Park is an important bike route between Little River Turnpike and Braddock Road. The existing trail has a rough, unpaved surface that is difficult to use and maintain. Fairfax Park Authority is proposing to pave that portion of the trail. Some local residents and others are opposing the plan. Some have criticized the paving on the grounds that it creates more impervious surface and that a natural surface trail is better.

The existing compacted gravel trail is considered a semi-impervious surface. After heavy rain the trail can be damaged and become difficult to use. A paved surface would not add significantly to the impervious surface, would be much easier to maintain, and would be preferred by most trail users. Anyone who uses the W&OD Trail knows that most cyclists, runners, and walkers use the paved trail, not the parallel unpaved trail.

If you cannot attend the meeting, send questions or comments to William.boston@fairfaxcounty.gov.

From the Park Authority:

Click on image for larger pdf version

In response to recommendations and suggestions offered by community members and trail users, the Fairfax County Park Authority is planning trail improvements of the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail at Wakefield Park in Annandale, Va. A public meeting to discuss the project will be held at 7 p.m. on October 15, 2015 at Kings Glen Elementary School Cafeteria, which is located at 5401 Danbury Forest Drive in Springfield, VA.

The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail is one of the most heavily used trails systems in Fairfax County. The Park Authority’s project includes paving approximately 7,800 linear feet of the trail in Wakefield Park between Braddock Road and Americana Park. The proposed route will follow the existing gravel trail, will be approximately eight to ten feet wide, and will be designed to minimize the impact to natural resources contained within the park. The Park Authority’s project team includes environmental and historic resource professionals who will be closely involved in the design process and will work to ensure that any impacts are limited.

For comments or questions about the project, please call Project Manager Bill Boston at 703-324-2710 or send email to William.boston@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The Cross County Trail is well-known, used by countless trail enthusiasts on foot, or bicycle or horse and now has been named the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail in honor of Congressman Gerry Connolly, who during his tenure as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors championed its creation. The Cross County Trail (CCT) is more than 40 miles in length running from the Potomac River in Great Falls Park to the Occoquan River in Occoquan Regional Park.

The Fairfax County Park Authority renamed this trail at their June 12, 2013 meeting unanimously, citing the ongoing support that Connolly provided at all stages of the multi-million dollar, multi-year project. “I am truly humbled by this unexpected honor. The Cross County Trail is one of my proudest accomplishments in public office,” said Congressman Connolly.

On May 25, 1999, the idea for a cross county trail was presented to the Park Authority by Fairfax Trails and Streams. The proposed route followed the existing stream valley trail system belonging, for the most part, to the Park Authority linking existing trails together with other public lands owned by the National Park Service, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, the City of Fairfax, the town of Reston, and with public sidewalks through each supervisory district in Fairfax County to form a continuous pedestrian route from Great Falls National Park to Prince William County Occoquan Regional Park.

Congressman Connolly added, “There are a lot of people who share this honor with me. This project is a true example of what can happen when the local community, volunteers and our elected officials work together. Thanks to that effort we are leaving behind a real gem for future generations to enjoy.”

Cross-County Trail (CCT) in Lorton— Fairfax County is proposing the design and construction of a new multi-use trail to provide non-motorized access between the Occoquan Regional Park and the Laurel Hill Greenway, both of which are portions of the CCT. The trail connects users with the historic Workhouse Arts Center, a program of the Lorton Arts Foundation (LAF), which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and enhances an already significant historic destination.

Mason Neck Trail—Construction of a multi-use trail to provide non-motorized access to the historic, environmental and recreational resources of Pohick Bay Regional Park, the Meadowood Recreation Area, Gunston Hall Plantation, Mason Neck State Park and the Elisabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge.

Phase III of the Georgetown Pike Walkway Project—The project will be constructed at the western end of Georgetown Pike, connecting the Seneca Shopping Center and site of the historic Salem Baptist Church with the western terminus of Georgetown Pike Trail Project – Phase 2.

Temporary Construction Closure Set For Northern CCT

Construction is underway on the northern section of the Cross County Trail (CCT), located near the Dulles Toll Road and Browns Mill Road in the Difficult Run Stream Valley Park in Dranesville. As a result, the section of the CCT under the Dulles Toll Road will be closed to all traffic now through August 2011.

The contractor, Southern Asphalt of Lorton, VA has mobilized at the site and will continue work throughout the summer. Construction of approximately 400 feet of concrete trail under the Dulles Toll Road bridges and the repair of an adjacent natural surface trail are planned. This Fairfax County Park Authority capital project will provide significant improvements to this section of the popular 42- mile trail. Funding for this $106,000 project was provided through voter-approved, park bonds.

In addition, the Dulles Transit Partners are nearing completion of the Silver Line Bridge over the Difficult Run. Remaining work includes bridge deck work, which may make passage under the bridge hazardous. It is anticipated that work on the bridge will take an additional two to three months. Park patrons should expect periodic closings of the trail under the Dulles Toll Road now through the month of September as work is completed. For your safety, please observe all posted signage.

Construction access to the site is from the existing trail and parking area along Browns Mill Road. Trail users will see additional stone material and construction equipment on the trail. As a safety precaution, portions of the existing trail between the Dulles Toll Road and Browns Mill Road may be closed occasionally during the project.

For more information contact Project Manager Thomas McFarland at 703-324-8688.

"A detour route has been identified using existing trails in the Colvin Run Stream Valley, Lake Fairfax and W&OD parks. Signs and trail markers labeled 'Detour' will be posted along the new route, and a map will be available for download from the Park Authority Web site."

The work will be completed in September, and will remain in place for the duration of the closure.