This is our 27th Greenbelt East Trail Newsletter. If you're new to the project, our website for Friends of the Greenbelt East Trail is www.greenbeltnasatrail.org for background info.

I apologize for not posting more often. My excuse is that I've been working close to full time this Summer. But the real reason is just that I needed a break. It was bad enough when that 4 year old girl was killed last December in a crash on Greenbelt Road at Daisy Lane, but then when the NASA to Greenbelt bike rider was nearly run over this Spring -- on video! -- right where the trail would run -- that was just too close to home.

Here's the latest news:

The Patuxent River Bridge is still delayed, this time apparently due to something about the handrails. We will notify and schedule a celebratory ride as soon as the bridge is open!
Best I can tell, MDOT hasn't done anything this Summer. This Spring, after the near-miss video, Peter from SHA District 3 promised to at least put an extra line of paint in the NASA section to try to discourage passing on the shoulder. He says the work order for that project is now done, but hasn't been approved yet. If approved work might be this Fall or it could get bumped to next Spring.
As far as the feasibility study for the whole trail, Margueritte's team at MDOT has had to switch from state funding to federal, so all her feasibility studies are delayed until that federal funding gets approved. Where the feasibility study is already complete for the NASA sector of the trail, there's no engineer project manager yet assigned to take the next steps, and likely won't be until after the Consolidated Transportation Plan (CTP) for Prince George's is finalized next February.
WABA has made the Greenbelt East Trail the top priority for Prince George's county's annual request letter to MDOT on the CTP recommendations (see above pic).
The City of Greenbelt won a design grant for a linking trail along Hanover Parkway. This process was started in 2017 I think. If built it would be another terrific connection to Greenbelt East Trail spine.
However, Greenbelt turned down Friends of the Greenbelt East Trail's offer to pay the full 20% match (about $20k) if the city applied for an 80% grant for design funding for the section of the Greenbelt East Trail that would run on the sidewalk between ERHS and the Greenbelt City limit.

What SHA is Good At

(Greenbelt Road in Greenbelt West)

What SHA Is Not Good At

(The Greenbelt East Trail idea)

For Friends of the Greenbelt East Trail, here's a quick summary of our Year 2 Accomplishments: None.

Perspective: It has been two years since our original trail walk with SHA District 3 engineer Derek Gunn, State Delegate Nicole Williams and Greenbelt Mayor Jordan. And we still don't even have an extra line of paint on the most dangerous part of the trail in front of NASA.

We've had a lot of activities, re-walking the trail with our county and local government reps and state highway officials and contractors. We've set up a nonprofit, raised money, built a website, commissioned mockup drawings, and our newsletter now has a large following. What we don't have is anything to show for it on the road.

SHA has done a feasibility study of the part of the trail that would run in front of NASA, and it's great that WABA made the Greenbelt East trail it's top priority for Prince George's county's annual request letter to MDOT.

But organizing activities and process steps save zero lives. They don't allow local residents and workers who don't drive a dignified and safe way to get home or to work. They don't make bus stops any less dangerous and insulting. They don't slow road ragers down. Process steps, however encouraging, are not accomplishments.

For the NASA sector at least, the Greenbelt East Trail would be an easy, inexpensive, readily modifiable, and popular project, all on existing asphalt: paint and flexposts (for visibility), curbstops or Qwick Kurb (for protection and visibility), floating bus stops (for protection and decency), and speed humps (to better mitigate conflicts on right turn ramps).

MDOT/SHA still has the option of an interim quick build on the NASA sector. It would take leadership and initiative from the District 3 engineers and it would probably require approval from MDOT/SHA brass.

I remain terrified that the usual 6-10+ year SHA process for doing things (it seems) will include another fatality on our trail route before anything -- even the simplest interim steps like paint and flexposts -- is installed.

I think these are the people to email. The message is simple: "Please get started on the Greenbelt East Trail now!"

Peter Campanides (District 3 Engineering)

Derek Gunn (District 3 Chief Engineer)

Deron Lovaas (MDOT Sustainability)

Kandese Holford (MDOT Active Transport)

Will Pines (SHA Administrator)

-Jeff

PS. Our next stakeholders call will be at noon, Friday October 18th. I'll send out invites soon. Please reply to this email or send a note to info@greenbeltnasatrail.org if you don't get an invite or if you'd like to be added to the invite list for our monthly stakeholders calls.

Prince George's County Is Planning to Use the Greenbelt East Trail as the Spine of a Broader Active Transport Network. More Info Here

Friends of the Greenbelt East Trail

Full Trail Resources:

Sector 2 (NASA) Resources:

Our community partners in this effort are the City of Greenbelt, WABA, ATHA, the East Coast Greenway, the Greenbelt Community Development Corp., and the Glenn Dale Citizens Association. Would your company or organization like to help the trail effort? Please use reply to this newsletter or email us at info@greenbeltnasatrail.org for more info. -Jeff

How Can You Help?

Please don't hesitate to reply to this email with info and corrections and ideas! Please forward this newsletter to your friends and encourage them to sign up for these emails too. We will need to reach out to more stakeholders and public officials whose help we will need to make www.GreenbeltNASATrail.org a reality! -Jeff