Cyclists along a completed section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail.
	Project Information
	This project is part of RTC's Urban Pathways Initiative.  Latest Project Updates Funding: Kaiser Permanente Fund for Community Benefit of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region; The Kresge Foundation Contact: Kelly Pack Rails-to-Trails Conservancy National Office kellyp@railstotrails.org 202.331.9696

Metropolitan Branch Trail
Years: 2006 to present

This project is part of RTC's Urban Pathways Initiative. Learn more about this work.

Location:
Washington, D.C.

Prepared for:
Kaiser Permanente

Partners:
District of Columbia Department of Transportation; Coalition for the Metropolitan Branch Trail Coalition

Project Deliverables:
Survey and Recommendations to Encourage Trail Use in the Eckington and Edgewood Neighborhoods 

Trail Description:
Stretching 8.25 miles from Union Station to Silver Spring, Md., just over the border from the District of Columbia, the Metropolitan Branch Trail has long been a goal of neighborhood residents and planners in Washington. Sections of the trail have already been completed in Takoma Park and near Catholic University, and a significant section from Franklin Street to New York Avenue is now in the design-build phase.

Project Description:
While there are many benefits that trails provide to adjacent neighborhoods, one of the most important is the improved opportunity to engage in healthy lifestyles. With funding from Kaiser Permanente, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy produced a report that highlighted the opportunities for residents of the underserved Eckington and Edgewood neighborhoods to take advantage of this new community asset. RTC's goal, in a second phase currently underway, is to foster the development of the trail in a way that engages the community by implementing programs like Safe Routes to School, while also utilizing marketing and programs that will encourage more residents to use the trail regularly.