National Arboretum bridge and trail project public meetings scheduled for May 21 and 22

A new pedestrian and cyclist bridge would fill a gap in access between the Arboretum and the Anacostia Waterfront

By Andrew Giambrone May 17, 2019, 6:02pm EDT

The former U.S. Capitol East Portico columns at the National Arboretum

D.C. planning officials are scheduled to present design concepts for and solicit feedback on a project to build a pedestrian and cyclist bridge between the U.S. National Arboretum and the Anacostia Waterfront in Northeast at two community meetings next week. The bridge would provide a missing connection to the Arboretum, which draws over 500,000 visitors annually.

The project is part of the larger Anacostia River Trail network, which is planned for 28 total miles, and located on National Park Service land. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) expects the bridge to be done by 2021 and to help people traveling from Kenilworth Park and surrounding neighborhoods like Mayfair, Kenilworth–Parkside, and River Terrace get to the Arboretum more easily. The public meetings are set for May 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Arboretum (3501 New York Avenue NE) and May 22 at the same time at the headquarters of the D.C. Department of Employment Services (4058 Minnesota Avenue NE).

Below are preliminary concept renderings and maps of the proposed bridge and trail that the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts OK’ed in 2017.