Capital Crescent Trail
Encyclopedia
The Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) is an 11 miles (17.7 km) long, shared-use rail trail
that runs from Georgetown
in Washington, D.C.
, to Silver Spring
, Maryland
. The portion from Bethesda
to Silver Spring is also called the Georgetown Branch Trail but is recognized as the Future Capital Crescent Trail.
The Capital Crescent Trail is the most heavily used rail trail in the United States
and is used by more than 1 million walkers, joggers, bikers, and rollerbladers each year. In 2005, it was named one of the "21 great places that show how transportation can enliven a community" by The Project for Public Spaces
.
of the Georgetown Branch rail line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
. The rail line was partially built in 1892 and completed in 1910. It served Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO)
, the Washington Mill and Federal government
buildings; but with the changing use of Georgetown's waterfront, became obsolete. Train
s stopped running on the line in 1985.
In 1988, the Montgomery County
Government purchased the right-of-way from the D.C. line to Silver Spring under the National Trails System Act of 1968. In 1990 the National Park Service
purchased about 4.3 miles (6.9 km) of right-of-way in the District of Columbia from Georgetown to the D.C./Maryland boundary and developed the trail as a component of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
. Volunteers built a wooden deck over the Arizona Avenue Railroad Bridge that year, and two years later that was replaced with a concrete deck. The 7 miles (11.3 km) paved section of the Capital Crescent Trail from Georgetown to Bethesda was built and formally dedicated in December 1996.
The trail continued to expand and improve. In 1996, a trail bridge was opened over busy River Road and the Dalecarlia Bridge opened. The Dalecarlia Bridge includes a component of a bridge which formerly took the Georgetown Branch over the Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway and it was designed to go over a road connecting two parts of the Washington Aqueduct
reservation. On May 17, 1997, the Georgetown Branch Interim Trail, from the east side of the Air Rights Tunnel in Bethesda to Stewart Avenue in Silver Spring opened. On August 15, 1998, the Air Rights Tunnel in Bethesda (built in 1910) was opened to trail traffic, connecting the paved and unpaved portions. In June 2000, Montgomery County committed $1.3 million to repair the Rock Creek Trestle, which had been damaged by arson
, and open it for trail use. The trestle was dedicated for trail use on May 31, 2003.
on a trestle to Chevy Chase
and then to Bethesda through the 800-foot-long Air Rights Tunnel.
The paved portion of the trail begins south of Bethesda, where the trail begins to turn south. It follows the Little Falls Branch to the Potomac River
and the District line. It goes over the River Road Bridge and past the site of Fort Sumner, a Civil War
-era fort. It then moves through the Dalecarlia area, traveling under the Washington Aqueduct conduit at the Dalecarlia Tunnel
, past the Dalecarlia Reservoir
and through the grounds of the Dalecarlia Treatment Plant over the Dalecarlia Bridge.
Crossing into Washington, DC, it then turns southeast, dropping down from the Palisades neighborhood over the C&O Canal on the Arizona Avenue Railway Bridge, and down to the banks of the Potomac. It then runs between the Potomac and the C&O Canal, past Fletcher's Boathouse and the Foundry Branch
Tunnel, into Georgetown to its terminus at the west end of Water Street NW.
The final segment of the CCT, from Lyttonsville to the Silver Spring, MD Metro Station
, has yet to be built. Construction of this portion, and paving of the present Georgetown Branch Trail, is currently planned in conjunction with development of the Purple Line, a proposed rapid transit
line.
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
that runs from Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The portion from Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
to Silver Spring is also called the Georgetown Branch Trail but is recognized as the Future Capital Crescent Trail.
The Capital Crescent Trail is the most heavily used rail trail in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is used by more than 1 million walkers, joggers, bikers, and rollerbladers each year. In 2005, it was named one of the "21 great places that show how transportation can enliven a community" by The Project for Public Spaces
Public space
A public space is a social space such as a town square that is open and accessible to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. One of the earliest examples of public spaces are commons. For example, no fees or paid tickets are required for entry, nor are the entrants...
.
History
The trail runs on the abandoned right-of-wayRight-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
of the Georgetown Branch rail line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
. The rail line was partially built in 1892 and completed in 1910. It served Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO)
Potomac Electric Power Company
The Potomac Electric Power Company, known as Pepco, is a public utility supplying electric power to the city of Washington, D.C., and to surrounding communities in Maryland...
, the Washington Mill and Federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
buildings; but with the changing use of Georgetown's waterfront, became obsolete. Train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s stopped running on the line in 1985.
In 1988, the Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
Government purchased the right-of-way from the D.C. line to Silver Spring under the National Trails System Act of 1968. In 1990 the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
purchased about 4.3 miles (6.9 km) of right-of-way in the District of Columbia from Georgetown to the D.C./Maryland boundary and developed the trail as a component of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia. The park was established as a National Monument in 1961 by President Dwight D...
. Volunteers built a wooden deck over the Arizona Avenue Railroad Bridge that year, and two years later that was replaced with a concrete deck. The 7 miles (11.3 km) paved section of the Capital Crescent Trail from Georgetown to Bethesda was built and formally dedicated in December 1996.
The trail continued to expand and improve. In 1996, a trail bridge was opened over busy River Road and the Dalecarlia Bridge opened. The Dalecarlia Bridge includes a component of a bridge which formerly took the Georgetown Branch over the Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway and it was designed to go over a road connecting two parts of the Washington Aqueduct
Washington Aqueduct
The Washington Aqueduct is an aqueduct that provides the public water supply system serving Washington, D.C., and parts of its suburbs. One of the first major aqueduct projects in the United States, the Aqueduct was commissioned by Congress in 1852, and construction began in 1853 under the...
reservation. On May 17, 1997, the Georgetown Branch Interim Trail, from the east side of the Air Rights Tunnel in Bethesda to Stewart Avenue in Silver Spring opened. On August 15, 1998, the Air Rights Tunnel in Bethesda (built in 1910) was opened to trail traffic, connecting the paved and unpaved portions. In June 2000, Montgomery County committed $1.3 million to repair the Rock Creek Trestle, which had been damaged by arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, and open it for trail use. The trestle was dedicated for trail use on May 31, 2003.
Description
The trail starts at Lyttonsville Junction, about one mile (1.6 km) west of downtown Silver Spring. The "future" section goes west on an unpaved, crushed stone surface passing over Rock CreekRock Creek (Potomac River)
Rock Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is long, with a drainage area of about...
on a trestle to Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
and then to Bethesda through the 800-foot-long Air Rights Tunnel.
The paved portion of the trail begins south of Bethesda, where the trail begins to turn south. It follows the Little Falls Branch to the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and the District line. It goes over the River Road Bridge and past the site of Fort Sumner, a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
-era fort. It then moves through the Dalecarlia area, traveling under the Washington Aqueduct conduit at the Dalecarlia Tunnel
Dalecarlia Tunnel
The Dalecarlia Tunnel is an abandoned railroad tunnel in Brookmont, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., that carries the Capital Crescent Trail underneath MacArthur Boulevard and the Washington Aqueduct....
, past the Dalecarlia Reservoir
Dalecarlia Reservoir
Dalecarlia Reservoir is the primary storage basin for drinking water in Washington, D.C., fed by an underground aqueduct in turn fed by low dams which divert portions of the Potomac River near Great Falls and Little Falls....
and through the grounds of the Dalecarlia Treatment Plant over the Dalecarlia Bridge.
Crossing into Washington, DC, it then turns southeast, dropping down from the Palisades neighborhood over the C&O Canal on the Arizona Avenue Railway Bridge, and down to the banks of the Potomac. It then runs between the Potomac and the C&O Canal, past Fletcher's Boathouse and the Foundry Branch
Foundry Branch
Foundry Branch is a tributary stream of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., USA. The historic headwaters of the stream originate in the Tenleytown area in Northwest Washington, however at present the section of the stream north of Massachusetts Avenue is hydrologically separated from the lower...
Tunnel, into Georgetown to its terminus at the west end of Water Street NW.
The final segment of the CCT, from Lyttonsville to the Silver Spring, MD Metro Station
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
, has yet to be built. Construction of this portion, and paving of the present Georgetown Branch Trail, is currently planned in conjunction with development of the Purple Line, a proposed rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
line.