The new elevated walkway would keep pedestrians above basin overflow and dramatically decrease the slope to the trail. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Park Authority
For anyone who’s been trapped by floodwater while taking a loop of Lake Accotink Trail, or struggled with the steep 30 percent slope down to that crossing of the lake, help is on the way. Eventually.
At a meeting on Sept. 24, project manager Bill Boston of the Fairfax County Park Authority announced a preliminary engineering study has now reached a 50 percent design phase.
“On paper, we’ve got [the slope] down to eight percent,” said trail program manager Liz Cronauer.
“Right now,” she continued, “below the dam, water flows over into a filling basin, then outfall goes through two big culverts. Those aren’t adequate, they’re always getting clogged. Even with a minor rainstorm, water washes over top where people are walking.”
The park authority will eliminate the existing crossing at the dam and replace it with an elevated walkway, à la the one on Four Mile Run in Alexandria. Raised on piers, the walkway would slant up to the top of the hill.
That’s big news for one of the most heavily trod trails in the park system.
Cronauer estimates the price tag at about $850,000, $540,000 of which would come from residual funding from a previous project to dredge Lake Accotink.
The design should be complete early next year. The permitting phase could last until the end of 2015, allowing construction to begin some time in 2016.
“These things just take a really long time,” said Cronauer, “especially permitting for a project that’s is in a floodway. A lot of hoops to jump through.”