Dranesville Supervisor John Foust poses with local residents and county staff at the unveiling of a new trail by Lewinsville Road on Oct. 20. Photo by Reena Singh.
A trail linking Elsinore Avenue to Snow Meadow Lane was unveiled on Oct. 20, adding much needed sidewalks to central McLean.
“This new sidewalk is an important part of McLean’s pedestrian network,” said Dranesville Supervisor John Foust. “I’m very pleased that our focus on completing missing links on Lewinsville Road has resulted in nearly continuous walkway between Dolley Madison Boulevard and Leesburg Pike.”
The unveiling took place on the corner of Snow Meadow Lane and Lewinsville Road.
County Project Manager Dennis Marsh said the process took 10 months, which was longer than the initial plan.
“A lot of that had to do with the weather last winter,” he said. “It snowed or rained every four days. We really lost two to three months.”
Marsh said acquiring the necessary land rights from some of the property owners took some time as well.
“There were a few landowners that weren’t happy with the project,” he said. “We wanted to make things happy on their end.”
Foust said the county is planning to implement more pedestrian and bicycle friendly projects in McLean over the next five years.
“Some of the most important sidewalks will be the shortest,” he said, noting that sidewalks are needed to connect isolated neighborhoods with parks and the community center.
With the new trail, he said, residents can walk from downtown McLean into Tysons Corner.
“Your neighborhood looks beautiful now,” he said. “I urge everyone to get out and walk.”