Public ‘Listening Sessions’ to Receive Public Input on Capital Crescent Trail Improvements to be Held on Nov. 2 and Nov. 8

Per Montgomery County: “Montgomery Parks wants to hear from the community about future improvements to the Capital Crescent trail. The two upcoming meetings, to be held on Thursday, Nov. 2, and Wednesday, Nov. 8, will provide an opportunity for trail users to share ideas for renovations to the 3.5-mile portion of the trail in Montgomery County from Downtown Bethesda south to the District of Columbia line.

The Capital Crescent Trail 2.0 project will reimagine the trail by evaluating features such as width, signage, access, trail connectivity and amenities. Parks planners will consider public input and best practices in trail design to produce a long-term vision for the trail.

The meetings, one in-person and one online, will be listening sessions where parks staff describe the intent of the project and collect ideas and information from the public about the future trail renovations. The content of both meetings will be the same. The in-person session will be from 7-8:30 p.m. on Nov. 2, at Somerset Elementary School, which is located at 5811 Warwick Place in Chevy Chase.

The session from noon-1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, will be virtual. To join the meeting via Zoom, go to mocoparks.org/CCTZoom. Registration for the meetings is optional, but encouraged, so attendees can receive updates on future developments in the project. Register by filling out this form.

“These listening sessions are just the beginning of this project,” said Montgomery Parks Trails Planner Kyle Lukacs. “They are a great opportunity for the thousands of people who use this portion of the trail every year to weigh in with their preferences for the trail design. Once we hear from them, we will develop concepts and go back for more input.”

The Capital Crescent Trail follows an abandoned railroad right-of-way and extends 11 miles from Georgetown in Washington to Silver Spring. Approximately 3.5 miles of the trail in Montgomery County. That portion is managed by Montgomery Parks. It is the most popular and heavily used paved trail in Montgomery County with 650,000 users each year.
The portion of the trail between Downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring is currently closed and detoured due to the construction of the Purple Line light rail system. That portion of the trail is managed by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. It is expected to reopen in 2027.”