NOVA Parks News
THROWBACK THURSDAY—NOVA PARKS--THE OVERPASS OF SAFETY AND INNOVATION
As many Northern Virginia residents already know, the W&OD Trail is one of the most used parks that is owned and operated by NOVA Parks. NOVA Parks was an innovator in creating one of the first rails to trails projects in the nation, and a model for many that followed.
From the first 1.5 mile section of trail that opened in 1974, sections of the old railroad were purchased and redeveloped as a trail throughout the 1980’s.
By the early 1990’s, a pressing need had become obvious on the W&OD. Trail users had to battle four lanes of traffic to cross Route 7 in Falls Church. NOVA Parks had built other overpasses on the trail route but this area called for something much larger. The new bridge would be the 16th overpass built by the Park Authority, but this one would need to address one of its biggest and most nagging worries.
The entire project was expected to be very expensive. However, working with partnerships have always been a staple of NOVA Parks’ identity and once again the Park Authority did a great job of this. Money was provided by the Park Authority, the City of Falls Church, the state of Virginia, and corporate sponsors.
The building of the overpass began in the summer of 1992. The people in the area eagerly awaited the final result. Then, on October 3 of that year, the divided, 16-foot wide, 390-foot long bridge was dedicated with a grand ceremony and opened for use.
The bridge is both visually appealing and extremely functional. It has become a landmark of the area.
The focus on spanning the 70 cross streets along the W&OD continues to this day. A couple of months ago, a ribbon was cut on the road overpass for Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn, and any day now, construction will start on a new bridge that will take trail traffic over Rt. 29 in Arlington. As with the Falls Church bridge, all of these projects are accomplished through partnerships.
