christopher completed the reconstruction of the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail at Wakefield Park in May of 2018. Project efforts included base mapping and preparation of a rough grading plan for the reconstruction of approximately 8,400 linear feet of trail. The trail begins at the intersection of Accotink Parkway and Pineridge Drive, and ends at the underpass of Braddock Road, requiring consideration of traffic.
The trail is located within a floodplain, therefore the project included waivers for stormwater management, working within the resource protection area (RPA) and working within the floodplain. The existing trail also includes stream crossings via bridges in several locations along the alignment. christopher worked closely with the Park Authority to assess the condition of these bridges during development of the base map and determine which were acceptable to remain, which required maintenance, and which required replacement. No construction equipment was allowed on the bridges, so coordinating and developing a construction access plan was a key part of the design process. The access plan balanced providing access to equipment to do the work while not expanding the footprint of the disturbance in an environmentally sensitive area. Another challenge was ensuring that the trail was constructed with the proper slopes to promote adequate drainage while maintaining accessibility and minimizing impacts in an environmentally sensitive area.
