Neighbors challenge DDOT recommendation to pave Palisades trail; debate centers on asphalt, drainage and safety

DDOT staff and consultants recommended an asphalt surface for the proposed 10-foot Trolley Trail that will connect Galena Place to Sherrier Place and the Palisades Recreation Center, but neighbors at a virtual public meeting pressed for alternatives and raised environmental, safety and maintenance concerns.

Consultant Peter Bonacorsi described the trail typical section as a 10-foot paved surface with roughly 2-foot shoulders where swales are needed. He said DDOT’s experience with stabilized decomposed granite and newer products such as “FlexiPave” showed durability and maintenance issues. “FlexiPave was found to be extremely expensive,” the consultant said, and permeable asphalt and concrete were rejected because maintenance needs and conflicts with an existing 78-inch DC water main would make them impractical in parts of the right of way.

Bonacorsi said the recommended asphalt surface was selected because it is durable, smooth for strollers and mobility devices, and “not subject to erosion,” and that drainage and grading work would be done with the paving option. The project team described a set of spot drainage improvements: a roughly 175-foot bioswale to filter and store runoff, underdrains tied to nearby outfalls, inlets and pipes at Galena Place, and localized trail-profile raising in persistently wet sections.

Public commenters — many of them residents who live adjacent to or near the trail — said asphalt would change the trail’s character and invite faster bicycle and scooter traffic that could endanger walkers and children. Christy Halverson said, “I feel that the choice of asphalt is a massive mistake in terms of the environmental impacts,” and noted longtime resident use of the path by dog walkers. Resident Alex Schenck invoked health concerns and a regulatory point of order: “My 4 year old son, has been in treatment for leukemia… I noted in the project documents that title 20 of the DCMR requires the city to control these emissions,” he said, asking why Title 20 standards were not referenced in project documents.

DDOT staff responded that the project team had evaluated multiple surfacing materials and maintenance implications, and that some alternatives were not selected because of cost, durability, or because they would complicate stormwater management around the existing water main. On stormwater, the team said it would design to the “maximum extent practical” and that some bioswale and underdrain work would be provided; staff said a full DOEE stormwater management treatment for the whole trail was not practical given site constraints. DDOT also said it would perform a tree survey and a tree-impact assessment and would work with the Trails Division and others on potential tree mitigation.

Safety and use remain key community concerns. DDOT trails staff said speed mitigation and vehicle exclusion (bollards, signage and other design features) are commonly used on city trails and would be considered during detailed design. Multiple commenters urged a cooperative maintenance model in which community groups or the Palisades Community Association would accept higher maintenance responsibility in exchange for more natural surfacing.

Ending: DDOT said the design is about 65% complete; the team will advance to 90% design after incorporating feedback, publish revised plans at a later public meeting and accept written comments via a project comment form.