Takoma Park reviews final Metropolitan Branch Trail design, consultants say 131 trees will be impacted

Takoma Park councilmembers heard a final design for the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) on Wednesday night, where city transit planner Casey Webbley and consultant Emily Martin laid out an 11-foot-wide trail design, continuous lighting, ADA upgrades to bus stops and ramps, and stormwater measures the team said will make the corridor safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

The design, presented as the 95% package, proposes widening sections currently 8–10 feet to an 11-foot shared-use surface, new wayfinding signage, an upgraded bike repair station and bike racks, continuous trail lighting on the west side of the path, and targeted stormwater-management features. Martin told the council the estimated total project cost is $2.3 million, with a construction estimate of $1.95 million and roughly $300,000 in construction administration and inspection fees. Funding identified so far includes about $1 million from congressional appropriations and approximately $500,000 from a legislative bond initiative.

“You're going to be able to facilitate the side-by-side cycling,” Emily Martin said of the wider trail, adding the design prioritizes preserving the existing street-tree buffer where possible. City staff and consultants said they have worked to reduce tree impacts and adjust alignments; the presentation noted 131 trees would be affected by construction, 62 of which the team classified as urban-forested trees, and that 58 of those are under 20 inches in diameter.

Council members asked technical questions about stormwater runoff, long-term maintenance of lighting fixtures, materials for a proposed timber retaining wall, and whether rest/refuge areas and historic markers would be preserved. On stormwater, the consultant said additional runoff is “slightly increased” from current conditions but that proposed facilities and related stormwater calculations would address the change; on the retaining wall, the team said timber was selected to limit grading and disturbance to tree roots.

“Timber was chosen for a few different reasons,” a consultant said, explaining that a low-height timber wall minimizes excavation into root zones compared with concrete or block walls. On lighting, the project team said fixtures would be drawn from the city’s streetscape manual where possible to ease future maintenance and replacement, and that the design follows a dark-sky approach to limit upward light and help preserve pollinators.

Public commenters during the meeting framed the MBT as a community priority: longtime resident Jim Deljma emphasized Maple Avenue’s role as a key connector to the MBT and said the trail “makes our streets safe,” linking bike access to local commerce and quality of life.

The presentation also said the team has coordinated with CSX, utilities and state agencies, and that final design refinements and permitting are the next steps. Consultants indicated they hope to secure final permits and approvals and complete federal and state coordination by the end of 2026.

The council did not vote on the MBT design at this meeting; staff said the presentation and supplemental materials will be posted on the project web page and that staff will continue outreach, permitting and funding work.