Building a project like the Washington Boulevard trail is a balancing act. The route that is best from a transportation perspective is likely not the best from a tree-preservation perspective; neither is probably the most cost effective route. County Staff weigh these and many more factors when planning these projects. To not build the project at all or to make further compromises that impede the trail's effectiveness as a transportation corridor would cause us to lose out on the many health, safety, environmental and mobility benefits that the trail would bring.

We, the undersigned, call on Ritch Viola as project manager for the trail and the Arlington County Board as the governing body of Arlington County to follow through on the County's commitment to the Washington Boulveard trail as a vital piece of the county's pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.  The design of the trail should not be compromised by narrowing, elevating or otherwise changing the trail's design in a way that would make it less safe, or less useful as a transportation corridor.

For details and for a full argument on the merits of the trail, see: http://www.alongthepike.com/archive/2012/07/03/bike-trail-benefits.aspx