We are pleased to report that invitation for construction bids are now posted for both the Patuxent River hiker/biker bridge that will connect the AA and PG county WB&A Trails and also Broadneck Trail Phase 3 that will connect to the B&A Trail at Jones Station Rd (see green below). Construction funding is lined up for South Shore Trail Phase 2 with connection to the Odenton Rd sidepath and on to the WB&A Trailhead and Broadneck Trail 1b and 5 which provide connection to Sandy Point State Park. (see blue). All 4 projects should start construction in 2022. These projects never come as fast as we would like but these are important milestones. In nearly all other gap areas of the envisioned network there are feasibility studies or design work underway.
Why doesn’t the map include the preferred WB&A solution from the BWI to Odenton feasibility report?
Thanks for your interest in the Anne Arundel Trail Network, that is a very good question!
The study assessed 2 options for trail connection from Odenton to BWI as alternatives to the “westerly route” which utilizes existing trail segments on Odenton Town Center Blvd, Bluewater Dr., Rt 175 and others. The westerly route is used in the AATN map as a preferred alternative to the Telegraph Rd and WB&A Blvd routes assessed in the study for several reasons including 1) Use of several existing trail and in-process trail segments, 2) connection to more destinations (e.g. Ft. Meade, Arundel Mills and many shopping and residential areas) and 3) greater likelihood of completion. In fact Anne Arundel County was just awarded a Kim Lamphier Bikeways grant to complete design on two trail gaps along this westerly route on Bluewater Drive and Milestone Parkway.
We would love to have trails on both the westerly route and WB&A Blvd. but given the realities of limited funding, access to right of way and other constraints, the westerly route is included on the map.