The Holmes Run Trail will be repaired by end of 2024? Yeah right

Mayor: Full recovery for damaged Holmes Run Trail set for late 2024 – Alexandria Now
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The latest news on the Holmes Run Trail is that it will completely reopen within the next two years. I will believe it when I am actually bicycling along it.

The Holmes Run Trail is never whole

Throughout the HRT’s lifespan, some part of it has been damaged. Immediately upstream from Ripley Street near Interstate 395 was damaged by a July 2019 flood. At this point, it’ll be over 5 years of an unusable trail at minimum. It’s a tough break if you were 11 when it happened or wanted to ride from Seminary Valley to the pool clubs just over the county line.

Missed deadlines

The seemingly simple bridge replacement south of Duke Street was supposed to be completed in 2021. Then 2022. It’s looking like next year now.

Here’s the latest: “Staff report that the ped/bike bridge South of Duke will able to be repaired within the next 12 months. It is a smaller and stand alone project. The rest of the repairs are more complicated with design in FY21 and build in FY22."

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) August 23, 2020

At Bike to Work Day 2022, I spoke with Mayor Justin Wilson on my frustrations. He shared that he was frustrated as well and that supply and labor issues were leading to delays. The design phase to make the trail more resilient has been mentioned as well. Also, the current council is perhaps more sympathetic than previous ones, but that hasn’t gotten restored in a timely manner.

Now let’s hope nobody gets hurt on the insufficient Sanger Ave. detour.