ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Good news for Holmes Run Trail users – the replacement bridge south of Duke Street is open. The trail is now continuous between the Ripley Street Bridge and Eisenhower Ave Trail.
Detour signs are removed too. Many cyclists and pedestrians cut through the 4600 Duke parking lot during the outage.
Out of service since 2019, delayed 2 years
This original bridge closed in the fall of 2019. A city inspection found “that the bridge footings were unstable due to soft soil and loose rock below the footing.”
In 2020, Mayor Justin Wilson tweeted replacement was planned for 2021.
The target was changed to 2022; neither deadline was not met.
I spoke with Mayor Wilson at Bike to Work Day 2022 about it and he shared my frustration. The mayor cited contractor availability and supply chain issues for delays.
The Holmes Run Trail may be whole in 2025
A July 2019 flash flood destroyed a section just upstream of the Ripley Street bridge, closing the tunnel under Interstate 395. A section near Morgan Street washed out in 2018. 2025 is now the probable completion date.
That’s over six years of a disconnected trail.
