Upper Marlboro Community Center Trail Implementation Plan

Abstract

The Upper Marlboro Community Center offers a wide range of services for the surrounding community, but is currently totally isolated from the multimodal network. No dedicated bike or pedestrian routes connects it to surrounding communities. Despite the lack of pedestrian infrastructure, community members still walk to and from the Community Center, along the edge of the highway. A shared-use sidepath would rectify this mobility and safety issue. The proposed Community Center Trail would run parallel to Route 4 and connect the Community Center to pedestrian facilities along Water Street and in downtown Upper Marlboro. The Town of Upper Marlboro will need to secure the required permits, contract an engineering firm to produce the final design, and provide for ongoing trail maintenance. Permits are required from Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and the State Highway Administration (SHA). An agreement in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is required as well, since they own and operate the Community Center. The trail design should be flexible; the narrow right-of-way may require the trail to be narrower in places than recommended in planning literature. However, the need for a path outweighs the disadvantages of a narrowed trail, and SHA design waivers expressly allow this type of non-standard design. Based on available research, the cost for implementation should be approximately $100,000.00, with an estimated $2,000.00 required annually for maintenance. There are many possible funding sources for implementation and maintenance at the State and federal levels. This Implementation Plan outlines the needs and justifications for the Community Center Trail, details which permits are required and how they can be obtained, estimates the approximate costs of implementation and maintenance, and provides design recommendations.