Mayor Muriel Bowser will officially open the new Fort Totten–Takoma segment of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) on Wednesday, November 12 at 11 a.m. The event will take place at the intersection of Whittier Street NW and Blair Road NW, near 6700 Blair Road NW. District Department of Transportation Director Sharon Kershbaum and members of the community are expected to join Mayor Bowser for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The completion of this segment closes a significant gap in the north-south pedestrian and bicycle network that connects Union Station in Washington, DC to Silver Spring, Maryland. The newly finished section includes a wide paved trail, LED lighting, stormwater management facilities, wayfinding signage, and safety improvements designed to separate cyclists and pedestrians from vehicle traffic.
Mayor Bowser stated her ongoing commitment to finishing all sections of the MBT. Her administration previously completed the Brookland to Fort Totten section in 2022, which included a protected bike lane on 8th Street NW. Construction on the Takoma to Piney Branch section is scheduled to begin next year, which will close the final gap in DC’s portion of the trail.
Since 2015, DC has added 59 miles of bike lanes—including 36 miles of protected lanes—and nearly doubled its Capital Bikeshare stations from 200 to 396. The city now offers almost 70 miles of trails for residents.
The event will also feature Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4), Elizabeth Kiker (Executive Director, Washington Area Bicyclist Association), and other local officials. Press interested in attending are asked to RSVP by email.
A live feed will be provided by the DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment through mayor.dc.gov/live as well as Channel 16 (DCN), Mayor Bowser’s Facebook page, X account (@MayorBowser), YouTube channel (https://www.bit.ly/eomvideos), Bluesky (@MayorBowser), Instagram (@Mayor_Bowser), and LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/mayorbowser).
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