New ped/bike bridge near East Falls Church Metro goes into service

The new bicycle/pedestrian bridge linking the W&OD trail with the East Fall Church Metro station in the Madison Manor neighborhood has been put into service.  The old bridge has been demolished and removed.  Final construction details are still being completed, but the bridge is now in use.


View East Falls Church trail bridge replacement in a larger map
As reported in my post a few months ago, the new bridge is larger and modernized compared to the old one.  Here are some photos of the new bridge:

New bridge goes off to the right.  Cyclist is traveling east on the W&OD trail just east of the underpass at Sycamore Street.
View of bridge approaching from the field across from the EFC Metro station.  W&OD trail is on the opposite side of the bridge.

Bridge view looking east across the bridge.  W&OD is on the opposite side, running perpendicular to the bridge.  The basketball court is beyond the trail.
The new bridge is a big improvement in several ways over the old one:
  • Wider and meets ADA requirements.
  • With removal of some pavement, it's much more obvious where the trail is; people are less likely to get confused.  Once signage is added, the logistics of this area will be essentially solved.
  • Concrete deck.  The old bridge's deck was wood, which would be slippery when wet or icy
But I am a bit nostalgic for the old one.  In particular, because it was tucked into the trees, it gave a sense of being a neighborhhood secret.  And it was cuter.

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