Riding across 2025: Celebrating new bicycle infrastructure!

As our national democracy falls down about our ears, the Washington, DC region opened many new and important bicycle lanes and trails! Please feel free to leave a comment about which projects I missed.  

Alexandria, VA

The Mill Rd cycletrack opened in July, connecting the Eisenhower Ave Trail to an existing sidepath and the Jaimeson Ave bike lanes. The project helps people biking avoid a hairy intersection with Telegraph Rd’s on and off ramps. It also provides a vital, all ages and abilities route from the city’s West End and Holmes Run Trail to the Wilkes St Neighborhood Bikeway and tunnel to the waterfront. 

Mill Rd cycletrack at the formerly scary Pershing Dr off-ramp

The Mount Vernon Trail was widened for a short distance north of Slaters Ln (thanks Judd)! A half block of cycletrack should open next year. Second St in North Old Town also received bike lanes.

A portion of the Holmes Run Trail reopened after seven plus years of closure due to flooding. It follows a stream valley and some drainage pipes and an upstream private lake and dam makes flooding worse. The trail connects two otherwise disconnected parts of Alexandria. Rebuilding was complicated due site conditions, additional flooding and funding but eventually all was solved and the trail has been rebuilt to withstand future floods.

Group of riders on the restored Holmes Run Trail

Arlington County

The Army Navy Dr cycletrack had a ribbon cutting on October 29. Running between 12th St S and S Joyce St, it connects Columbia Pike to Crystal City and beyond. Formerly a six-lane stroad, it is now a four-lane street complete with bicycle signals at S Hayes St (see video).

Army Navy Dr at S Hayes St

Army Navy Dr at S Hayes St

Running only 900 feet in the southbound direction, this short segment of Crystal Dr from 20th St S to 23rd St S was among Arlington’s most blocked bike lanes, thanks to the hordes of delivery drivers picking up food from the adjacent shops. It still needs some tweaks but is a significant improvement.

The S Clark St cycletrack was also extended from 23rd St S to 20th St S with the latter getting a bicycle signal. This route is intended to be the primary north-south route east of Route 1. 

As part of an adjacent redevelopment, N Fort Myer Dr cycletrack was constructed between Langston Blvd and 19th St N which will form part of Rosslyn's larger bike network.

Fairfax County, VA

Full disclosure, I work for Fairfax County on the bicycle and pedestrian projects listed below.

Capital Bikeshare expanded to all 13 Metro stations in Fairfax County, adding Herndon, Huntington and Innovation this year, up from serving just six stations three years ago (see video for my cameo).

Metrotech Dr in Chantilly

For bike lanes, a short segment of Metrotech Dr received them and a portion of Annandale Rd between Galanis Dr and Medford Dr. While neither street had space for a bike lane buffer, Annandale Rd is the highest volume street (14,000 cars per day) that the Virginia Department of Transportation (which controls all Fairfax County streets) has approved for a road diet thus far.

Annandale Rd looking northbound from Hamilton St

Arrowhead Dr and Rosehaven Dr received buffered bike lanes in November, helping to connect a growing neighborhood to the 66 Parallel Trail.

Prince Georges County, MD

Newly paved trail to National Harbor

The trail from the Wilson Bridge to the National Harbor was paved, not sure exactly when this occurred but it looked as though it was new as of this spring. The previous gravel trail was in poor condition, draining its contents through the rocks. 

The Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail (WB&A)’s long planned Patuxent River bridge finally opened in late spring, connecting two five-mile segments including one in Anne Arundel County. While trail users descend a wicked hill to get to the bridge, the S curves are carefully designed for bicycle geometry. East of the river, few signs of the construction remain, a testament to the construction crew and designers. This trail’s opening has both regional and national importance too as it fills an important bike route gap between Washington and Baltimore and is also on the Maine to Florida East Coast Greenway.

WB&A Trail approach to new bridge

New Patuxent River Bridge

Montgomery County, MD

Marinelli Rd protected bike lanes opened in Rockville, leading right to the front door of the North Bethesda Metro station.

Marinelli Rd protected bike lanes

River Rd in Bethesda also received protection where Sarah Debbink Langenkamp was killed by a careless truck driver a few years ago.

Washington, DC

The Metropolitan Branch Trail extension to Takoma finally opened! This long-planned connection extends the highly popular trail 1.6 miles from the Fort Totten Metro to Maple St. Most of the route is an on-street trail although it uses a contraflow bike lane for one block of McDonald St NE and a shared street on low-volume First St NE. The last DC segment to Piney Branch Rd may begin construction next year and the section in Maryland is currently under construction opening potentially in 2027.

Looking south along the MBT at Tuckerman St NW

Looking south near Third St NW

Riggs Rd NE cycletrack was completed in March 2025, connecting to the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the Fort Totten Metro. 

Looking east along Riggs Rd NE cycletrack

A protected bike lane was installed on 17th SE from Potomac Ave to East Capitol St during repaving. It was only in 2018 that is received a regular bike lane, also during repaving (thanks Chris!). On 17th St NE, a cycletrack has been added between Bladensburg Rd NE and Benning Rd NE, extending a cycletrack added on Mt Olivet Rd NE last year (thanks Geoffrey and Chris!).

The First St cycletrack was extended from M St NE to the Dave Thomas Circle and R St NE via Eckington Pl. 

First St NE cycletrack with granite protective barriers!

Connected to this project was an extension of Florida Ave's protected bike lanes from First St NE to 2nd St NE. 

M St NE's anti-homelessness barriers were removed to paint the cycletrack on the overly wide sidewalk, formalizing a previously informal connection (thanks Chris!)

Two outer travel lanes on K St that run under the railroad bridge also become protected bike lanes, filling a key gap in that facility. It is fairly dark so some pretty art is projected onto the walls.

Art on wall along K St protected bike lanes

Additional protected bike lanes were added on New Jersey Ave NW between D St NW and H Street NW in August. There are two bicycle signals to separate southbound right turns at E St and F St.

New Jersey Ave NW protected bike lanes

One notable backstep was the conversion of a protected cycletrack into unprotected bike lanes on Arizona Ave from McArthur Blvd to Loughboro Rd due to Paul Dougherty, an old rich white guy, not liking the looks of the flexposts from his palatial ugly mansion. No parking was returned, it was all about aesthetics.

What to look forward to in 2026!

The Capital Crescent Trail extension from Bethesda to Silver Spring should reopen sometime in the spring or summer. Closed in September 2017 to facilitate the Purple Line light rail transit project, the new trail will be paved (12 feet with 2 foot gravel shoulders) and extend into downtown Silver Spring, connecting with an under construction portion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (potentially opening in 2027). It will create a 23-mile loop linking downtown Washington, Union Station, Georgetown, Takoma, and NoMA to Silver Spring, Chevy Chase and Bethesda, our own bicycle beltway.

Alexandria's Holland Ln protected bike lanes/cycletrack project should be completed in the spring and the S Pickett St road diet will hopefully open later in the year.