Save the Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Bridge!
Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Council of the District of Columbia
DEMOLITION ALERT!!!
Transferred to WMATA in a court settlement in the 1990s, the only extant trolley trestle in the District is in a severe state of decay due to a lack of maintenance by the transit agency. Despite studies on utilizing the trestle as a pedestrian and bicycle connection between Foxhall Road and Georgetown, WMATA is seeking to demolish the historic structure. DCPL is fighting the city's decision to approve the raze permit but has exhausted all legal options.
DCPL, ANC 3D and 2E, Georgetown University Students, and others remain hopeful that with the support of the public, this incredible historic asset can be rehabilitated to provide a safe alternative for pedestrians and bicyclists – including the many students who walk to the numerous nearby schools in Georgetown and the Palisades to the dangerous conditions on Canal Road.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Council of the District of Columbia
From:
[Your Name]
Built in 1897, the Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle is one of the few remaining pieces of the old streetcar system that carried District residents around the city for a century. The trolley line it served, ran from Georgetown into Glen Echo, Maryland, transporting thousands of Washingtonians to the Glen Echo Amusement Park, connecting and developing the communities in its path, and allowing its riders to enjoy the scenic views. The last trolley car crossed the Trestle in January of 1960, however, the bridge remained popular with both pedestrians and cyclists, who continued to cross over and under it. After years of neglect by WMATA, it is in significant disrepair. The deterioration has necessitated the closure of part of the southern area of Glover-Archbold Park.
Structural assessments have revealed that while Trestle's structure presents in poor condition, it is the opinion of experts that it is demonstrably repairable and can be rehabilitated into a safe and sustainable pedestrian and cycling path that will connect communities, provide an alternative to the dangerous conditions of canal road, and preserve the last surviving historic trolley trestle in the District of Columbia.
I join with Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 2E and 3D, the DC Preservation League, Georgetown University students, neighborhood residents, and others in asking you, my elected officials to take ownership of the historic trestle bridge from WMATA and to fund its rehabilitation into a safe walking and biking alternative to the dangerous conditions on Canal Road. This action will also prevent the demolition of one of Washington, DC's Most Endangered Places.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.