The City has been awarded $5.1M in VDOT SmartScale funding for this project. This funding will be available in 2026 and the project will be constructed in 2029.

Project Description

This trail would connect neighborhoods and commercial destinations south of Fairfax Blvd (Route 50) and west of Lion Run to Fairfax Boulevard, the George Snyder Trail, the I-66 trail, the Vienna Metrorail station, numerous retail and employment destinations and regional bus routes. Without this connection, it is a circuitous distance of 1.4 miles to reach the same location as there is no existing path between these two areas. This trail will encourage non-vehicular local trips. If the City is awarded this funding, it would become available in 2026 and the project would be constructed in 2028 or 2029.  

The City has developed a general concept plan that shows the approximate alignment of the trail. This is not a detailed engineering plan; the detailed engineering and aesthetic details would be completed if/when the City receives the funding.  

This project is included in the City’s Two Year Transportation Program, which is a list of priority projects to pursue for funding consideration in the upcoming round of applications for outside transportation funding. This project was included in the Two Year Program as it advances many of the goals in the City’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan. 

Funding Application 

The City submitted this project for SmartScale funding consideration and has been awarded $5.1M. 

Smart Scale is a method of scoring transportation projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Projects are scored in the categories of safety, congestion mitigation, accessibility, environmental quality, economic development, and land use. Once the projects are scored they are then ranked and selected for funding by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. This is a highly competitive process and localities are not assured a minimum level of funding. For more information about the Smart Scale process, click here. Funding applications are due on August 1. 

Documents for Download 

• Country Club Connector Trail Context Map 
• Country Club Connector Trail Schematic 
• Civic Association Presentation  (6/29/2020)
• Country Club Connector Trail Public Comments (7/1/2020)
• City Council Work Session Presentation (7/7/2020) 

Additional Resources 

• Rails-Trails and Safe Communities: The Experience on 372 Trails
• The Correlation of Nature Trails and Crime 
• A North Adams Bicycle/Pedestrian Path: Questions, Concerns, Facts and Answers
• Rails to Trails Resource Library