Photo by Travis Jon Allison on Flickr.

Trail maintenance in DC is currently handled by a mish-mash of agencies and contractors, but no single person or agency is truly responsible. This leaves many tasks routinely ignored and results in damaged, unusable trails, some in need of complete repaving.

The Department of Transportation (DDOT) is responsible for some maintenance, but so is the Department of Public Works (DPW) which DDOT does not direct.

To address this problem, DDOT, through its Urban Forestry Administration (UFA), is pursuing a plan to assign an employee to the full-time task of trail maintenance and to equip this employee with specific tools to aid in that task. Given the tools needed to do the job well, the new staffer can increase both the utility and longevity of the trails DDOT builds.

There are many tasks that need to be performed to keep a trail open and in good repair. Tasks like sweeping, debris removal and snow removal improve the utility of the trail. Clearing vegetation that grows next to and over the trail can improve safety and extend the useful life of the trail. In some cases, trails have been effectively closed due to snow. On the Suitland Parkway Trail, maintenance has been ignored so long that the trail is literally crumbling away.

This isn’t just a matter of convenience for trail users, it’s about saving money by dealing with problems early. Just as changing your oil frequently will save you money in car repairs, maintaining a trail will save money that would otherwise be spent on repairs.

At the Recreational Trails Committee meeting this week, UFA announced that the new trail maintenance staff member would be issued a small utility work machine, like a Toolcat 5600. This machine can be equipped with one of over 40 attachments that would allow the operator to perform dozens of tasks: plow and remove snow, clear glass or sand that poses a safety hazard, and mow grass, for example. The new staffer would take ownership of both the vehicle and the trails.

Perhaps as importantly, the staffer wouldn’t have to limit him or herself to off-street trails. In a snow event, he or she could clear bike lanes like the prominent ones on Pennsylvania Avenue, or the wider bridge sidepaths.

Initially, maintenance would be limited to DC trails like the Metropolitan Branch and Anacostia Riverwalk, but its possible DDOT could work out an agreement to also maintain National Park Service-owned trails like Rock Creek, the Capital Crescent and the DC portion of the Mount Vernon Trail (the island next to Arlington Cemetery at the west end of the Memorial Bridge is actually part of the District).

Until recently, DC didn’t have much of it’s own trail network, but the District now owns several miles of new or repaired trail. If UFA’s plan is approved, users will start enjoying much better, and safer, cycling conditions.

Cross-posted at The WashCycle.