At the Franconia District Headquarters ribbon cutting last week, there were a few people attending that were opposed to a proposed bike trail nearby that has been a controversy over the last few years.

County officials on one side are picturing a trail from the Springfield-Franconia Metro station that links to other trails in the Newington Road area and eventually to Fort Belvoir, a major employment center in this part of Fairfax County. On the other side, there are people looking at the impact on this heavily wooded area that's highlighted by Long Branch creek and home to an abundance of native plants and old growth trees.

Philip Lakusa of the Friends of Accotink Creek has been following the plans for this path for a few years and doesn’t like the environmental impact, particularly trees coming down and pathway lighting going up. There are options that don’t impact this stream valley, he says. Lakusa pointed out that the surrounding neighborhoods, which ironically would be bypassed by the Bikeway, are rich in existing and potential alternate routes that make use of existing paved lighted infrastructure at much lower environmental and financial cost.

At a public information meeting on May 10, 2021, a public presentation said the bikeway was funded by a federal grant to FCDOT for a pedestrian/bicycle connection from the Franconia/Springfield Metro station to Fort Belvoir. On foot, Belvoir is still a few miles away. Plans show that the proposed path goes south from the station through a thick forest down the hill from Beulah Street and connects with Cinder Bed Road. Plans include lights and bridges over Long Branch Stream. The completion date in that presentation is May 2024 which didn't happen, and the price is listed at $14,750. It is unclear what the new estimate is.

The “Friends” made a video showing alternate routes and reasons to seek alternatives. "Cinder Bed Road in the project area has the capacity to become a "Complete Street" without sacrificing the riparian buffer," it states on the video. A Complete Street is a transportation industry term for streets "designed and operated to prioritize safety, comfort, and access for all to all destinations," county information said. These complete streets are intended to move people and goods while minimizing environmental impact and community disruption.

Lakusa said the new completion date is some time around 2028 so this wooded stream valley has some time, and the advocates also have some time to express their opposition.