Dirt is turning on a roughly 8-month project to create a new park along the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda.
The park near the trail’s River Road crossing will serve as a rest area for cyclists along the 11-mile trail and will feature a stone sitting wall, pergola, greenery and trees, parks system spokeswoman Melissa Chotiner said.
Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery Parks Foundation and the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail have partnered for the roughly $350,000 project to carve out the green space. The trail coalition’s chair, Ron Tripp, has previously said the two-acre property has been an eyesore for bikers and pedestrians, with nearby businesses using it as a place to park vehicles.
Tripp has said coalition members have long wanted to improve the site, but it’s taken years to raise money and get the work under way.
He said the first phase of the project will involve landscaping the area and adding a curb to discourage unwanted parking.
Chotiner said project partners are raising money to expand the plan and possibly add amenities. Donations can be made online.
Bethany Rodgers can be reached at bethany.rodgers@moco360.media.
