A paddler on a wooded creek. Photo: David Leonard
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has adopted Pathways 2035, a trails master plan meant to guide where the county focuses its attention and future investment in trails.
The plan finds 291 miles of unbuilt active mobility trails, including shared-use paths, bike lanes and paved shoulders. It also counts 118 miles of unbuilt recreational trails, which include hardened- and natural-surface off-road trails.
Which gaps come first
Using criteria informed by public input, the project team sorted the gaps in both networks into three priority levels. Tier 1, the highest, includes 42 active mobility segments totaling about 76 miles and 44 recreational trail segments totaling about 54 miles.
The plan recommends making Tier 1 the primary focus while continuing to evaluate Tier 2 and Tier 3 projects as funding, development or other opportunities arise. Not all Tier 1 projects are expected to be completed within the plan’s timeframe.
A first look at water trails
Pathways 2035 is also the county’s first comprehensive look at blueways, or water trails for paddling and other recreation. It recommends a target of 2 to 3 miles between access points and names Broad Run as the starting point for planning a formal water trail, with designated launch locations and mapping.
County staff have noted that the Broad Run blueway ends at the Lake Manassas Dam. Lake Manassas is currently closed to recreational use, and staff said that if it reopens, they will evaluate access points and portage options.
Other recommendations include improving the on-road bicycle network, developing a recreational trail maintenance plan, expanding partnerships, updating trail design standards and continuing blueway planning.
How the plan was built
An interdepartmental team from the county’s Parks and Recreation, Transportation and Capital Construction departments and the Planning Office developed the plan. The process included an online survey, two in-person planning charrettes, an online information portal and input from the Trails and Blueways Council. Staff also worked with the Parks and Recreation Commission, neighboring jurisdictions, regional agencies and local trail advocacy groups.
Pathways 2035 fulfills a directive in the Mobility Chapter of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which the Board adopted in 2022.
Council endorsement and the cost question
Before the plan reached the Board, the county’s Trails and Blueways Council endorsed it on Sept. 22, voting 12 to 0 with four members absent. The council’s resolution also recommended “adoption and regular funding of the plan” by the Board of County Supervisors.
Funding is the open question. In the draft plan, estimated costs for active mobility projects ranged from about $6,300 per mile for painting shared-lane markings on an existing road to $4.5 million per mile for a new 10-foot asphalt shared-use path. Recreational trail segments were estimated at $435,000 to $6 million per mile. According to county staff answers posted by a local trail’s advocacy group, building every Tier 1 segment would cost “upwards of $1B,” and the county is not committing to build all of them by 2035. Staff said they plan to make targeted budget requests for specific segments rather than one request for the whole list.
What it doesn’t do
Adopting the plan does not authorize construction or funding for any individual project and has no direct fiscal impact. Projects and funding decisions will be considered separately as the county works to advance the trail network.
The full Pathways 2035 presentation is available on the Board of County Supervisors webpage.
Like what you read? Get The Gazette.
The Woodbridge Gazette is independent, hyperlocal news for Prince William County and surrounding communities, free in your inbox every Monday. Subscribe here.
