Update: Potomac trail could cost $5 million

UPDATED: An 8-mile stretch of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail in Woodbridge could cost as much as $5 million.

According to one preliminary estimate, one stretch of the trail, between Neabsco Creek and Metz Wetlands, which would connect Rippon Lodge with Leesylvania State Park, would cost $2 million, said Wooodbridge District Supervisor Frank J. Principi.

That cost is included in the original $5 million estimate.

“We are now in the middle of engaging engineers to better assess the ultimate costs of the projects.  While some funding exists, additional funding will be needed from federal and state grants, proffers, land donations, and volunteer association sweat equity in helping to build the trail,” said Principi.

The cost estimates come from the original planning organizations, which include the Prince William County Park Authority, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and U.S. Department of the Interior.

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Woodbridge, Va. –– A new agreement will bring the expansion of the Potomac National Scenic Trail in Woodbridge, but the document does not detail how much it will cost.

The 5-year memorandum of understanding signed Saturday by parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Woodbridge Supervisor Frank J. Principi, outlines who’s in charge when it comes to the expansion of the trial, which is part of an 830-mile national scenic trail system that includes trails in Pennsylvania, Washington and Maryland.

The development of the trail has long been seen as one of the selling points for a revitalized North Woodbridge, which officials earlier this year approved a massive redevelopment plan for the area between Occoquan Road and the Occoquan River – which calls for high-rise buildings, denser, more walk able development and more transit options.

PotomacLocal.com is waiting to hear back from the officials on how much the expanded trail system might cost, and where they money would come from.

The trail snakes its way from Leesburg, through Arlington and Alexandria, with a portion of it ending in Prince William County.

The yet-to-be developed portion of the trail runs between Mount Vernon and the Occoquan River.

An 8-mile portion of the trail in Woodbridge that leads to Leesylvania State Park, and onto Prince William Forest Park – the area in which the new agreement focuses on – still needs to be built.

Overall, the trail system in which the Potomac Heritage trail belongs to also includes trails in Pennsylvania, Washington and Maryland.

The trail system was created in 1968, and today is used by hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders and cross-country skiers.