Survey Shows Support for Glen Echo Trolley Trail Upgrades

According to a new community survey conducted by the Palisades Citizens Association, local residents support upgrading the old Glen Echo Trolley, the 3.1-mile path that runs along Canal Road between Georgetown University and Galena Place.

The Glen Echo Trolley line ran from Georgetown proper to the Glen Echo Park but hasn’t been in service for 52 years. Now overgrown with grass, the area is popular for recreational activities like jogging and dog walking and is utilized by Pepco and the D.C. government for select purposes. However, there is a dearth of park infrastructure in the area and existing fences and drains have decayed to an unusable state.

In response to PCA’s poll, more than 60 percent of respondents expressed support for improving drainage, mowing and erosion control. About the same amount of respondents said that bikers should have access to the trail as long as speed controls are instituted.

Creating a new parking lot and installing benches with lighting were unpopular proposals, while respondents were split on whether or not a new surface should be laid down on the old trolley line.

After releasing the poll’s results, the PCA’s trails committee recommended unanimously that the D.C. Department of Transportation perform a “comprehensive feasibility study” to look into upgrading and reconnecting the trolley trail. DDOT says that trail improvements will come in the next few years. The full PCA will hold a meeting to uncover the survey’s findings on March 6 at the Palisades Recreation Center at 7:30 p.m.

The survey was conducted between mid-October and mid-January and included 806 community members from the Palisades, Foxhall Village and Georgetown.