LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — The Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail in Loudoun County will face a four-mile closure in mid-April due to transmission line work by Dominion Energy, officials said Tuesday.
The 45-mile trail's closure is planned for the workweek starting Monday, April 11 through Friday, April 15, 2022. While the closure is in effect, trail users will be directed onto streets, sidewalks and shared paths in an 8.5-mile detour to get around the closure. The trail will not be accessible from east of Claiborne Parkway to Tuscarora Park in Leesburg.
Officials are warning the public that the closure is for everyone’s safety and it will be a dangerous area for the specified timeframe. To ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, flaggers and spotters will be onsite and detour signs will be posted at specific locations.
“This project is necessary to ensure the continued integrity of the electric grid,” a spokesperson stated via a Tuesday press release. “Lineworkers will use bucket trucks and also climb the structures to remove the old conductor and install the new one.”
According to NOVA Parks, the trail is often called the skinniest park in Virginia. W&OD Railroad Regional Park is a paved trail between Shirlington and Purcellville, Virginia that welcomes passersby to run, cycle or skate along the former roadbed of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad.
The trail runs through the urban heartland and into the Virginia countryside, however, horseback riders also have to option to ride the adjacent 32-mile gravel horse trail.
The website also specifies that many children often use the W&OD Trail to walk or bike to school.
