Section 2A of Mason Neck Trail Inches Closer to Completion

At last week's Board of Supervisors meeting in Fairfax, funding was approved for Section 2A of the Mason Neck Trail. The contractor charged with finishing the project is E.E. Lyons of Vienna.

The approval means that completion of the trail is now within reach by the end of the year. Though it should be noted that many earthwork projects get put on hold in colder months with some cement plants shutting down when the temperature dips below freeing. The expectation and hope among residents is that Section 2A, in the worst case, will be ready for Spring 2011, as it is a popular destination for runners, cyclists and walkers.

Section 2A of Mason Neck Trail consists of a 1500 foot area from the entrance of Pohick Regional Park to approximately 300 feet west of Gunston Hall. When completed, Section 2A will join Section 3 along Gunston Road. When the full trail is completed it will link Route 1/Richmond Road to the Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, which is five miles away. As present, only Segment 3 is open.

The total cost of the project is $183,286.60 with an 80-20 split between and federal and county financing or $146,629.32 and $36.657.32.

Brian Worthy in the Fairfax County Public Information Office indicated that before ground is broken the project must be approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Worthy also noted that terms of the contract with Lyons require the work to be completed within 60 days, though that may be interrupted due to inclement weather.