Fredericksburg-Stafford trail network continues to expand

Great news in the FLS today that the latest stretch of Stafford County’s Belmont–Ferry Farm Trail is scheduled for completion in September. The 0.73-mile trail extension runs from John Lee Pratt Memorial Park, below Chatham Manor, along the Rappahannock River, to its endpoint at Chatham Bridge.

The $23.4 million Chatham Bridge rehabilitation project, which is scheduled to begin sometime in May 2020 and take about 16 months to complete, will include a 10-foot multi-use path on the southeast (downstream) side with a scenic overlook in the middle. That will allow both pedestrians and bicyclists to safely continue to downtown Fredericksburg and onto the Rappahannock River Heritage Trail.

The trail extension on the Stafford side will connect to the existing 1.92 miles of trail between Gari Melchers Home and Studio and Pratt Park. The final phase of Stafford’s trail system, which is in the planning stage and will be 0.89 miles in length, will run from the Chatham Bridge along Naomi Road, cross under the CSX Transportation bridge tunnel and end at Cool Springs Road. From there, existing bike lanes would allow trail users further access to the county.

More detail is available in the FLS article. We believe Stafford and Fredericksburg are building an outstanding pedestrian and bicyclist network connecting both sides of the beautiful Rappahannock River. More to come.