The bridge connecting Riverdale Park Station to the Discovery District will open on Friday, June 22, at 10 a.m., according to an announcement by county Councilmember (and Chair of the County Council) Dannielle Glaros, with a ribbon-cutting to take place at the bridge at 9:30 a.m., rain or shine, prior to the official opening.
The new connection will allow bicyclists better access the trail system and give pedestrians the ability to more easily access a MARC Station and the College Park Metro Station.
The bridge will run from Van Buren Street — which goes past Whole Foods through the center of the development — over the CSX railroad to Lafayette Avenue in the southern end of the University of Maryland research park.
“I think everyone in town is extremely happy that the bridge is opening, and we will soon have enhanced connections between Riverdale Park Station, Riverdale Park neighborhoods east of the railroad tracks, the Discovery District, and the communities north and east of Riverdale Park including Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt, and New Carrollton,” Riverdale Park Mayor Alan Thompson told the Hyattsville Wire.
Though it will be one of a handful of area crossings for Route 1 communities, the bridge is designed to discourage overuse. Van Buren Street has a large median and on-street parking to slow down traffic through Riverdale Park Station, while Lafayette Avenue is in a back corner of the Discovery District.
Still, it could be a game-changer for the research park, which is otherwise a little off the beaten path from the main attractions along Route 1. With the College Park Metro station also undergoing some major changes, that area of town could soon be buzzing.
The bridge will also be a short bike or walk from the Purple Line stop on River Road in the Discovery District, which means some residents of the townhomes at Riverdale Park Station may use it to connect as well.
At least one council member in Riverdale Park has suggested the town add a mural to the bridge, as Hyattsville did with a similar railroad overpass near Franklins.
