Ed. Note: Message below is from National Park Service regarding the North Michigan Park-Fort Totten Metro Station Pedestrian Trail received on August 11, 2022.

From Kym Elder

Thank you for writing and/or contacting us. We understand the frustration with this closure and project. 

The National Park Service (NPS) is finalizing the redesign of the trail, which includes protection of the WMATA Metrorail tunnels directly below the trail, which were uncovered when we re-started construction last year. 

As previously noted, we have completed all our munitions testing and have not found any issues of concern.

The re-design work should be completed by late November with construction to resume early spring 2023 and completion in the 2023 summer/early fall season.  

We are asking the neighbors refrain from moving the fencing or putting materials on the trail surface. Rather, we ask that users utilize the trail just to the east of the construction site, or walk around the block to get to the Metro.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me, Kym Elder, Program Manager, Civil War Defenses of Washington at kym_elder@nps.gov.

We thank you for your patience. 

Kym Elder
Program Manager
Civil War Defenses of Washington
National Capital Area

Yesterday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office issued a press release regarding the meeting her office held with the National Park Service (NPS), US Army Corps of Engineers and WMATA. I covered NPS’s statement in this post.

From Congresswoman Norton’s Office

Mar 3, 2022 

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a statement on her meeting earlier this week with the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to discuss the unexploded ordnance found on Fort Totten Trail in the District of Columbia. Norton requested the meeting.

“I have been working to clean up the Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site since ordnance were first discovered there, in 1993, and the discovery of an unexploded ordnance on Fort Totten Trail was extremely concerning,” Norton said. “However, we had a productive meeting, and I was reassured that there has been a thorough search of the area without turning up additional issues. I am committed to ensuring that residents across the District of Columbia are safe from ordnance, chemical weapons, and soil and groundwater contamination.”

Today, the National Park Service shared the following information with ANC 5A and myself.

On yesterday, the National Park Service (NPS), the US Army Corp of Engineers and others convened briefly via teleconferencing to provide DC Delegate Norton and her staff with an update on the referenced subject.  

NPS updated Del. Norton and her staff — as we did with your group on last Wednesday (2/23/22) evening.

Please note, the following highlights shared with all:

The National Park Service (NPS) is continuing design work on the pedestrian trail between Gallatin Street and Galloway Street NE. 

Last summer, after trail construction resumed, we immediately uncovered a portion of the Metrorail Green Line tunnel. The tunnel runs underground within the trail construction area. 

The National Park Service then contracted with a design firm to look at various options for the trail, including realignment and testing for unexploded ordnance in those areas that would be affected by a relocation of the trail.

This phase of the work is underway now. We expect this work will take about three months. Once a new realignment is chosen, work can resume on trail construction. 

We anticipate this will happen this summer, but we will provide a more definitive timeline once we have the trail design finalized. 

I am still working on the ANC 5A February 23rd meeting recap, which touches on this topic. That will be up in the next couple of days.

Updated with the reports shared in the ANC meeting recap: A document dated January 2018 outlines the community engagement that was done regarding testing of soil on the western side of the park where WMATA brought in fill dirt from Spring Valley to rehabilitate the parkland used by WMATA for staging during construction of the green line a few decades ago. A document dated April 2019 contains the preliminary testing results for that staging area. A document dated August 2021 is the soil study of the area on the eastern side of the park where the unexploded WWI ordnance was found during construction of the pedestrian trail