New WB&A Trail Patuxent River Bridge strengthens Maryland’s East Coast Greenway link

BOWIE, Maryland — The East Coast Greenway Alliance team joined state and county officials, as well as local partners and advocates, Tuesday at Horsepen Park to celebrate the grand opening of Maryland’s transformational WB&A Trail Patuxent River Bridge.

The 530-foot bicycle and pedestrian bridge links two previously isolated segments of the WB&A Trail from Odenton to Bowie, creating 12.7 miles of a continuous WB&A Trail — and East Coast Greenway — across Central Maryland.

“This project is the culmination of decades of planning, advocacy, design and construction. We are grateful to our partners in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties for their steadfast commitment, and we congratulate the local partners whose leadership and collaboration made this achievement possible,” said East Coast Greenway Alliance Mid-Atlantic Manager Daniel Paschall.

Thanks in part to this key connection, the East Coast Greenway is now more than 75% complete between Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia with 96 miles of trail along the 126-mile corridor.

The WB&A Trail Patuxent River Bridge is a collaborative effort involving Anne Arundel County’s Recreation and Parks, Prince George’s County - Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, the Maryland Department of Transportation and the State Highway Administration. It received support and funding from federal, state and local agencies and was championed by several bike and trails advocacy groups throughout the region, including the East Coast Greenway Alliance.

“Our vision for the Anne Arundel Trail Network is to connect our trails to one another, to neighborhoods, to destinations and to our neighboring regional trail networks,” said Jon Korin, president of Bicycle Advocates For Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (BikeAAA). “These trail networks are vital locally, regionally and nationally for transportation, recreation and tourism. We are grateful to partners like the East Coast Greenway for bringing the vision to life.” 

In addition to BikeAAA, Alliance partners Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails, Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), Bike Maryland, Bowie's Multi-modal Access and Public Spaces (MAPS), Jafe Cycling and Friends of the Greenbelt East Trail provided key support for this project.

“Anne Arundel County trails are most impactful when they not only add mileage, but when they also create connections with other local trails and with neighboring jurisdictions. The dedication of the long-planned WB&A Trail Patuxent River bridge represents an example of the achievement of that goal,” said Jack Keene, Friends of Anne Arundel County Trails board member and East Coast Greenway Alliance Maryland state committee co-chair. 

“It creates new travel options for local pedestrians and cyclists, accesses long-distance destinations through a more efficient off-road route and provides a safer and more direct corridor for the East Coast Greenway and other national trails to join their individual destinations with Washington, D.C.”

The opening of the WB&A Trail Patuxent River Bridge creates a vital new connection that brings wide-ranging benefits, including improving health and quality of life for residents, advancing access to nature for the region and supporting local businesses like Jafe Cycling through increased economic activity. 

“The WB&A Trail holds significant importance to the Jafe Cycling, as it lies just steps away from our bike shop and provides more than 20 miles of smooth, paved trail for walkers, runners and cyclists. It offers a vital means of transportation, independence and an opportunity to connect communities on opposite ends directly to other local businesses,” said Matt Onojafe, owner of Jafe Cycling, LLC. 

“This visibility, combined with a safe, well-designed route that separates cyclists from motorists, underscores how much we at Jafe Cycling truly value safety which this trail provides.”

Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties continue to work on extensions of the trail system seeking to link Annapolis, Maryland, to the Anacostia River Trail System in suburban Maryland and Washington, D.C. — as well as connections north to Baltimore and west to Howard County. Korin lists several key initiatives underway for connections north to the Baltimore Greenway, west to the Patapsco Greenway and east to the Eastern Shore Trail Network via a new Chesapeake Bay Bridge. 

Earlier this month, the Maryland Department of Transportation announced 26 grants totaling $8.2 million for 25 bicycle, pedestrian and trail projects across the state. 

 “We have been looking forward to having this bridge for decades now. It is the only safe crossing of the Patuxent River for many miles around and it brings us all together in new and better ways,” added Ken McCaughey, Bowie resident and member of Bowie’s Multimodal Access and Public Spaces committee. 

This connection is a milestone not only for the local community but for the entire East Coast Greenway. Today, 65% of the 3,000-mile Maine-to-Florida route is complete or in advanced development. Thus far in 2025, nearly 14 miles of new trail have been officially designated as Greenway segments. Recent ribbon cuttings and groundbreaking ceremonies highlight the momentum, with more celebrations on the horizon.