(Updated on 5/17/17) A brush fire that burned for an hour yesterday between the Four Mile Run Drive access road and the W&OD Trail left a large, scorched scar on the hillside.
A passerby photographed the scene yesterday evening and said “you can still smell” the smoke and fire, which was caused by a downed power line.
A small meadow preserved by the Arlington County Board, which overruled a plan to build a connector trail from the W&OD Trail to Carlin Springs Road, has been clearcut as a result of invasive species control measures.
The meadow was the subject of a mini-controversy in 2015, which saw civic activist Bernie Berne and others argue that building a 220-foot connector trail would destroy natural plant life and increase runoff into Four Mile Run.
Refinements are being made to a plan to build a pedestrian and cyclist bridge in East Falls Church, which has undergone big changes in the past few months.
A previous version came under fire earlier this year for what critics viewed as a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood and a perceived lack of community input, as well as design concerns. In previous renderings, the bridge had a trussed roof and was dark red.
The Arlington County Board over the weekend voted to endorse the goals of a Virginia Dept. of Transportation plan to widen part of I-66, but it also had a few questions.
The Board unanimously backed a resolution that outlines “areas of support and ongoing concern with [VDOT’s] environmental assessment,” according to a press release.
(Updated at 10:31 a.m.) A proposal to build a new pedestrian and cyclist bridge in East Falls Church has prompted complaints from some nearby residents.
The Virginia Dept. of Transportation has proposed building a new bridge over Lee Highway near the W&OD trail as part of its “Transform 66” interstate widening and tolling project.
A Virginia Dept. of Transportation plan to widen part of I-66 could soon get the partial blessing of the Arlington County Board.
Under VDOT’s “Transform 66” plan, an extra lane would be built within the existing eastbound right-of-way from the Dulles Connector Road to the Fairfax Drive exit in Ballston. The lane would stretch about four miles.
The incident was reported just after 11 a.m. It comes amid “creepy clown” threats against schools and sightings of threatening figures in clown masks.
The suspect in this morning’s incident was wearing a gray sweatshirt and a clown “skull” mask, according to a police lookout. It was initially reported that the suspect was wielding an axe; later it was reported that it was actually a skateboard.
The robbery happened around 4:20 p.m. Friday, on the trail near the East Falls Church Metro station.
Police say the woman yelled for help, scaring off the suspects. The pair — a juvenile male and female — were later arrested on a bus and charged with armed robbery and gun charges.
It will take place on Saturday, August 6 from 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
The full 100 mile-long ride, described by organizers as a “Sizzling Suburban Century,” begins at the Phoenix Bikes shop on Four Mile Run Drive. It goes out to Purcellville in Loudoun County and back along the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.
The robbery occurred near the East Falls Church Metro station.
From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
(Updated at 3:4o p.m. on 12/23/21) A 42-year-old man was arrested yesterday after police say he was masturbating along the W&OD Trail, in Bluemont Park.
The incident happened around 1:30 p.m., out in the open in broad daylight, with a number of people around using the park and the trail at the time. It happened near the train car, just a short distance from Ashlawn Elementary School.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for a new addition to Glencarlyn Park, along Columbia Pike and the W&OD Trail, over the weekend.
The new park space, near the Arlington Mill Community Center, includes a “learning loop” for beginning bicyclists, a bike repair station, a bike water bottle filler, a sand play area and a rain garden.
