Sidewalks and Trails, December 2025

The MCA met with the Providence Supervisor’s office as well as the team responsible for trail building and
maintenance at the Fairfax County Park Authority to discuss walking and biking infrastructure in Mantua. The
2025 Mantua Issues Survey found that roughly three quarters of Mantuans want to see more trails and sidewalks
in our community.
At the meeting with the Park Authority, FCPA said that new trails are prioritized based on a number of factors,
including income of the surrounding area, which made it unlikely for FCPA to make investments in Mantua.
When asked how parks in McLean were prioritized for renovation based on those same factors, MCA was told
that those updates “were already scheduled.” Hope springs eternal however, and the FCPA seemed interested
in finding further ways to connect Mantua to the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail, up to and including a
connection to Eakin Park (Mantua Section) if an appropriate crossing point can be found across Accotink
Creek.
MCA also met with the Transportation aides for the Providence Supervisor’s office to talk about traffic safety
in the neighborhood. The Supervisor’s office had previously stated that they would not support new sidewalk
projects in Mantua, primarily based on cost. Supervisor Palchik spoke on the cost of sidewalk projects in time
and money at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, which included a discussion on how FCDOT has not
spent roughly $70M in funds allocated for such projects. Supervisor Palchik said that sidewalk projects may
take 10 or more years to come to fruition, and “that’s just been the reality. I don’t know how much of that we
can change.”
MCA has previously reported on how sidewalk cost quotes from the county Department of Transportation are
an order of magnitude higher than from other states, including Florida and New York, which both publish
annual cost guidance. MCA requested that future quotes on sidewalk projects include a cost breakdown, so
that residents can see how labor, materials, and engineering contribute to total price. In the meantime, we plan
to start the decade-long countdown for improvements.