New pedestrian bridge opens in Sugarland Run park

A new pedestrian bridge at Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park has officially opened.

The steel bridge, located in a section of the park between Heather Down Drive and Eddyspark Drive, was added to connect the community to the Sugarland Run Stream Valley Trail on the opposite bank of the creek.

The 10-foot-wide structure now completes the connection, which was previously broken due to flood and storm damage for many years.

The project was funded by nearly $740,000 from a park bond in 2020, according to the Fairfax County Parks Authority.

“We celebrated National Park and Recreation Month in July, and the theme of this year’s observance was ‘Where Community Grows,'” FCPA Executive Director Jai Cole said during the ribbon cutting. “I can’t think of a more fitting example of how parks and recreation, particularly our trails and bridges, bring communities together and connect residents to a wide range of opportunities, amenities and to one another.”

Crews demolished and removed the remaining structure so the previous bridge, installed a prefabricated steel bridge and built 10-foot-wide, connecting approaches to the bridge.

Local officials and staff, including Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, celebrated the grand opening of the bridge earlier this month.