The Georgetown Branch stretch of the Capital Crescent Trail has been closed between Bethesda and Silver Spring since September 2017. Its reopening is still described as "fall 2026," but that date refers to when trail construction finishes, and it is the earliest of several dates involved. The Purple Line's own closure listing still says the closure runs through December 2026, and a September 23 community newsletter still described part of the corridor as a construction zone. The likeliest first piece of new pavement near Chevy Chase is a short connector at Elm Street Park, not the long run toward Rock Creek.
Different dates that get repeated as one
Most of the confusion comes from treating these dates as the same thing.
| Date | What it actually refers to | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Trail construction projected to be complete | Maryland Transit Administration, May 2026 report |
| Later in 2026 | Some sections may open for limited access, after a safety review with Montgomery County | Same MTA report |
| December 2026 | End date shown on the active trail closure listing | Purple Line project site |
| 2027 | Full trail expected to reopen | Same MTA report |
| December 30, 2027 | Contract date for Purple Line passenger service | Same MTA report |
| March 17, 2028 | Contractor's schedule estimate for service, still under MTA review | Same MTA report |
The Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail still says the trail "reopens tentatively in Fall 2026," and "tentatively" is the key word. MTA's May 2026 language is more careful. It says the trail will reopen in phases, that sections "may open this year to provide limited access," and that the full trail is expected in 2027.
The bottom two rows of that table used to matter much more. The trail was originally supposed to open when Purple Line passenger service began. In May 2024, the Maryland Department of Transportation changed course and said the trail would open in fall 2026, more than a year ahead of the trains. So the possible 78-day slip in train service, from December 30, 2027 to March 17, 2028, no longer sets the trail's timeline. In its September 10 report, the Bethesda Beacon said it had found no newer source revising that projection.
Why the trail is the last thing to leave the work zone
If the trail no longer waits on trains, what is holding it up? The MTA report gives a direct answer. Trail construction runs into fall 2026 "due to continued use for Purple Line construction access," and the trail stays closed to pedestrians and cyclists for safety during that time. In other words, the corridor that will become the trail is also the crews' access route, and it can't open as a trail while trucks and equipment still need it.
The work list for the Bethesda and Chevy Chase section shows where that access is still needed. The Purple Line construction page currently lists:
- Purple Line and trail construction along the former Georgetown Branch between Elm Street Park and Rock Creek Park
- Utility relocations, retaining wall construction and completion of the west side of Jones Mill Road at the underpass
- Utility installations, retaining walls and other station elements at the Connecticut Avenue station
The Beacon reported that the Jones Mill Road underpass work runs through fall 2026, which is the same window as the trail's construction target. East of Rock Creek, the September 23 edition of the Purple Line NOW newsletter included a reader report from near Talbot Avenue and described that stretch toward the Silver Spring Metro connection as still a construction zone.
Trains are already running in the corridor, too. Live-wire testing with a light rail vehicle began in June 2026 between the Lyttonsville operations facility and Bethesda Station. Most tests run between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., but trains may move at any hour on dedicated track. The most recent progress figure for the trail itself is from March 31, 2026, when MTA put it at 68.4% complete. No later figure has been published.
The finished trail will be a big change for anyone who used the old route. Before 2017, the stretch from Bethesda to Lyttonsville was gravel and dirt. According to the Purple Line's trail connections page, it will become a 12-foot paved shared-use path with two-foot buffers on each side, landscaping and neighborhood access points. It will cross over Connecticut Avenue and Colesville Road on trail bridges and pass under Jones Mill Road, 16th Street and Spring Street. That means the Connecticut Avenue crossing and the Jones Mill Road crossing, two of the worst spots on today's detour, will both be separated from traffic.
The first new pavement is at Elm Street Park
The closest thing to a reopening this fall is a separate county project on the Bethesda edge of the Town of Chevy Chase. Montgomery County is building a 10-foot shared-use path along 47th Street. It will connect Willow Avenue to the Elm Street Park promenade and eventually to the new trail.
The two official sources don't quite match. MCDOT project photos dated August 6, 2026 label the sections at 47th Street and Elm Street, and at Willow Lane and 47th Street, as completed. Montgomery Parks' renovation page, last updated September 16, says Phase 2, which includes the 47th Street segment, was about 90% complete with completion expected in October 2026. Neither source confirms that the full path is open to the public yet. October is the month to watch.
That project also comes with a new closure. Phase 3, the larger renovation of the northern part of the park, started in September 2026 and is scheduled to finish in 2027. In a July notice, the Town of Chevy Chase said the park area north of Elm Street is closed during that work. It pointed families to Leland Park at 4300 Elm Street as the nearest playground and basketball court. So the Bethesda end of the trail gains a finished path this fall and loses the park next to it for about a year.
The fall map, until the trail opens
Until the corridor is cleared for public use, the practical options this fall are the routes below.
The official detour. Heading east, it starts at Bethesda Avenue and Woodmont Avenue and follows Woodmont, Montgomery Avenue, Pearl Street and Maryland Avenue, then Jones Bridge Road. It crosses Connecticut Avenue and Jones Mill Road toward Susanna Lane and Rock Creek Park. After the park, it uses Freyman Drive, Terrace Drive and Grubb Road, Spencer Road and Rosemary Hills Park, then Michigan, Maine and Kansas avenues to reach Silver Spring. The Stewart Avenue trailhead is closed. Riders heading back toward Bethesda are routed along Cheltenham Drive, Norfolk Avenue and Woodmont Avenue to the open trail. A separate pedestrian closure between Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street detours walkers across Wisconsin at Elm and at Waverly Street, then along Hampden Lane, Woodmont Avenue and Elm Street.
The paved trail toward Georgetown. The trail is complete as a hard-surface path from Georgetown to Bethesda. It has five bridges and the Dalecarlia Tunnel, and only Little Falls Parkway and Dorset Avenue cross it at street level. The Bethesda trailhead is at Bethesda Avenue and Woodmont Avenue, between public parking Lot 31 and the Ourisman dealership. Garage 57 is less than a block west.
The Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail from Meadowbrook. Montgomery Parks describes it as an asphalt trail that runs south along Beach Drive into DC. The Coalition's directions use Ray's Meadow at East-West Highway and Meadowbrook Lane, plus the Candy Cane City lot about a half-mile south on Meadowbrook Lane. The trail passes both. Meadowbrook Local Park, just south of East-West Highway and next to Rock Creek Park, has a playground, fields, courts, a bike rack and a water fountain. The same directions note that you can continue north under the old trestle toward Susanna Lane and Jones Mill Road. That leads back to the closed corridor, not through it.
Beach Drive on weekends. As part of Montgomery Parks' Open Parkways schedule, the 2.2 miles from Knowles Avenue to Cedar Lane are closed to cars and open to walkers and cyclists on weekends. The weekly closure currently runs from Saturday at 7 a.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m. Starting October 30, 2026, the fall and winter schedule ends the closure at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Ken-Gar Palisades Park is along the same corridor and has fields, courts, an exercise station and a water fountain. Montgomery Parks says the Montgomery County Road Runners Club trains there.
Parking may be the weak spot on the Rock Creek side. Montgomery Parks lists bridge replacement and lot renovation at the Candy Cane City parking lot for summer and fall 2026, and work at the Ken-Gar Palisades Park entrance with timing still to be determined. The Coalition's directions are undated, so posted signs are the best guide to which lots are open on a given Saturday.
The next real signal will come from MTA and Montgomery County, either as a named segment cleared for limited access or as a revised date for the full reopening. Until one of those arrives, the trail on the Bethesda side of Wisconsin Avenue and the Rock Creek trail along Beach Drive are the two open routes in the area.
For Chevy Chase households weighing a sale or purchase near the Purple Line corridor, the trail's status comes up often, and the timeline matters more than the headline. If you'd like help understanding how the new trail, the Connecticut Avenue station and the remaining construction affect a specific block, Ricardo Vasquez is happy to look at it with you. Let's Connect.
