Neabsco Creek Boardwalk
Prince William County, Virginia
L/KLA designed the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk with the help of a multi-disciplined team that included Wiley|Wilson (civil and structural), Environmental Systems Analysis, Inc. (environmental), The Robert B. Balter Company (geotechnical), John Milner Associates, now CHG, Inc. (cultural), Dawson Associates (interpretive signage), and Dominion Surveyors. L/KLA’s collaborative design approach helped to address the complex issues associated with flooding, storm surge, and related environmental permitting.
The Neabsco Creek Boardwalk Crossing is a critical linkage of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail connecting Rippon Lodge and Rippon Landing Park with the Metz Wetlands. It provides opportunities to link nearby neighborhoods with Neabsco Creek and with each other.
The boardwalk crossing is a regional destination for wildlife viewing, outdoor education and nature appreciation for all ages and abilities.
It provides significant educational opportunities for students ranging from pre-K to graduate school, telling the story of the ebb and flow of Neabsco Creek and its inhabitants through the day, month, year, and over our lifetime and beyond. Landing areas at each end of the boardwalk are designed to include orientation space suitable for a classroom with staging areas near each landing to accommodate school field trips. A floating pier at the south landing allows students of all ages to get up close and personal with the aquatic life of Neabsco Creek.
Permitting for the Boardwalk included a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (FEMA), NEPA, USACOE, and various state and local regulatory approvals. The 3,200-linear foot boardwalk is designed for all ages and abilities, and includes two long span crossings of Neabsco Creek, five additional short span crossings of tributaries, two landings, an observation deck and water level platforms for classroom use. Construction began in fall of 2017. A ribbon cutting event was held in early June 2019.
In August 2020, the project was awarded a Gold Medal award from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.