awarded only the amount that NOVA Parks had requested for design, engineering and environmental work. The reduced award followed an NVTA public comment period that attracted more than 300 responders. Most comments supported the expansion, although the majority of comments that NVTA could identify as coming from Arlington opposed it. Loudoun County There have been plans to extend the trail west to Bluemont and the Appalachian Trail since the 1980s. Loudoun County's 2003 Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility Master Plan and Virginia's 2013 and 2018 Outdoors Plans recommend such extensions. However, difficulties in identifying a route and acquiring land have prevented construction of a trail along the W&OD Railroad's abandoned right-of-way west of Purcellville. Further, construction has occurred on a portion of the former right-of-way that travels through Round Hill. For those reasons, the Loudoun County government is no longer considering such a route. Instead, the County is now planning to construct a new trail between Purcellville and Round Hill along VA-7 (Business). The County has designed and acquired easements for a shared-use trail that will travel between Main Street (VA 719) in Round Hill and Franklin Park in Purcellville along East Loudoun Street (VA-7 (Business)). In 2019, the County solicited bids to build that section of the trail. Construction started on the project in 2020. The project's planners expected in that year that construction would reach completion during the winter of 2022. That section of the trail will connect to a trail under design that will travel along West Main Street (VA 7 (Business)) to connect Franklin Park and Purcellville. See also Cycling infrastructure List of rail trails in Virginia Notes References In Appendix K of NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITY - PRE-FILED DIRECT TESTIMONY OF MR. HAFNER, MR. MCRAY AND MR. SIMMONS, November 30, 2005 (Part 5), Case No. PUE-2005-00018, Virginia State Corporation Commission. Obtained in In Appendix J of NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITY - PRE-FILED DIRECT TESTIMONY OF MR. HAFNER, MR. MCRAY AND MR. SIMMONS, November 30, 2005 (Part 4), Case No. PUE-2005-00018, Virginia State Corporation Commission. Obtained in External links The Friends of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail official website Retrieved September 27, 2017. Description of W&OD Trail and surrounding areas, published in Spokes, September 2006. Paul McCray (former Manager, W&OD Regional Park) discussing history of W&OD Trail in Uenuma, F, "Two Decades Along the W&OD Trail", The Washington Post video in The Washington Post