"Parks & Recreation will complete the Ma & Pa Trail connection this summer for a beautiful 8-mile trail," Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly said in his State of the County address in January 2026.
Summer is over, and the fencing at the North Avenue trailhead is still up. The connector didn't stall for lack of materials or because work stopped. Its pedestrian bridge was already installed near the Bel Air Bypass. Then an independent assessment found that the bridge's design exceeds the vibration limits recommended by industry standards. Until that is fixed, the Bel Air section and the Forest Hill section remain two separate trails. Any walk you plan this fall should start from that fact.
The Bridge Is in Place, but It Moves Too Much
The final segment runs about 1.5 miles. It links the North Avenue trailhead parking lot to the Melrose Lane trailhead at Blake's Venture Park. The work includes five elevated wooden boardwalks, two bridges, a retaining wall and a paved trail. In March 2025, crews installed a prefabricated bridge near the Bel Air Bypass. Harford County Parks and Recreation posted photos of the lift.
On September 22, 2026, Patch reported that the project team had found "unforeseen site conditions" that must be resolved before the segment can open. The first problem was unknown utilities along Bynum Road, and that has been fixed. The second is the bridge vibration finding, which has to be addressed before construction can continue. The county said it is working "diligently with our engineers and contractor to address this concern and complete the trail as soon as possible."
A Bel Air Brief update dated September 23 said the same thing, and neither report gave a revised completion date. Until the repairs are done, the stretch from the North Avenue trailhead to the tunnel under the bypass is closed to the public, and only authorized personnel are allowed in. The county plans a dedication ceremony once the segment opens.
How the Target Date Has Moved Since 2022
The completion date has slipped several times, and each estimate came from a named public source:
- April 2022. A Harford County release said the final segment was expected to be finished "sometime in 2024."
- Early 2024. The county requested construction bids for Segment 3, and the due date moved from February 21 to March 13, 2024.
- June 2024. The MA & PA Heritage Trail nonprofit said work on the final section would start in fall 2024 and take about 18 months.
- March 2025. Parks project manager Angela Hoover said in a BRN Harford report that the department got written authorization to begin construction the previous July and expected to finish by July of the following year, which meant July 2026.
- January 2026. The State of the County address promised the connection "this summer."
- September 2026. The vibration finding pushed completion past summer with no new date.
Hoover put the connector's cost at more than $8 million. The funding comes from Harford County government, the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Federal Transportation Alternative Program and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Cassilly has tied the project to his early career: "The Ma & Pa Trail project began 30 years ago when I was a newly elected Bel Air Town Commissioner." The bridge is the last open problem in a project that has been planned for three decades. The trail around it has carried walkers since 2001.
Some online information hasn't caught up. The nonprofit's homepage, last updated March 7, 2026, still describes the final link as complete in 2026. For the current status, rely on the September reports.
The Bel Air Side Is About 4.5 Continuous Miles
With the connector closed, the Bel Air side ends at North Avenue. The nonprofit lists its three open segments from south to north.
- Edgeley Grove Park to Tollgate Road, 1.4 miles. This segment starts at Annie's Playground at Edgeley Grove Farm, 864 Smith Lane in Fallston. It has two overlooks, 880 feet of boardwalk and a 90-foot crossing of Winters Run. Visit Harford lists the playground, soccer and lacrosse fields, a climbing wall, a ropes course and a bike course at the farm site.
- Tollgate Road to Williams Street, 1.85 miles. The trail access at Heavenly Waters Park is 702 N. Tollgate Road. The trail runs behind the Harford County Equestrian Center, which the county lists as the Harford County Fair Grounds at 608 N. Tollgate Road. This stretch has wooded, moderately sloped sections and a lighted tunnel under MD 24.
- Williams Street to North Avenue Station, 1.25 miles. This newer section is a paved path behind Bel Air Memorial Gardens with a small boardwalk. Beyond North Avenue, the trail is fenced off for now.
Edgeley Grove to North Avenue comes to about 4.5 miles one way, or roughly 9 miles round trip if you turn around at the fence. For a shorter outing, the Williams Street lot puts you at the trail's downtown end. Independent Brewing Co. is at 418 N. Main St. and describes itself as sitting at the top of the Ma & Pa Trail in downtown Bel Air. The taproom posts daily hours on its site. Check them before you plan a walk around a stop there.
Dog owners should also check the Ma & Pa Dog Park at 703 N. Tollgate Road. Its small-dog area was scheduled to close for about two weeks starting September 28, 2026, while the large-dog side stayed open. That puts the expected reopening around mid-October. Confirm the reopening before you bring a small dog.
The Forest Hill Side Is Its Own Walk
North of the closed segment, the Forest Hill section runs 1.75 miles from Blake's Venture Park to Friends Park. The nonprofit describes access from Blake's Venture off Melrose Lane and from the ball field area at Friends Park. It also lists a Forest Hill parking lot off Melrose Lane.
Friends Park works well as the end point. Visit Harford lists fishing, a pond, a pier, picnic areas, a pavilion, a playground and restrooms there, and gives the address as 35 E. Jarrettsville Road. The county's rental catalog lists 37 E. Jarrettsville Road, so either number should get you to the park entrance.
Until the bridge is fixed, getting from the Bel Air side to the Forest Hill side means driving. That is the gap the connector is meant to close. When it opens, the full route will run from Annie's Playground in Fallston, through the center of Bel Air, to Jarrettsville Road in Forest Hill.
Sources give different totals for the full length. The nonprofit's segment list adds up to 7.75 miles, county statements round to 8 miles, and Patch says about 7.5 miles. The Harford County Running Club describes a paved 6.4-mile trail, which may reflect an older layout. If you're tracking distance, use the nonprofit's segment numbers.
October Dates On or Near the Open Sections
Several events this month take place at the open ends of the trail:
Friday, October 9, 1 to 2 p.m. "Spread the Milkweed!" at Friends Community Park, listed on Harford County's calendar.
Sunday, October 18, 9 to 11 a.m. The Husky Run 5K, a walk/run open to all ages and abilities, starting at the Williams Street trailhead near Independent Brewing.
The Husky Run starts at the Williams Street trailhead, at the downtown end of the Bel Air side. The Friends Park event is at the northern end of the Forest Hill side. Because the connector is closed, getting from one to the other still means a drive.
The nonprofit's Connect Trails page also mentions a November 12 Connection Awareness Walk. The notice gives no year, and the page was last updated July 5, 2025. Treat it as unconfirmed for 2026 until the nonprofit posts a dated notice.
What to Watch For Next
The next real update will be a repair plan for the bridge. Bynum Road took one round of work before it was resolved. The vibration problem is the second round, and the county has said it is working with its engineers and contractor to address it. When the county announces a dedication ceremony, the fence at North Avenue will come down. That 1.5-mile segment will join the Bel Air and Forest Hill sections into one trail.
The connector will put trail access close to more Bel Air and Forest Hill streets. If you own a home near North Avenue, Melrose Lane or one of the other trailheads and want to know how that access affects its value, Homestead Finders can walk you through recent sales nearby. Get your instant home valuation or schedule a free consultation with Tommy and the team.
