At one time, Parkland Drive had stretched from nearly Bel Pre Road all of
the way to Viers Mill and beyond, where it became Gaynor Road, crossing
Randolph Road to become Rocking Horse Road, thence to Boiling Brook Parkway,
from which one could access Beach Drive for points south including downtown
DC. It's worth noting that before Hurricane Agnes, this was the only bridge
across Rock Creek between the Viers Mill bridge and the Randolph Road
bridge. Also worth noting, before Hurricane Agnes, on the south side of Rock Creek at the Gaynor Bridge, was a dirt-gravel road leading westward along the bank past a large quarry, running near the present grounds of Parklawn Cemetery; this was Fisher's Lane, part of which still exists as the street address of the EPA's Rockville campus. It was once one of the best ways to get from the levittown at Randolph Knolls to the Congressional (countryClub) Airport, later and still Congressional Plaza. Much of Fisher's Lane
remains, although it is not accessible by motor vehicle, and is a
little-remarked study in the archaeology of post-WWII abandonment of
historic roads. This area of the Rock Creek Park abounds with such road
remnants. Also remaining to some small degree is Halpine Road, which before
the completion of Twinbrook Parkway in its entirety was the main shortcut
from Viers Mill Road, just north of Rock Creek, to Rockville Pike,
connecting with Fisher's Lane at an entirely unused playing field located
about 300 meters east-southeast of Elsdale Court. This unpaved segment of
Halpine Road washed out entirely during Hurricane Agnes, and is considered a
textbook example of why one should not build roads by gravel-and-rock infill
of former dry-washes. In places it is eroded to a depth of 20 feet below the
surrounding terrains.