New commute next month to Pentagon City – route options?

This is my commute through the area so, yes, you can cut through Columbia Island to Boundary Channel Drive.

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@DrP 150726 wrote:

Thank you! It seemed silly that one couldn’t get from Boundary channel drive to the south lot, but the route making pages I was using wouldn’t let me, so I thought perhaps there was some kind of limited access there.

Perhaps it is due to where you are coming from, but does one have to go out to Columbia Pike and Joyce, or is Eads or Fern possible? Or are they insane on a bike due to those metal boxes with people inside looking at their phones?

I will try it tomorrow.

Fern street exit from the pentagon is okish in my opinion. When I used to go that way I would take the left lane when going under 395 till the intersection of 12th where things get busy with parking cars/doors and people rushing past you on that block with the Cosco parkinglot.

Exiting the pentagon directly on Eads feels real dangerous because it is much busier and has more bus traffic, and I think no sidewalk in some places.

A bit further west in the pentagon parking lot there is a small pedestrian access tunnel that crosses under 395 and lets you out across Army Navy from that little used street between the Pentagon Mall parking structure and the Pentagon Row shopping area. It’s a nice shortcut, but you have to walk your bike in the tunnel – I’ve been threatened with a ticket for even 1 foot stand/coasting through there during morning rush hour.

@DrP 150726 wrote:

Thank you! It seemed silly that one couldn’t get from Boundary channel drive to the south lot, but the route making pages I was using wouldn’t let me, so I thought perhaps there was some kind of limited access there.

Perhaps it is due to where you are coming from, but does one have to go out to Columbia Pike and Joyce, or is Eads or Fern possible? Or are they insane on a bike due to those metal boxes with people inside looking at their phones?

I will try it tomorrow.

For some reason Google maps has a really hard time with the Connector Road heading west/south; it seems to think Connector Rd is a one way (which it is not) so it will try to divert you. You will just have to ignore Google on this one. I forgot about Google’s goofiness until you mentioned it just now; it drives me batty when I use RideWithGPS.

I live on South Joyce Street therefore that is the why I chose that route. If I’m tired or in a hurry I will cheat and use the ped tunnel under 395 that LeprosyStudyGroup mentions (you do have to walk there). I do not advise riding along Army Navy Drive in PC until you get west of S Joyce Street, then it is cyclist friendly. I’ve always been fine cutting across Army Navy Drive from the Pentagon if I’m heading to Whole Foods or elsewhere; just make sure all the traffic has stopped before you cross four lanes of traffic.

@lordofthemark 150732 wrote:

True story.

Freezing Saddles opening happy hour, two years ago, was at Capital City Brewing in Shirlington. The convoy from DC met at the Jefferson. Somehow I was the only NoVa person present, and was selected to lead it, despite never having led a group ride of any kind before. Now I had ridden through the Johnson Grove many times before, to the Pentagon bus station. I had also ridden on Fern and Eads in Pentagon City. But I had only ridden south under I395 on Fern once – during the day, on a quiet weekend.

I led my flock through the Pentagon parking lots, and I am sure many of them considered me quite insane – needless to say it was a lot less comfortable in the dark, at rush hour. I also felt like if I had known I would be leading, I would have wanted to have test ridden that before.

btW – KLizotte – IIRC you have expressed dissatisfaction with the connection on Diagonal from the Commonwealth bike lanes to Prince Street in Old Town. I can report that that issue came up at Monday’s BPAC meeting, in the context of discussion of the soon to be striped Prince and Cameron lanes. I am not sure if there are any plans for Diagonal (we moved on fairly quickly) but people are aware that this is a gap in the network, and a particularly uncomfortable one.

Hmmmm….I don’t think it was me since I don’t use Diagonal plus it doesn’t connect with Commonwealth or Prince. Perhaps you mean Daingerfield Rd which connects the two. That section could be more bike friendly; doesn’t bother me but I could see how it could be intimidating to novice cyclists. My biggest pet peeve is the traffic light at Prince and Daingerfield does not recognize bikes if you are coming down the Prince St spur from Reinekers so you may have to sit a long time till a car triggers it from either side.

Traffic on the Pentagon Reservation is usually very well behaved due to the dominant police presence; occasionally you get a lost tourist who does a crazy Ivan or isn’t entirely looking where they are driving but the area is far safer than it looks. I expect that someday the Pentagon will close the reservation to the public but am very grateful that it is open for now.

If you are going to Crystal City why not stay on Boundary Channel Drive and then pick up Long Bridge Drive? You then skip Army Navy drive altogether.

@DrP 150785 wrote:

Apologies if I was confusing. In the past I was commuting to Crystal City, so I am familiar with Boundary Channel Dr to Long Bridge Dr and thus familiar with routes getting me to Boundary Channel Dr. Getting from Boundary Channel Dr to Pentagon City is what I wasn’t familiar with. Your response showed me how to do that and it worked today.

Cool beans! FYI: Whole Foods in PC has nice underground parking.