1st Street Cycletrack

[Greenbelt]

The track is now semi-open, from M Street to Union Station.

The curbed section from M street to L and a little beyond still has some landscape crews working

The flexpost separated section closer to Union Station is open:

When you get close to Union Station, the track ends for a block, but it’s a slow area with lots of pedestrians and loading trucks, so it’s not too bad. I weaved through the trucks along the left side of the road (across the yellow line). I think it’s effectively one-way southbound in this stretch for cars, but for bikes it should be fine to counterflow. (There isn’t much flow regardless.) Some pavement markings for bikes would be helpful in this area, or a sharrow or two maybe to give a sense of where to ride.

At the top of the hill, I stayed to the left of traffic at the light, then crossed into the bike trough where all the pedestrians merge. This is a heavy ped zone, and they are just used to walking through the cycletrack, so very slow here during rush hour this morning. It was empty on Saturday when I took this blurry picture (sorry about that), but this morning there were people standing all through this area.

I think you just sort of become a ped at this point, then when the walk signal is on, you can turn right or left on Mass Ave. A left followed by a quick right puts you on a bike lane heading toward Metro Center, I think it’s E street?

Not sure yet the best way to continue south or southwest toward the PA Ave track. I’m not a big fan of Louisiana Ave — now there’s a street where a lane of curbside parking should be removed and the cycletrack extended properly!) — and you sort of have to make a left turn onto Mass Ave (bike lane), and then a right down those angle parking streets to get toward the Capitol.

Maybe the sidewalk on east side of Louisiana, which is pretty wide, would be a good bet for slower riders at this point?

Or maybe a left on Mass, a right on the angle parking street and then just take the lane on Louisiana to Constitution?

Is somebody knows the best routes, please post suggestions. -Jeff

Topic

[Greenbelt]

@UrbanEngineer 83500 wrote:

I saw a rider yesterday take the Pennsylvania ave bike lane heading east at the intersection with Constitution to the South sidewalk on Constitution. He did this during the left turn cycle for traffic, which to him I guess made sense because he was turning left. In reality, he was lucky he wasn’t obliterated by the two lanes of turning traffic with the green arrow that he crossed right in front of. The intersection of Constitution and Pennsylvania is not set up for turning bicyclists, even though when looking at a map that seems to be the most direct path to take from the penn bike lane to Union station. They definitely left a lot of room for improvement in this area.

It’s much better to go straight (wait for green) toward the reflecting pool area parking zone, go around the circle, then up 1st street to access Louisiana Ave in my opinion. Not the straightest, but the dreaded MD commuters are a menace in that area as they jockey for position.

[83b]

@dasgeh 83412 wrote:

The good news is that the Architect of the Capitol is very interested in becoming more bike friendly — they have a sustainability guy who was at the National Bike Summit. So maybe there’s hope.

Closer to the Capitol and the office buildings, the big road block to getting anything done is Capitol Police.

It would be especially awesome if there were a way to connect the Penn Ave lanes to the East Capitol lanes that didn’t involve climbing capitol hill by salmoning up Northwest or Southwest Dr or by riding on the sidewalk, which is often has heavy pedestrian traffic. As I recall though, one of the parties with control over that area wasn’t willing to make accommodations when the lanes were installed.

[skins_brew]

When the heck is the M to L portion going to open up? It just seems to have stalled out. My guess is they are possibly doing QA but I have no idea.

[Greenbelt]

It was blocked near Union station by lane painting crew this morning. Up by L where was just construction equipment blocking, but no work that I could see happening. It appears to be done.

[skins_brew]

@Greenbelt 83639 wrote:

It was blocked near Union station by lane painting crew this morning. Up by L where was just construction equipment blocking, but no work that I could see happening. It appears to be done.

yea, when I rode down 1st today i did note that the cross walks still needed to be painted at 1st and K.

Do you know if they are going to put the flexible barrier poles on the little median separating the bike lane from the main road? They may also be doing clean up, as there is still construction spray paint markings on various curbs and stuff, but as you mentioned, I have not really seen anyone out there doing anyway. I suppose the contractors may have finished early too or maybe they are waiting in DC to accept the work?

I am like a kid on Christmas morning when it comes to putting my tires on these freshly paved tracks. Man, it just looks so smooth.

[CPTJohnC]

Okay – it’s been over a week since the last post in this thread, and though I risk raising the undead, I am jumping in: WHEN WILL IT BE OPEN FOR REAL?

Every day it looks so close. I’ve even ridden the entire length from Union to M St. because there were no obstructions except barrels, but since then there’s been seemingly endless painting and other work. Even the seemingly complete section from Union to the part where the curb barrier starts has been partially obstructed every time I’ve ridden (yellow police tape this morning). I keep hoping because I don’t like riding on North Capitol, but going on the other side of Union Station is a pain (because old habits die hard).

[skins_brew]

@CPTJohnC 84432 wrote:

Okay – it’s been over a week since the last post in this thread, and though I risk raising the undead, I am jumping in: WHEN WILL IT BE OPEN FOR REAL?

Every day it looks so close. I’ve even ridden the entire length from Union to M St. because there were no obstructions except barrels, but since then there’s been seemingly endless painting and other work. Even the seemingly complete section from Union to the part where the curb barrier starts has been partially obstructed every time I’ve ridden (yellow police tape this morning). I keep hoping because I don’t like riding on North Capitol, but going on the other side of Union Station is a pain (because old habits die hard).

Well, part of the hold up is that they are installing those fancy brick pavers on the crosswalks. They were doing that last week and it looks mostly done. They are also painting the the bike lane from K to M green, which is also coming along quickly. I have no training in construction or civil engineering, but I dont see why it wouldn’t be done in two weeks. With that said, probably a month! (Hopefully I am being sarcastic).

I don’t mess around with North Capital. I just jump on the sidewalk from K to M.

[Greenbelt]

They put down the bike lane symbols and it looked like they were done by Union Station, but then painted over them in the green lane paint, then put the symbols back down.

I’m hoping the green paint isn’t slippery when wet.

[CPTJohnC]

@skins_brew 84434 wrote:

Well, part of the hold up is that they are installing those fancy brick pavers on the crosswalks. They were doing that last week and it looks mostly done. They are also painting the the bike lane from K to M green, which is also coming along quickly. I have no training in construction or civil engineering, but I dont see why it wouldn’t be done in two weeks. With that said, probably a month! (Hopefully I am being sarcastic).

I don’t mess around with North Capital. I just jump on the sidewalk from K to M.

I’ve done that a few times, but I hate using the sidewalk, so if I know it will be obstructed, I just take North Capital – I got in the habit when the original construction started and they killed the old bike lanes and made the street one way.

Does anyone know what the final plan is for the stretch from G St. up to the bike / pedestrian crossing in front of union St. (at Mass Ave)? I feel like the bike lanes just end on the wrong side of the street, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Admittedly, there’s little traffic there, but still…

[skins_brew]

@CPTJohnC 84475 wrote:

I’ve done that a few times, but I hate using the sidewalk, so if I know it will be obstructed, I just take North Capital – I got in the habit when the original construction started and they killed the old bike lanes and made the street one way.

Does anyone know what the final plan is for the stretch from G St. up to the bike / pedestrian crossing in front of union St. (at Mass Ave)? I feel like the bike lanes just end on the wrong side of the street, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Admittedly, there’s little traffic there, but still…

That little stretch should technically be a one way street. I think the only possible way a car could even get in a position to go “down” it is if they made a U-turn from the Union Station garage ramp.

Keep an eye out on that little service tunnel that goes into union station. One of the closest calls I have ever had involved one of those golf carts that transport disabled/fat passengers. The dude came peeling out of the tunnel and I came damn close to T-Boning him.

[Greenbelt]

@skins_brew 84527 wrote:

That little stretch should technically be a one way street. I think the only possible way a car could even get in a position to go “down” it is if they made a U-turn from the Union Station garage ramp.

Keep an eye out on that little service tunnel that goes into union station. One of the closest calls I have ever had involved one of those golf carts that transport disabled/fat passengers. The dude came peeling out of the tunnel and I came damn close to T-Boning him.

Kamikaze peds in that area too. Looking at their phones and using their ears to check “traffic” before entering roadway, which of course doesn’t warn them from approaching bikes. Fortunately, the pavement is so rough and it’s uphill (at least in the morning) so I’m going slow enough that I could easily stop for them.

[skins_brew]

@Greenbelt 84437 wrote:

They put down the bike lane symbols and it looked like they were done by Union Station, but then painted over them in the green lane paint, then put the symbols back down.

I’m hoping the green paint isn’t slippery when wet.

ughh, bike lane is still not open and today i spotted large steal plates in the bike lane where that automated gate is at between M an L. Unknown if they are just sitting there or if they had to open up the street below.

I was half thinking today that maybe they will open the lanes on BTWD. Here’s hoping!

[Harry Meatmotor]

didn’t snag a picture (cause my phone is a POS) but it looks like DDOT is adding zebra curbing to the portion of the cycletrack that’s been painted green. so there’s that…

[Author]

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