2-Wk Custis Trail Detour, Aug 24-Sep 6

This topic has 38 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 10 months ago by mstone.

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August 20, 2020 at 9:00 pm #921968

Henry
Keymaster

From VDOT:

Custis Trail to Close at Bon Air Park in Arlington for

Two Weeks, August 24-September 6

Detour in place during construction of new trail roundabout

FAIRFAX – The Custis Trail will close in Arlington’s Bon Air Park between the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail and the I-66 underpass for up to two weeks for construction to create a roundabout to enhance safety for trail users. The closure is planned from Monday, August 24, through Sunday, September 6. Detour signs will be posted to direct pedestrians, cyclists, and other trail users around the closure. This work is being done as a component of the Transform 66 Inside the Beltway Eastbound Widening Project.

A posted detour will route users around the closure using the W&OD Trail, Wilson Boulevard, N. Lexington Street, and N. 9th Road to reach the bike/pedestrian bridge over I-66. Delineators will be placed temporarily on a short span of Wilson Boulevard to separate cyclists from vehicle traffic and provide a wider bike lane to allow cyclists to travel in both directions for about 500 feet. The sidewalk on the north side of Wilson Boulevard will also be available for trail users.

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A roundabout is being constructed on the south side of the Custis Trail I-66 underpass to improve safety and sightlines for pedestrians, cyclists, and other users of the Custis Trail and Bon Air Park. The Custis Trail remains closed under I-66 for safety reasons while an additional travel lane is added overhead. The trail is expected to fully reopen in late October 2020.

The I-66 Eastbound Widening Project will add a travel lane along four miles of eastbound I-66 and install approximately 12,000 linear feet of new and replacement noise barriers. The project also includes constructing a new direct access ramp from eastbound I-66 to the West Falls Church Metro Station at the Route 7 interchange, and a new W&OD Trail bridge over Lee Highway (Route 29). Learn more about the project at inside.transform66.org.

On Twitter, follow VDOT Northern Virginia at @VaDOTNOVA.

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August 25, 2020 at 1:10 pm #1091163

DrP
Participant

New detour is poorly marked. Heading NW on W&OD there are no signs after one goes under Wilson Blvd to indicate that this would be a good place to turn if one wanted the Custis Trail. I knew I would need to, so I did. They have blocked off twice the width of the bike lane, but have a sign to tell cyclists to dismount (why? Isn’t that why it was blocked off?). When reaching N. Lexington St, there is a sign to turn left on to it. There are no other signs what to do next. Since I know that there is a trail through Bon Air park that ends at a T on the trail near the overpass I take that. Well, at the T it is blocked. It is also blocked in the other direction at N. Lexington. It looks like the intention was for people to take N Lexington to the trail and go to the overpass.

Other people were confused. There was one person walking their bike overland from the area of the shelter, I gather from the W&OD-Custis intersection. There were several people at the blocked trail and the N Lexington entrance. So, I am guessing that it is poorly marked at that location and at the Custis intersection.

Who designs these detours and signs them? There needs to be signs at least:
*NW direction of trail after Wilson underpass;
*Signs on N Lexington to indicate that it is the direction at the Bon Air parking lot entrances (both of them);
*More signs explaining the detour at the N Lexington entrance to the trail in both directions;
*Remove the dismount sign; and
*I am guessing more signs at the W&OD-Custis intersection.

August 25, 2020 at 2:54 pm #1106360

Henry
Keymaster

DrP, I forwarded your comments to DES staff, who said they are working with VDOT improving the detour signage. Thanks for providing this information.

Henry

August 28, 2020 at 6:26 pm #1106380

Steve O
Participant

Poor detour signage is a constant problem, and it happens every.single.time.

I do not know what is so hard about someone actually getting on a bike and riding along (or walking if they don’t have a bike), following the signs, to see if they work. That would seem to be something that should be standard practice for immediately after the signs are placed.

August 30, 2020 at 8:53 pm #1106388

ursus
Participant

Riding from DC on the Custis and then heading west on the W&OD, there are now five detours within about two miles. 😮

September 3, 2020 at 2:28 pm #1106420

DrP
Participant

@Henry 202095 wrote:

DrP, I forwarded your comments to DES staff, who said they are working with VDOT improving the detour signage. Thanks for providing this information.

Henry

Well, there are now two signs on Lexington to help guide, if one is on the sidewalk, and the “walk bike” sign removed, so some progress. There is nothing at the split at the top of the hill (when coming from the W&OD) and nothing to tell someone heading west that one needs to turn after the Wilson underpass – if I didn’t know, I would ride to the Custis trail then have to turn around and go back.

This should be done soon, right?

September 6, 2020 at 9:47 pm #1106456

ursus
Participant

This detour has been eliminated.

September 8, 2020 at 1:15 pm #1106471

accordioneur
Participant

I like the expanded pavement area which will make it easier to negotiate the “S” turn. I’m not sure I see the benefit of the raised curb circle in the middle of it.

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September 8, 2020 at 2:23 pm #1106474

Starduster
Participant

@accordioneur 202220 wrote:

I like the expanded pavement area which will make it easier to negotiate the “S” turn. I’m not sure I see the benefit of the raised curb circle in the middle of it.

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We have a traffic circle on a bike path.

We have a traffic circle on a bike path!

Is this new design practice?

September 8, 2020 at 2:28 pm #1106476

huskerdont
Participant

@Starduster 202223 wrote:

We have a traffic circle on a bike path.

We have a traffic circle on a bike path!

Is this new design practice?

I’ve seen it in Massachusetts (Cape Cod) where two trails merge, but not locally.

September 8, 2020 at 2:45 pm #1106477

DanB
Participant

Looks like you could easily fit 8 bollards on that island. [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

September 8, 2020 at 2:51 pm #1106478

Fairlington124
Participant

Racers on road bikes will hate the circle.

Every other casual rider will love it.

September 9, 2020 at 12:49 pm #1106492

Sunyata
Participant

@Fairlington124 202228 wrote:

Racers on road bikes will hate the circle.

Every other casual rider will love it.

Mountain bikers on commuter bikes will also love it.
#WWDD

September 9, 2020 at 6:01 pm #1106499

Judd
Participant

@Sunyata 202245 wrote:

Mountain bikers on commuter bikes will also love it.
#WWDD

It appears that the Elite button is back.

September 10, 2020 at 1:24 pm #1106503

dbb
Participant

I rode it in the dark, for the first time, this morning and was a bit surprised by the sharp corner coming out on the uphill side (following the detour). Initial impression is that many cyclists are likely to go through the circle on the wrong side when heading eastbound after the bridgework is complete. That may get exciting.

September 10, 2020 at 2:42 pm #1106506

ursus
Participant

@dbb 202259 wrote:

I rode it in the dark, for the first time, this morning and was a bit surprised by the sharp corner coming out on the uphill side (following the detour). Initial impression is that many cyclists are likely to go through the circle on the wrong side when heading eastbound after the bridgework is complete. That may get exciting.

Agreed. If they want those who want to follow the rules but don’t go there daily to go on the correct side, they will have to put up several signs.
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