Arlington Blvd/Rt 50 Trail Thread

[Tim Kelley]

Things aren’t looking good. This is heading north from the Courthouse exit on Washington Blvd on the west side of Route 50 to where it meets Fairfax Dr.

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Last year the response I got from Arlington County was that it was VDOT’s responsibility to maintain it. VDOT’s response was yes it’s was their responsibility to maintain it, but no, they weren’t going to maintain it. I’m looking into who at VDOT is the correct person to ask about this.

I’ve started this as a separate thread because it’s probably more useful as a place to talk about how we can get it cleared instead of the actual it’s in.

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[Tim Kelley]

A few more pictures:

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[Tim Kelley]

[Steve O]

@Tim Kelley 134719 wrote:

A few more pictures:

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Is VDOT responsible for maintaining the integrity of the trail even if they don’t take responsibility for clearing snow? Should this be reported?

[americancyclo]

@Tgl4 134499 wrote:

That’s exactly what I encountered today trying to check out the conditions on my normal commute route (Pershing to Rt 50 to Memorial bridge and along the Mall). Really frustrating as there’s not really another good way to get to Iwo Jima that doesn’t involve navigating Rosslyn during rush hour, which I don’t think I’m confident enough to do. If that’s what it looks like after rain and 60 degree temps I’m looking at a much longer time out of commission than I anticipated.

You could always take Barton north from pershing to 10th St and get on the trail there. It’s a clear shot from 10th st along the north side of the ABT to Iwo Jima. Just watch out for that last surviving snow pile “right” at the crosswalk near iwo jima. It almost makes it seem like it was done on purpose.

[Tim Kelley]

The latest from State Senator Ebbin:

“Hey Tim,

This is Chris Leyen, Adam Ebbin’s legislative aide. I wanted to give you an update on this as we continue to look for solutions toward addressing this issue.

First off, I want to thank you for continuing to voice the concerns of those who rely on multi-modal transportation. We have been in contact with both Arlington’s Department of Parks and Recreation and VDOT to determine what steps we can take to address the current situation and to ensure that responsibility can be taken for this section of trail and other high-use corridors. We have been looking into this issue since you have brought it to our attention, and just today, our office discussed this issue at length internally and also with VDOT.

Here’s the situation currently:
The trails are under VDOTs jurisdiction, but with thousands of miles of trails throughout the state, and a lack of available funding and appropriate trail-clearing resources to tackle the issue statewide, VDOT has said its policy is to not plow trails. Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation does have trail-clearing equipment, but does not have the funding allocated to be able to take on this process, nor is the section of trail under their jurisdiction. As of our last discussion, they do not have the ability to address this.

What we are doing now to address this current issue, and any potential blockage caused by future snowstorms, is to bring together state and local entities to attempt to craft policies that address the needs of our biking community after a storm, and, in the event that VDOT equipment is not used to clear the paths, to create an emergency permit process, or other measure that would allow a contractor to address this issue. The other prong of this approach that we are pursuing, is how to acquire funding at either the state or local level to finance the snow removal.

Thank you again for staying on top of this issue, and we are working toward a solution.

– Chris”

[mstone]

It should be painfully obvious at this point that if VDOT did NOTHING AT ALL the trails would be clear by now. What we should demand as a minimum is that they don’t make things worse by piling snow mountains where people need free access. That should be the baseline: if there isn’t money to clear trails, fine–but don’t spend taxpayer dollars to make trails inaccessible. Given the forecasts for the next week, many trails/sidepaths/sidewalks will likely still be impassible a full month after the snow.

[bentbike33]

@mstone 134840 wrote:

It should be painfully obvious at this point that if VDOT did NOTHING AT ALL the trails would be clear by now. What we should demand as a minimum is that they don’t make things worse by piling snow mountains where people need free access. That should be the baseline: if there isn’t money to clear trails, fine–but don’t spend taxpayer dollars to make trails inaccessible. Given the forecasts for the next week, many trails/sidepaths/sidewalks will likely still be impassible a full month after the snow.

Indeed, aside from the remains of the Humpback Glacier, all the remaining snow piles I see were created with end-loaders. Their operators need better instructions.

[Tim Kelley]

Just got off the phone with a productive chat with Senator Ebbin’s legislative aid. It sounds like they “get it” and are looking at trying to get things fixed in the short term, but also see that a larger shift in policy (or exception to policy) is what will make VDOT trail clearing sustainable in the future.

[Tgl4]

Was out on Saturday and the south/east side of the Rt. 50 trail is passable now. Still some snow piled up and the clear parts near them are narrow, but with caution it is rideable.

[Author]

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