Aug 2020 Road & Trail conditions

[mikoglaces]

Rode in on the W&OD and Custis from Dunn Loring today. Once, along 4 mile run, and then under a bridge on Custis, I went through a puddle so deep (and pretty long too) that my feet and therefore hubs and bottom bracket were totally underwater. But there was a tailwind so it was great. Notably, the drain on the Custis where it runs along the apartments as you approach Lee Highway was not clogged and there was no puddle. No trees or bid branches down.

[dbb]

I rode the FMR and bottom part of W&OD about 0800. Trail was clear but there was a lot of water over the trail at the Carlin Springs underpass

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I think the NOVA Parks folks and Arlington are going to, wait for it, have to work together to get the culvert just upstream of the underpass improved. It seems to clog with just about every rainstorm.

[dbb]

I think Steve O took a swing at this a while back but now its my turn.

The newly repaved FMR trail behind the Apex apartments just upstream of Ridge Road/Mount Vernon Ave isn’t working. The water on the trail was several inches deep and wasn’t making it to the three upstream drainage grates. The grates seem to be too high (so little water makes it in), mulch is washing from the beds onto the trail, the one that works (a dome shaped inlet) gets clogged with mulch, and a swale from the property seems to be directing the water onto the trail. Aside from that, it is working, well, swimmingly.

A hard rain in cold weather will likely result in an ice rink.

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[Starduster]

#dbb: I didn’t remember seeing that drainage gravel when I rode through Saturday for #sizzlingsummercentury! Guess the complex’s groundskeepers got tired of having to buy more mulch. One problem solved ,another created.

[dbb]

So I took a look at the Apex drainage this morning.

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The sidewalk that is higher than the trail and the planted/mulched beds sloping down to the trail are delivering stormwater and mulch to the trail. This is compounded by a slight hump between the trail and the grates that has plants (second pic) and the stones that collect the mulch and prevent drainage.

On the downstream end, the swale appears to be bringing rainwater from the interior of the project to trailside. It may also be picking up water from the parking lot of the elevated building between the Apex and the townhomes as well.

I’m seeing a strongly worded letter to Arlington construction permitting folks before the project gets final approval in my future.

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