Columbia Pike & Four Mile Run Intersection — When Will It Get Better?

[KLizotte]

Do you mean Columbia Pike and the WO&D?

[hoffsquared]

Yes…

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KLizotte 60430 wrote:

Do you mean Columbia Pike and the WO&D?

Same thing…Four Mile Run drive intersects Columbia Pike right there.

[Dickie]

Dbb could probably best answer this, but it appears to me that they are slowly working on it each day…. and by slow I mean snails have climbed the Alps faster. I saw workers aimlessly wandering around there in the drizzle this week.

[hozn]

Use 4MRT instead? I [almost] never ride that section of the W&OD; it’s horrible with all the lights even when there’s no construction. Of course, I could see that if you need to get on/off somewhere in that section then 4MRT may not work.

[rcannon100]

Why I dont ride on 4MR: Woman Dies After Being Hit By Cyclist, Summer 2012 (accident was on 4MR at the Columbia Pike area, I believe on those really steep hills). WOD may be more inconvenient with the stops at the intersections; but it is safer in terms of bicycle / pedestrian conflicts.

(4MR is twisty / turny – with small steep hills, but avoids road crossings. It doesnt intersect with Columbia Pike, it goes under it on a small steep hill, over a cement bridge over the stream, and then with a tight turn)

[birddog]

4MRT technically goes under the columbia pike bridge right there – only to meet up with the W&OD later on. But the trail is not kept up as nice and has more elevation changes and turns.

JUST BE SURE NOT TO SHOAL RIGHT THERE. If you’re the second or seventh person to arrive at that intersection, just wait behind the person in front of you. You can ELITE yourself AFTER going through the intersection.

[rcannon100]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3461[/ATTACH]

What’s wrong with this picture?

[Subby]

It’s pretty ridiculous. I tweeted the picture to them, too.

[rcannon100]

From @ArlingtonDES

Staff already planning to visit site this PM to see if/when the detour can be removed or improved.

[dbb]

I am not sure I have any information to add. But I will offer an observation (yes, I know you are shocked:)).

The light timing is such that even Dickie might be induced to cross on red. Yesterday morning (about 0900), I waited several minutes for the light to change to allow me to continue down towards Shirlington. I counted seven cars on Arlington Mill Drive (?) waiting to turn onto Columbia Pike and virtually no traffic on Columbia Pike. It would appear that the road work has caused the Arlington Mill Drive roadway sensors to be inoperative.

It was no better this morning heading up towards the Custis.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dbb 60570 wrote:

I am not sure I have any information to add. But I will offer an observation (yes, I know you are shocked:)).

The light timing is such that even Dickie might be induced to cross on red. Yesterday morning (about 0900), I waited several minutes for the light to change to allow me to continue down towards Shirlington. I counted seven cars on Arlington Mill Drive (?) waiting to turn onto Columbia Pike and virtually no traffic on Columbia Pike. It would appear that the road work has caused the Arlington Mill Drive roadway sensors to be inoperative.

It was no better this morning heading up towards the Custis.

It doesn’t help that the ped crossing has a beg button, which is unreachable on the eastern side due to the construction, and difficult to reach on the western side due to its non-alignment with the curb cut.

[MattAune]

WTF. I took the long way home last night and sat at this light for at least 5 minutes while I was waiting to go westbound on the WOD.

I am the first to stop at the intersection so I must have just missed the walk signal. The walk signal is active for peds who wish to cross Four Mile Run Drive, after a couple minutes they get a don’t walk signal. The vehicular traffic from four mile run then gets a green light, however WOD users DO NOT get a signal to cross columbia pike. At this point a few eastbound users cross anyway and one super elite cyclists squeezes around me to run the light. Vehicular signals change so Columbia Pike has a green and the walk signal activates to cross Four Mile Run Dr. After a couple minutes the walk signal goes red, however the vehicular signals do not change, then the walk signal activates again for peds to cross Four Mile Run Dr. I sit there for a couple more minutes before the light turn red for vehicles on Columbia Pike and WOD users finally get a walk signal.

Is this normal for this intersection? I usually take custis home, and will continue to do so I think. I forgot how many at grade intersections there are on the WOD between Columbia Pike and Shirlington.

[consularrider]

@MattAune 61800 wrote:

WTF. I took the long way home last night and sat at this light for at least 5 minutes while I was waiting to go westbound on the WOD.

I am the first to stop at the intersection so I must have just missed the walk signal. The walk signal is active for peds who wish to cross Four Mile Run Drive, after a couple minutes they get a don’t walk signal. The vehicular traffic from four mile run then gets a green light, however WOD users DO NOT get a signal to cross columbia pike. At this point a few eastbound users cross anyway and one super elite cyclists squeezes around me to run the light. Vehicular signals change so Columbia Pike has a green and the walk signal activates to cross Four Mile Run Dr. After a couple minutes the walk signal goes red, however the vehicular signals do not change, then the walk signal activates again for peds to cross Four Mile Run Dr. I sit there for a couple more minutes before the light turn red for vehicles on Columbia Pike and WOD users finally get a walk signal.

Is this normal for this intersection? I usually take custis home, and will continue to do so I think. I forgot how many at grade intersections there are on the WOD between Columbia Pike and Shirlington.

I have to admit I am confused by the 4 Mile Run Dr/Columbia Pike/W&OD Trail intersection and the traffic lights. My impression is that traffic on 4 Mile Run will only get a green if there is a vehicle in the left turn lane or someone presses the button for the pedestrian light to cross Columbia Pike. But then sometimes the pedestrian light will change when there has been no one near the button. I’ve ranted about this light for years. In addition, the shoaling on the west side of Columbia Pike by the W&OD trail users adds to the mess. The pedestrians/runners/cyclists heading east will fill every inch of the curb cuts (and then some) making surprised we don’t have head on collisions with trail users heading west. Just like at Walter Reed and Arlington Mill, there is no way for an eastbound trail user to go straight and get to the street because the left turning cars don’t have to yield. Add into the mix the impatient drivers trying to turn right onto Columbia Pike from 4 Mile Run and this circus isn’t just clowning around.

[Hancockbs]

Another week has passed with seemingly zero work being done at this intersection. There doesn’t appear to be much work remaining. Can’t they just fill in the holes and make it much less hazardous?

[Author]

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