February 2016 Road and Trail Conditions – Is there still snow/ice out there?

[Melinda]

@americancyclo 134691 wrote:

Clement MSO 40c tires. more of a gravel tire, but you’ll be fine on slicks!

Thanks to everyone with their responses re W&OD. I rode in without incident on Gatorskins 25c. I was a little nervous on the snow but I stayed upright! I would have been a little more confident with different tires but didn’t feel like swapping wheels this morning.

[Steve O]

@Tania 134722 wrote:

but I can meander down to Wakefield Chapel road but that puts me on Braddock longer than I’d like (there may be a acceptable shoulder though, I’ve never ridden on Braddock…)

Braddock has a good shoulder in that vicinity, but is still unpleasant to ride on due to car speeds. There is often gravel and debris on the shoulder and it goes away at intersections. That’s actually a pretty short ride on Braddock from Wakefield Chapel to the shopping center and I think you have a shoulder the whole way. Take a left out of WC with the light, put it in high gear, and you’ll make it most of the way there before the traffic even catches you!

[reji]

@Tania 134722 wrote:

Anyone been on the Cross County Trail down by Wakefield? I need to get from Dunn Loring to near the Safeway at Braddock and 495 (Port Royal Road).

Normally I’d take the CCT (because it’s more interesting) but I can meander down to Wakefield Chapel road but that puts me on Braddock longer than I’d like (there may be a acceptable shoulder though, I’ve never ridden on Braddock…)

The Safeway is gone. There’s now a Lotte (Asian market) in its place.

[scoot]

@Steve O 134734 wrote:

@Tania 134722 wrote:

but I can meander down to Wakefield Chapel road but that puts me on Braddock longer than I’d like (there may be a acceptable shoulder though, I’ve never ridden on Braddock…)

Braddock has a good shoulder in that vicinity, but is still unpleasant to ride on due to car speeds. There is often gravel and debris on the shoulder and it goes away at intersections. That’s actually a pretty short ride on Braddock from Wakefield Chapel to the shopping center and I think you have a shoulder the whole way. Take a left out of WC with the light, put it in high gear, and you’ll make it most of the way there before the traffic even catches you!

You could also push the pedestrian crossing button at WC/Braddock. That will give you more time before the herd of automobiles on Braddock gets a green light behind you. (Although it might also anger some of the drivers!)

This part of Braddock is roughly flat until Inverchapel, then it starts going up. I would consider bailing over to Adair Ln between Inverchapel and Queensberry, because that’s where it starts going uphill: the cars will catch up to you there and be fighting each other for lane position at the 495 interchange. East of Queensberry, there is a sidewalk. Also the shoulder between Inverchapel and Queensberry is very narrow and rocky.

Do Braddock Rd bus riders actually use those unsignalized crosswalks to and from the stops? That’s like painting crosswalks on the Beltway.

[Tania]

@scoot 134746 wrote:

You could also push the pedestrian crossing button at WC/Braddock. That will give you more time before the herd of automobiles on Braddock gets a green light behind you. (Although it might also anger some of the drivers!)

This part of Braddock is roughly flat until Inverchapel, then it starts going up. I would consider bailing over to Adair Ln between Inverchapel and Queensberry, because that’s where it starts going uphill: the cars will catch up to you there and be fighting each other for lane position at the 495 interchange. East of Queensberry, there is a sidewalk. Also the shoulder between Inverchapel and Queensberry is very narrow and rocky.

Do Braddock Rd bus riders actually use those unsignalized crosswalks to and from the stops? That’s like painting crosswalks on the Beltway.

Thanks! I was actually thinking about taking Adair because I believe then I can cut over into the shopping center pretty quickly once I’m back on Braddock (sidewalk!).

I’m just being a chicken. I’ve ridden the CCT a few times and the road (at least to WC and Queen Elizabeth) a gazillion times. And, it’s not like I don’t have a mid-fat 27.5+ bike that I could totally take on the CCT not to mention the ONLY snow that’s left are the big piles created by snow plows. The “what if” part of my brain is in overdrive. What if I have an issue on the CCT? How many people are going to be out in the freezing cold that early on a Sat if I fall and break something? Did I turn off the coffee maker this am? Did I forget chapstick, again?

[KWL]

@Rootchopper 134729 wrote:

I managed to make it across Trollheim this morning despite the boards being very icy. Someone heading south bound wasn’t so lucky. There was a smush mark in the snow where someone apparently went down. Be careful out there.

Was Trollheim still icy this afternoon? Do I need to ride with studs to assure a safe passage tomorrow morning?

[DrP]

I did not see any icy patches on Trollheim at ~5:30 today. No guarantees that there weren’t pieces here and there, but not patches for slipping.

[Steve O]

@Tania 134750 wrote:

How many people are going to be out in the freezing cold that early on a Sat

You’re doing this on Saturday morning? Totally take Braddock; no big deal. The cars will still drive fast, but there won’t be all that many, and they won’t be stressed about having been stuck somewhere already and annoyed at a bike off in the shoulder. I think you have nothing to be concerned about.

[Rockford10]

bump

[bobco85]

Arlington – northbound on George Mason Drive near Four Mile Run in Arlington – there is an ice sheet covering the corner of George Mason Dr/Buchanan St including the bike lane. You will have to enter the traffic lane to get around it.

Arlington – trail access to W&OD from Park Drive – large snow pile that was left in the street nearby was melting and leaving streams of water across the trail access that would freeze making things very hazardous. This morning, I noticed that the snow pile had been plowed off the street and off the trail access. It should be a lot safer now.

[scoot]

@scoot 134746 wrote:

East of Queensberry, there is a sidewalk.

I need to correct this statement. Sort of.

There is a sidewalk. But of course, VDOT left large gifts all over it in January. I had the opportunity to observe the status from my car a few hours ago. (Sadly, taking night classes at GMU Fairfax has me driving much more than biking as of late). Tough to see while driving past in the dark, but that sidewalk looked like it will not be rideable for weeks.

[huskerdont]

@scoot 134878 wrote:

I need to correct this statement. Sort of.

There is a sidewalk. But of course, VDOT left large gifts all over it in January. I had the opportunity to observe the status from my car a few hours ago. (Sadly, taking night classes at GMU Fairfax has me driving much more than biking as of late). Tough to see while driving past in the dark, but that sidewalk looked like it will not be rideable for weeks.

If only VDOT could learn from Finland:

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/feb/12/ice-cycles-northerly-world-cities-winter-bicycle-revolution#comment-68547208

[Tania]

Be ready for a fun ride home:

Capital Weather Gang says Evening snow blitz LIKELY with icy road threat, 5-11 p.m. Friday:

“The National Weather Service says “stay informed and be ready to adjust travel plans”. This is sage advice as snow showers Friday evening have the potential to make a mess of area roads.

As a strong Arctic cold front charges into the region this evening, a line of snow showers is likely to move through that may quickly cover road surfaces with an icy, slick film.

We are not expecting a lot of snow and it will pass quickly but, as we’ve seen from past events (see Jan. 20, the Wed. night before the blizzard), it doesn’t take substantial amounts to lead to major problems on the roads when temperatures and road surfaces are subfreezing – as they will be tonight.”

[vern]

Oh good, more snow on slicks. It worked the other morning so I’m sure it will be fine this evening (as long as it is powdery).

[DrP]

Bluemont Glacier is receding (with a little help from the county) now possible to pass it on the trail, with the minor exception near the restroom building, but the area is easy to ride on.

[Author]

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