Good News on Infrastructure thread

[ursus]

@lordofthemark 218988 wrote:

Phase 2 of the Wharf is well on its way. While the buildings have not opened yet, the western half of the second phase of the sidewalk level cycle track s now open, looks great. More like bike lanes than phase 1, and the sidewalk is a bit wider, so may function more like actual bike lanes. You still get dumped onto Maine for now, the last bit of the cycle track is not done yet.

Further good news (which I have wanted for some time) is that the cycle track in front of Wharf Phase 1 has been repainted – yes, the bike symbols and arrows are back, and there is even green paint as you approach the “street” crossings.

It’s still far from the best facility in the area, but I am hopeful it will function better in the near future than it has in the recent past.

Also to note, further construction on the oval at Potomac and South Cap. Still some ways before it’s comfortable going from the bike lanes on Potomac SW to those on Potomac SE.

Hopefully they don’t allow the new painting to fade. It also would be nice if they fixed all of the potholes near the northwest end of Phase 1.

You probably don’t have this problem since you are biking to work, but there now is a bike/Segway touring company which completely blocks the path when a tour is being assembled. Perhaps the worst part is people testing their bikes/Segways, especially the latter, move randomly and often not in control before their tour starts.

[lordofthemark]

@ursus 218989 wrote:

Hopefully they don’t allow the new painting to fade. It also would be nice if they fixed all of the potholes near the northwest end of Phase 1.

You probably don’t have this problem since you are biking to work, but there now is a bike/Segway touring company which completely blocks the path when a tour is being assembled. Perhaps the worst part is people testing their bikes/Segways, especially the latter, move randomly and often not in control before their tour starts.

Oh, I do sometimes run into the bike tour people when I am commuting home in the evenings. They are mostly in control, but I do find myself calling “hold your line please” when they go past. Just one more Wharfle Track treat. At least maybe pedestrians will get more likely to expect bikes as a result?

And yeah, the potholes remain an issue.

[CaseyKane50]

After being closed for several days to tear out the existing sidewalk on the west side of the bridge,

a new slightly wider sidewalk has been installed.

Note, the sidewalk does not extend to the jersey barriers.

[Tania]

One of those shiny new bldgs at 7th and Maine will be occupied with about 600 people come Monday morning.

[ursus]

@ursus 218989 wrote:

Hopefully they don’t allow the new painting to fade. It also would be nice if they fixed all of the potholes near the northwest end of Phase 1.

It’s faded a lot in about two weeks. The painting in the section in front of Phase 2 doesn’t have this problem. They probably used a different material for the pavement.

[bikesnick]

[Not specific to our area, but this might be of interest.]

National study offers new bike count models: Combining traditional counters and emerging GPS data

Date: July 15, 2022
Source: Portland State University
Summary:
To ensure bicyclists’ needs are considered when improving a transportation system, planners and engineers need to know how many people are biking, and where. Traditional bike counters provide data for limited sections of the bike network, often these counters are installed at important locations like trails or bridges. While limited in location, they count everyone who bikes through. Meanwhile, GPS & mobile data cover the entire transportation network, but that data only represents those travelers who are using smartphones or GPS. Combining the traditional location-based data sources with this new, crowdsourced data offer better accuracy than any could provide alone.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220715085010.htm

[bikesnick]

There will be a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge over 495 at Tysons.
It is not opened yet, but there is progress on the (closed) trail. It is expected to be finished this fall according to a FFXNow post.

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View coming from Old Meadow Road

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View of the turn to cross over the Beltway/495

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View going back from the closed bridge towards Old Meadow Road

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View from Tysons mall, near AMC and BN

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View of bridge still needing railings

[bentbike33]

@bikesnick 219907 wrote:

There will be a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge over 495 at Tysons.
It is not opened yet, but there is progress on the (closed) trail. It is expected to be finished this fall according to a FFXNow post.
…

While it is a nice idea to provide a bike/ped alternative to dodging the slingshot ramps of the Rte. 7-Beltway interchange to get to the Tysons mall, the east end of the bridge is not particularly convenient. All the cross streets between Magarity Rd. and Old Meadow Rd. until Anderson/Dartford/Mitre complex/Chain Bridge Rd. are claimed as private roads by the apartment/condo complexes in the area. I guess it’s easy enough to ride through their gates, but it’s also technically trespassing.

[lordofthemark]

Quick summary of several projects in DC and Arlington (not including temporary detours)

Recently opened – DC – Wharfletrack Phase 2. Various PBLs around Kenyon and Warder. Arlington – Short Bridge trail. section of SB PBL on Crystal Drive

About to open – DC. PBLs on North Carolina and C NE, in Capitol Hill. Added routes through the oval at north end of FDM bridge

Almost done – Under construction, close to done – DC – 9th street cycle track. Monroe cycle track

Under construction – early stages or nominal Arlington – Boundary Channel connector. Army Navy Drive Cycle Track

Moving ahead in pipeline – DC – Eye Street SE/SW PBLs. Connecticut Avenue PBLs (?) Arlington – connection from Short Bridge trail to Potomac Avenue

[LhasaCM]

@lordofthemark 220392 wrote:

Quick summary of several projects in DC and Arlington (not including temporary detours)

Recently opened – DC – Wharfletrack Phase 2. Various PBLs around Kenyon and Warder. Arlington – Short Bridge trail. section of SB PBL on Crystal Drive

About to open – DC. PBLs on North Carolina and C NE, in Capitol Hill. Added routes through the oval at north end of FDM bridge

Almost done – Under construction, close to done – DC – 9th street cycle track. Monroe cycle track

Under construction – early stages or nominal Arlington – Boundary Channel connector. Army Navy Drive Cycle Track

Moving ahead in pipeline – DC – Eye Street SE/SW PBLs. Connecticut Avenue PBLs (?) Arlington – connection from Short Bridge trail to Potomac Avenue

Also moving ahead in the pipeline in DC: PBLs on Bladensburg Road(!!!)

[Smitty2k1]

Wow that feels like so much stuff!!

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[JustinW]

Nitpick – shouldn’t sharrows be in the center of the travel lane?

Recent repainting on Dinwiddie has placed many sharrows adjacent to the “parking lane” and not centered in the path of travel. Not that sharrows are the perfect solution anyway, but is this something worth re-doing? (Sorry about the pic orientation)

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[CaseyKane50]

@JustinW 220455 wrote:

Nitpick – shouldn’t sharrows be in the center of the travel lane?

Recent repainting on Dinwiddie has placed many sharrows adjacent to the “parking lane” and not centered in the path of travel. Not that sharrows are the perfect solution anyway, but is this something worth re-doing? (Sorry about the pic orientation)

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Unfortunately, the MUTCD does not require centering the Sharrows, but provides a recommendation for minimum placement.

Lateral placement is critical to encourage riders to avoid the “door zone” and to encourage safe passing behavior. MUTCD guidance recommends minimum placement when a parking lane is present at 11 feet from the curb face.

See Section 9C-9 Shared Lane Marking in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices

[lordofthemark]

So, this is really tiny, but it fixes what had been a big annoyance to me over 8 years, at the western end of the Lucky Run Trail, by the Arlington/Alexandria line, near King and Beauregard/WalterReed

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[Steve O]

I scoped out the boardwalk that is being built to replace the current detour on the 4-Mile Run trail at the south end of Eads St., where Dominion is working on the substation.
This looks very nice. Not sure when it will be officially open.

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[Author]

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