Good News on Infrastructure thread

[Starduster]

We have family and Family of Choice in Phoenix metro and Tucson. Sonoran Valley, Arizona. Weather was officially reversed today. We hit 80, they had 50’s. So I thought, I should go for a bike ride. Coffeeneuring stop and pet food stop, then to the river.

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The willows are budding. This is *early*.

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Good news- the Crystal City Connector, new version, is complete. Easy climb in my 38 x 24 gear.

On to the substation boardwalk.
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Oh. Bugger.

So off to S. Glebe. Problem- way too much road furniture in the way.
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Continuez…

[Starduster]

@ South Eads & Four Mile Run:

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We await the needed marking and ramp improvements so we may ride safely. Have patience, they said. Doctors have patients. I’m not a Doctor.

I looked carefully, there are *no* street lights south of the intersection with S. Glebe. Incidental light from the substation will not be enough. I run a high performance lighting system on the Trek. Not everyone has that, or can afford such.

I will at least close with some good news. The West Glebe Rd. bridge is nearing completion.
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[Steve O]

@Starduster 224596 wrote:

Arlington County knows. This is now on the construction company.

No, it’s not. Arlington needs to own this until the construction company fixes it.
I will keep my eye out for some unneeded construction cones. For now, placing those alongside the curb can help.

[Starduster]

An update on the Southgate/Columbia Pike detour: Today, I got a response via email from Public Affairs at ANC. It is copied below:

Good Evening Mr. Fuchs,

I’m writing to address concerns you shared via our call center on Feb. 15 tied to our Southern Expansion project.

As part of the DAR construction project, constant maintenance of all the existing temporary traffic control devices is applied across the entire site. Sweeper and water-spray trucks are deployed on a regular basis, as part of site maintenance of the roadways. In addition to the constant maintenance, FHWA and ANC have been performing site investigations during the day and night hours.

In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Arlington County Government (ACG), ANC appreciates the opportunity to provide you with the below updates:

1. FHWA has been refreshing the existing pavement markings, that have been worn down or deteriorated. Doing so will increase their visibility to roadway users especially during night hours.

2. Striping patterns at sharp curves and the signalized intersection will be undergoing modifications, to match the current/temporary traffic operations and improve delineation of travel lanes. This effort includes the removal of striping patterns that are no longer being used present at the signalized intersection of South Joyce Street, VA-244 Columbia Pike, and Southgate Road.

3. We also acknowledge the opportunity for enhancing the existing signage. FHWA will be installing new signage and replacing older signs that have been damaged or have decreased retro-reflectivity. Vehicles driving at night with their headlights on will benefit from the signage’s retro-reflectivity.

4. Existing signage and construction barrels have been removed and rearranged, to not obstruct sidewalks.

5. In order to enhance clarity of work zone delineations to the public, additional devices (e.g. orange construction drums or pavement markings) will be added.

6. On the north side of Southgate Road, adjoining VA-244 Columbia Pike, an asphalt path was installed to join their two existing sidewalks. While this may cause a momentary inconvenience for some sidewalk users, this was done primarily to assist mobility-challenged pedestrians traverse this segment.

7. The proposal to add streetlighting during dark hours is currently undergoing further evaluation. While it is still a consideration, we must plan and balance the needs of the local residents, environmental code, and noise ordinances. As mentioned above, additional signage and refreshed pavement markings will increase visibility during the night in the interim until this particular evaluation has been completed.

8. Enabling pedestrians to cross VA-244 Columbia Pike, within the vicinity of South Nash Street and South Oak Street, is currently undergoing further evaluation with ACG and their adjacent project(s).

9. The existing mid-block on Southgate Road, across the temporary driveway of the Air Force Memorial, is undergoing further evaluation for potential enhancement.

We appreciate the continued patience and understanding the public has shown as temporary inconveniences are inherent to large and complex construction sites.

Again, we appreciate the time and effort you took to share your concerns with us. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Best,

Kerry L. Meeker
Chief of Public Affairs
Arlington National Cemetery
1 Memorial Ave.
Arlington, VA 22211
☎ Office: (703) 614-0062
☎ Cell: (703) 963-9747
☎ Public Affairs Media Line (703) 614-0024
✉ kerry.l.meeker.civ@army.mil

Visit us at:
http://www.facebook.com/arlingtonnatl
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A response is a start. Now we can continue the conversation with them. (y)

[dbb]

So my take on the Arlington National Cemetery response is that it reads like the entry for “slow walking” in a bureaucrat’s thesaurus. I’ve extracted the actions (inactions??) in the ANC response (I got the same one).

1. FHWA has been refreshing
2. will be undergoing modifications
3. will be installing new signage and replacing older signs
4. have been removed and rearranged
5. will be added.
6. was installed to join their two existing sidewalks
7. streetlighting during dark hours is currently undergoing further evaluation
8. is currently undergoing further evaluation with ACG (ArCo govt)
9. is undergoing further evaluation for potential enhancement

I sent this to ANC suggesting their earlier response lacked many actions that would actually address the problems (below)

“Ms. Meeker,

Thanks for the reply to my earlier email. I’d appreciate some details as your team’s response seems to lack specificity, particularly with respect to the actions to address the problems and the expected dates of completion. Can you please provide that information? Please understand that I’ve been working this issue since October and it seems that the time for planning and consideration has passed.

Of the nine items you highlighted in yesterday’s email, only two appear to have been completed. The remainder of the items are either underway or actions are being considered. As you indicated, many of the remaining issues won’t be resolved as the actions you described are under evaluation, leaving the actual resolution to follow that evaluation.

When I rode the detour today, I did note that the sidewalk had fewer blockages, however it remained littered with gravel from the nearby roadway. For an individual using a wheelchair, the loose gravel could be a problem.

At the top of the hill where the detour shifts to the north towards the sidewalk on the north side of Southgate (the attached photo), the transition from the median sidewalk to the asphalt is uneven and may present accessibility issues. Sharing the area immediately adjacent to the pedestrian path for parking increases the potential for conflicts between cars and those using the detour. Setting some jersey barriers on the unprotected side of the path would separate the detour and parking area.

If your team needs assistance in developing routes that are accessible, the Federal Highway Administration has accessibility experts in their Civil Rights office. I’d expect USACE would have comparable expertise as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to getting these issues resolved.”
I got this response, “These are the only details we have to share at this time. We’ll be sure to keep you informed as we have further updates.”

As a former construction manager, I’d expect that I could have everything but the lighting addressed in less than a week. Site safety is generally front and center in construction contracts and the wording is often pretty inclusive. If the FHWA were so inclined, they could say the efforts of the contractor to date have been inadequate and demand improvements. Several could be resolved merely by moving barrels and jersey barriers from somewhere else on the site.

The saga continues.

[Starduster]

#dbb: “Moving with all *deliberate* speed”, as they say. Quite the lobbying challenge. How do we “encourage” a better response?

Is it FHWA or the Army, through ANC, dragging their feet?

[arlcxrider]

TL;DR. These public affairs people must get paid by the word. Or maybe “word salad” is more on the mark.

[Fairlington124]

@Fairlington124 223737 wrote:

Got an update from Alexandria City government concerning the lack of apparent progress on the Holmes Run Trail bridge behind 4600 Duke St (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8096865,-77.1117276,3a,15y,283.83h,87.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3czyQ8Xvh5ckpvqYCr411w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192)

Bottom line is newest estimate is “late fall 2023”

Preliminary work has begun on the replacement bridge for the Holmes Run Trail behind 4600 Duke Street in Alexandria. The area has been fenced off, temporary construction access paths have been laid (made of rocks), and, perhaps most important, a port-a-john has arrived on site.

[Boomer Cycles]

Open for Business (or commuting;-)

The new 4MR boardwalk at the electric substation east of the water treatment plant was open this morning and barricades were removed from both ends of the trail.

** UPDATE **
I may have posted too soon: the detour sign at the west entrance is now back up, but the barricades still removed from both ends of the boardwalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Starduster]

@Boomer2U 224956 wrote:

Open for Business (or commuting;-)

The new 4MR boardwalk at the electric substation east of the water treatment plant was open this morning and barricades were removed from both ends of the trail.

** UPDATE **
I may have posted too soon: the detour sign at the west entrance is now back up, but the barricades still removed from both ends of the boardwalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I cruised by here yesterday. Wasn’t open then. Any positive change at the end of S. Eads?

[Boomer Cycles]

@Starduster 224962 wrote:

I cruised by here yesterday. Wasn’t open then. Any positive change at the end of S. Eads?

Negative on any improvements to the Eads entrance to 4MR. The new fence line splitting the cut out entrance in half escalates the risk of hitting the high curb head-on upon entry as you have clearly documented. So keep your head up and eyes [emoji102] wide open!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Judd]

@Boomer2U 224956 wrote:

Open for Business (or commuting;-)

The new 4MR boardwalk at the electric substation east of the water treatment plant was open this morning and barricades were removed from both ends of the trail.

** UPDATE **
I may have posted too soon: the detour sign at the west entrance is now back up, but the barricades still removed from both ends of the boardwalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It looked like someone had lumberjacked it on Friday evening based on stuff being moved but not removed.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Starduster]

@Boomer2U 224988 wrote:

Negative on any improvements to the Eads entrance to 4MR. The new fence line splitting the cut out entrance in half escalates the risk of hitting the high curb head-on upon entry as you have clearly documented. So keep your head up and eyes [emoji102] wide open!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There is a lesson for all here: While I did get a quick acknowledgement from the powers that be on this project (and also for my two other letters regarding the Columbia Pike detour at ANC and the Doctors Run Trail), that by itself wasn’t enough. All three cases will require focused & directed lobbying efforts (otherwise defined as “making a nuisance of yourself”) to actually effect improvements we can safely ride.

[JorgeGortex]

This is my response to the ARLNow post on Facebook (i.e. I think this new bit of trail sucks): Any time you have to zig-zag through tight entrance/exit areas like they’ve created here you are reducing safety. The sight lines are blocked, the new surface has the potential for being slippery (although better because it gets lots of sun compared to the wooden path near TR Island along the Mount Vernon Trail), and again, the terrible zig-zag on and off the main path. It looks nicely built, but about only 75% well-engineered from a use standpoint. And given how many people go through this area on foot and bike, it’s going to be far from ideal. As always, ArlCty failed and allowed something to be executed poorly.

(And yes, I realize it was more than ArlCty that any active say in how this was constructed.) This area, as well as the zig-zag where you come from under West Glebe and onto the main trail along S. Glebe Road, are foolish and dangerous.

[arlcxrider]

Yeah, tight turns on and off a potentially slippery boardwalk. What could possibly go wrong.

[Author]

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