Help Name the Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail Along I-66

[scoot]

I do agree that even though the design is terrible, it is better to have a trail along 66 than not.

We cyclists often lack direct routes that minimize distances and hills, partially because the optimal routes have already been claimed by highways full of high-speed automobiles. The decline of railroad usage has led to some nice trails like the W&OD, but highway corridors could be great opportunities to increase the accessibility of cycling between suburbs. When cycling requires us to divert onto back roads and residential streets, and those diversions add significant distance and/or hills, this increases the difficulty of a given trip and thus creates artificial barriers to increased bicycling mode share.

As an example: a trip from the east end of Columbia Pike to the SW DC waterfront. Driving: I can just hop on 395 and get a direct shot to 9th St SW one block north of Maine Ave. Cycling: after descending the hill on the Pike, I pass the 27 trail then make a U-turn to get back to it (b/c no curb cut in Columbia Pike median), go north around the Pentagon, cut through LBJ Grove, under and then over Humpback Bridge, cross 14th St Bridge, make a sharp turn at Jefferson Memorial to go back under the bridges on Ohio Drive, cut through the National Park Police parking lot, ride the sidewalk onto Case Bridge, then navigate two switchbacks into L’Enfant Circle before dropping out on 9th St SW.

Net result? A cycling route which is 40% longer than the corresponding driving route. And no new rider could find or follow this route without consulting a map or GPS multiple times. How many potential new riders will just give up rather than confronting and surmounting obstacles like these? How many folks are we discouraging and losing, due to infrastructure that forces bicyclists to stitch together table scraps rather than providing convenient and direct routes for them?

[scoot]

Aside:

(Yes I know that no new rider would cycle on the Pike to begin with; they would choose the sidewalk/”trail” along its northside. But with the awful ramp crossings, poor sightlines, and narrow “dismount” section under the 27 bridge, I find that facility even less appealing than riding in the road there. Downhill at least. Uphill I always take the lane under the 27 bridge but usually move over to the sidewalk either at the next ramp or the driveway into the ANC Service Complex.)

[mstone]

@scoot 191403 wrote:

I do agree that even though the design is terrible, it is better to have a trail along 66 than not.

Sometimes I think that, more often these days I think that if this is the best VDOT will do as part of a FOUR BILLION DOLLAR project, advocacy is just a complete waste of my time. Even if the trail were perfect, getting from the trail to anywhere else in Fairfax will suck, and there is zero indication that there will be substantial improvement to cycling across the board in Fairfax. Again, if this is the best they’d do on a trail that will be a rounding error in the overall project, what hope is there for real changes on all of the other roads? If anything, I’m more hesitant to ride nearby surface streets than I was 20 years ago because all VDOT has done in the past two decades is make them wider and faster.

[Steve O]

@zsionakides 191400 wrote:

The bridge over Spout Run is right next to the highway. Also the part coming out of Bon Air park.

True. However, I-66 does not allow trucks and it is either 4 or (kind of) 6 lanes max. Nothing at all like the monstrosity that I-66 will be out there.

Also, except for perhaps 75 feet on the hill near Bon Air, cyclists are not hemmed in by a tall wall on their other side.

[huskerdont]

Little bit o’ inside-the-soundwall unpleasantness by Washington-Loving High School. Actually, that’s easily the worst part of the trail, what with the Interstate going under the parking garage. I usually go as fast as reasonable there to get that mess over with before some eejit decides to display his manhood and rev his engine while under the garage.

[Bob James]

@scoot 191397 wrote:

Air quality along the 66 trail will be unbearable in the summer. The soundwall will prevent dissipation of heat, highway noise, and exhaust fumes. When the asphalt road surface chips, vehicles will kick up pebbles at highway speeds, some of which will be flung over the jersey wall. None of those issues affect the WWB, which is paved with concrete rather than asphalt.

Most likely true, but when I lived there and now frequently visit, I often ride the shoulder for the 20 mile 234 bypass between 66 and 95 and I don’t find the air quality bad. Granted 2 lanes of constant traffic is not as bad a 4, but its also just an exposed shoulder within a couple feet of traffic. I would prefer a raised trail surface with a fence, rather than an imposing soundwall between trail and hwy (I have claustrophobia). During rush hour, hwy sound would not be too bad as traffic is often crawling and I could more easily enjoy seeing myself riding faster than the cars are driving into DC.

[Bob James]

@phog 191401 wrote:

That is a mind-boggling commute. Manassas to the Capitol, WITH an additional 10 miles of workaround, as a COMMUTE? Again, mind=blown. Respect!

Well, I only had to do it 3 times a week (telework other days), unless I went to a coffee club in Arlington before heading back. It wasn’t bad getting out of Manassas at 4:30am to the FFX Cty trail to WOD, but at night
traffic was much worse. Riding down 29 was the more direct route, but still had to cut thru Vienna on unfriendly roads to get to WOD.

[Bob James]

@mstone 191392 wrote:

That doesn’t take imagination, just pictures of other VDOT-provided bike/ped facilities. Also, it’s not just wind, it’s snowplows and service vehicles throwing stuff over the wall so it’s not blocking valuable car space in the breakdown lane.

Plowed snow onto the trail is what I would be most worried about. VDOT had little concern for bikes having clear passage to begin with. They cut grass and leave it strewn on trail becoming bumpy and a slippery hazard when wet, snow they leave piled up on trail access points and if the trail is close enough to road on the trail itself. I generally prefer bike lanes direct on roads, rather than sidepaths/trail. Being separate from the road, it not only gets little maintenance, but down right negligence or VDOT placed obstructions.

[matteblack]

@scoot 191397 wrote:

Air quality along the 66 trail will be unbearable in the summer. The soundwall will prevent dissipation of heat, highway noise, and exhaust fumes. When the asphalt road surface chips, vehicles will kick up pebbles at highway speeds, some of which will be flung over the jersey wall. None of those issues affect the WWB, which is paved with concrete rather than asphalt.

I brought this up at one of the design meetings with the specific questions of whether environmental studies had been conducted from trail users points of view specific to both air-quality and noise. Unsurprisingly, the facilitator didn’t answer the question and discussed the features of the trail instead.

I said it then and will say it again, this could have been a great resource to the residents of Fairfax and an opportunity to do it right won’t come again for many decades. However, the way it’s configured, it’s a piece-meal solution that won’t be utilized as well as it could have been. Looking at the zigging and zagging around the different interchanges and the lack of a direct connection to the W&OD is a testament to that.

They can name it whatever they want to, but it’ll still be lipstick on a pig to me.

[W Odie]

@mstone 191391 wrote:

There are two reasons the trail is between a sound wall and a highway. The first reason is that VDOT didn’t want to do a trail at all and didn’t put much effort into it. The second reason was that NIMBYs didn’t want a trail in their backyards, and that kept local political leaders from putting in much effort to try to get VDOT to make improvements.

That’s why I shall call it the NIMBY Trail.

[Author]

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