Henry Julme Jr / history of Arlington bike paths

[Overtone]

According to Charlie Clark in the Dec 18 Falls Church News-Press:

Next time you’re on the Arlington bike path, say thanks to Henry Hulme Jr., a 35-year county employee who headed the Public Works Department and led creation of the trails. He died Nov. 25. A third-generation Arlingtonian (Washington-Lee Class of ’50), Hulme was a “stately, courtly gentleman,” I was told by former Arlington activist and real estate agent Jim Robinson.

Anybody have a link that shows more of the history of the path and what Hulme’s role was?

Thanks,
John

Topic

[Kolohe]

His name is mentioned in this http://www.thinkoutsidethecar.org/pdfs/Handbooks/Handbook_2013/APP%20I%20%20NVTC%20CHRONOLOGY.pdf as one time acting executive director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission in 1974. So i presume he was a senior staff member of the commission throughout that decade, when most of the groundwork for the W&OD*, Mt Vernon, and Custis trails were done.

*though of course, W&OD efforts started in the 60s, as the link also details in part.

edit – actually strike that, the W&OD efforts in the 60s were an attempt to keep the W&OD as *a rail line*, it wasn’t until the 70s, according to that timeline, where the commission made a concerted effort to keep the W&OD right of way intact as a multi use trail.

[baiskeli]

@Kolohe 72478 wrote:

edit – actually strike that, the W&OD efforts in the 60s were an attempt to keep the W&OD as *a rail line*, it wasn’t until the 70s, according to that timeline, where the commission made a concerted effort to keep the W&OD right of way intact as a multi use trail.

Also, the lower section of the W&OD/4MR trail was once envisioned as an interstate highway running from I-66 south to the Potomac.

http://www.peaktraffic.org/graphics/1958unbuilt.png

That would have sucked.

[Rootchopper]

A colleague used to have a DC map showing I66 cutting through Adams Morgan, essentially obliterating the center of the District.

[consularrider]

@Rootchopper 72484 wrote:

A colleague used to have a DC map showing I66 cutting through Adams Morgan, essentially obliterating the center of the District.

Urban renewal at its best.

[PotomacCyclist]

@Rootchopper 72484 wrote:

A colleague used to have a DC map showing I66 cutting through Adams Morgan, essentially obliterating the center of the District.

People need to get to places, and stuff. They should add 12-lane highways, in both directions, between Fairfax and DC, and Baltimore and DC.

[chris_s]

@Overtone 72466 wrote:

Anybody have a link that shows more of the history of the path and what Hulme’s role was?

Oh yes I do. It’s here: http://www.gwu.edu/~gwipp/papers/wp024.pdf

He went by “Hank”, he was a member of my church, an avid historian and an absolute treasure of a human being. WABA gave him an award back in 1987.

[Tim Kelley]

I thought Walter Mess was the guy behind the trail: http://arlingtonmercury.org/blogs/arlington-green/walter-mess-at-100%3A-a-long,-great-life/

[Raymo853]

@PotomacCyclist 72497 wrote:

People need to get to places, and stuff. They should add 12-lane highways, in both directions, between Fairfax and DC, and Baltimore and DC.

I assume you are joking, but how DC escaped that trend is wonderful. Yes there are some elevated highways that chopped up neighborhoods but not that many. Just imagine the horror if Georgia, Rhode Island, Conn,Wisconsin and Penn had all been made into limited access roads that all ended in a web of ramps around the mall.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PotomacCyclist]

I’ve read that there were highways planned for Georgetown (not just the Whitehurst) and another one circling downtown(?).

I think the idea of building over I-66 in Rosslyn is interesting, especially if that project is used to help improve the trail links between the MVT and the Custis, especially at the “intersection of doom” (which is the leading tag on this forum — a concerted campaign?).

As for DC, I think they should try something similar for much of 395 at L’Enfant Plaza. With the redevelopment of the SW Waterfront and the Capitol Waterfront, that land could be very valuable. Mixed-use developments could reconnect the Mall with SW more directly and make it much easier to walk or bike between the two areas. As many already know, there are a lot of evening dead zones in L’Enfant Plaza and it’s not that easy or comfortable to walk from there to the SW Waterfront, especially after dark.

[Author]

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