Infrastructure Repairs in Arlington

[PotomacCyclist]

@PotomacCyclist 75366 wrote:

Smooth out the transition between trail and bridge at a couple different locations. There is a slight break where the trail ends and the bridge begins. It would only require a small amount of asphalt to smooth over these transitions, instead of having a speed bump that can cause tire damage.

MVT bridge over the GW Parkway on-ramp, next to Reagan National Airport

http://goo.gl/maps/Kw7pX

Ramp between 14th St. Bridge (George Mason) and the MVT

http://goo.gl/maps/bDfcP

If NPS has control over these sections, maybe the County and the ABAC can coordinate with NPS to get these easy fixes done.

The MVT bridge over the GW Parkway on-ramp also has a long mini-ditch in the asphalt, in the southbound bike lane. The ditch runs in the direction of bike traffic, not perpendicular. This can be a problem if you happen to get a tire caught in that crease. I believe the problem has been there for at least a few years. Maybe longer. It really should be fixed.

http://goo.gl/maps/ePkua

[It’s possible that I have pinpointed the wrong location. Google Maps doesn’t have Street View for bike trails, yet, so I can’t verify the location of the mini-ditch. Can anyone confirm the location?]

[UPDATE – Problem fixed for the most part. An asphalt patch has been added to the mini-ditch and another large crack in the trail next to it. The patches aren’t that smooth, but it’s a big improvement over the past condition of the surface.]

[cyclingfool]

Potomac, you got the location just right. As you said, it’s in the southbound lane, just before the transition to the concrete surface of the trail’s overpass. I’ve been bike commuting for five years and this is a part of my route almost every day, and that problem’s been there that whole time.

[PotomacCyclist]

Ask and you shall receive. Just ten days after posting about the mini-ditch on the MVT overpass, I rode there today. Someone filled in most of the ditch and another smaller seam on the side of the trail with asphalt! It’s not exactly the greatest repair job in the world. The patch isn’t smooth or flat, but I think it’s an improvement over having the ditch.

Was this NPS? I have to think so, since they control the MVT.

[cyclingfool]

Yeah. I noticed that the other day. It was in the back of my head that I needed to hop back on this thread and update, but I guess you got it covered.

Sent from my rooted Nook Color using Tapatalk 4

[PotomacCyclist]

Was there an Arlington BAC meeting this week? How did NPS pick up on this so quickly? Not that I’m complaining. Maybe they are reading this thread? Thanks to whoever carried out the repair.

[consularrider]

I’d hardly call it quickly, that crack and ditch had been there for five years (but getting worse) and has previously been called to NPS attention. NPS fixed a similar crack on the south end of the last overpass about two years ago, but didn’t do anything with the north one. Sigh.

[PotomacCyclist]

I meant that it was odd that the repair (which appears to be temporary) happened soon after posting about it on this thread.

It reminded me of a problem on the Capital Crescent Trail five years ago. I had bought a bike for the first time as an adult that summer. I was riding a bit too fast on a downhill section of the trail. (I was a bike newbie.) I could see that there were no other people on the trail because it was a long straightaway. Then I hit a series of bumps on the asphalt. I started bouncing off the surface and veering toward the right. I was headed toward a drop-off, heavily wooded with some fallen trees. I panicked and slammed on the brakes. That caused me to do a header, over the bike and onto the grass, fortunately. I was lucky that I didn’t land on the asphalt. I cut my brow, bruised my cheek and smacked the back of my shoulder pretty hard. But somehow, the top of my head never touched the grass. (The back of my shirt was covered in dirt but my helmet didn’t have even a speck of dirt.)

That evening, I contacted the Friends of the CCT, who contacted NPS. I may have contacted NPS as well. I described my accident and noted that someone could very easily get killed there. There was a dirt track off to the side of the trail at that point, from all of the cyclists who had been avoiding those bumps and riding onto the grass.

I also posted about it here. People said that the bumps had been a problem for years. As I walked back to the bike, I could see faded fluorescent paint marking the bumps, so someone at NPS must have known about it. I didn’t ride on the CCT again that summer, but I read that a week or two later, NPS fixed all of the bumps in that area as well as several others nearby.

****
Back to the MVT: Yesterday, I saw that a larger section had been marked off in paint, around all of the cracks and the ditch. It doesn’t mark the ditch itself, but it does mark the boundary around the entire damaged section. I’m hoping that this means NPS is planning to repave that section of the trail soon. (Or is that just wishful thinking?) It won’t be a major operation. The section is only a few feet in length.

[chris_s]

@PotomacCyclist 83102 wrote:

But, but….they have a STANDARD. (anyone who was at the last Arlington BAC meeting is likely rolling their eyes right now)

[elbows]

At the intersection of Irving and 50, indicate that a bicyclist must be the size of a car to trigger the light to change. I can press the pedestrian button, but I don’t require that much time and it’s kind of a slap in the face. I’d rather work on becoming the size of a car so I am important enough for the light to change for me.

At the intersection of G Mason and 50, there is a sign that says something to the effect that one should turn left to take the bicycle route to Memorial Bridge. That’s a heck of a way to get to Memorial Bridge on a bicycle.

Remove some of the bollards on the path along 50. Some of them seem uneccessary and they can be somewhat dangerous.

[chris_s]

@elbows 86185 wrote:

At the intersection of Irving and 50, indicate that a bicyclist must be the size of a car to trigger the light to change. I can press the pedestrian button, but I don’t require that much time and it’s kind of a slap in the face. I’d rather work on becoming the size of a car so I am important enough for the light to change for me.

It just so happens there is a project in the works to upgrade that signal, so I inquired with the Project Manager. Here is the disappointing-ish response:

The project does include plans to upgrade the signal, but bicycle detection was not part of the upgrades.

From what I was told today, it would not be a difficult thing to add. However, since the signal design has already been completed, we will have to look at in more detail. So I need to do more leg work on this end before I can give you a definitive answer.

When I hear back more, I’ll post it.

[dasgeh]

@chris_s 86334 wrote:

It just so happens there is a project in the works to upgrade that signal, so I inquired with the Project Manager. Here is the disappointing-ish response:

The project does include plans to upgrade the signal, but bicycle detection was not part of the upgrades.

From what I was told today, it would not be a difficult thing to add. However, since the signal design has already been completed, we will have to look at in more detail. So I need to do more leg work on this end before I can give you a definitive answer.

When I hear back more, I’ll post it.

Let me know if you’d like more voices supporting this effort. On a cargo bike, this is one of not-very-many safe connections between North and South Arlington.

PS. Why would Arlington EVER put in signals without bicycle detection? There are very few intersections that bikes don’t go through at some point.

[chris_s]

@dasgeh 86358 wrote:

PS. Why would Arlington EVER put in signals without bicycle detection? There are very few intersections that bikes don’t go through at some point.

That’s the part of his response that disappoints me.

Hmmm…maybe Arlington should have a POLICY about Traffic Signals that lays out stuff like this. No policy = we’re at the mercy of whatever staff person is making decisions.

Also Irving across 50 is a marked bike route on the Arlington Bike Map, which makes it even more craptacular.

[VikingMariner]

I’m okay with no bike detection. Gives me time to check my grocery list, look at attractive women (is being interested in women sexist?), look at the clouds for patterns, heck and maybe even enjoying the day. So what if I lose 60 seconds of my life to the County. I’m generous like that. :0)

Now a bridge over or a tunnel under the Intersection of Doom? That would be the good fight.

[Arlingtonrider]

This reminds me – an additional curb cut is needed on the southwest corner of the intersection of South Glebe and Jefferson Davis Hwy for those crossing Jeff Davis. Right now there’s only a curb cut designed to help the crossing S. Glebe. The awkwardness of that has become very noticeable lately with the trail detour.

[chris_s]

@Arlingtonrider 86378 wrote:

This reminds me – an additional curb cut is needed on the southwest corner of the intersection of South Glebe and Jefferson Davis Hwy for those crossing Jeff Davis. Right now there’s only a curb cut designed to help the crossing S. Glebe. The awkwardness of that has become very noticeable lately with the trail detour.

Here?

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