January 2022 Road and Trail Conditions

[DrP]

Happy New Year!

We had quite a bit of snow yesterday and there is a fair bit of melting today despite being barely above freezing. Anyone know if trails have been plowed, if there is a lot of melt that might freeze overnight or any such information to help those of us who haven’t had a chance to get out yet?
In Arlington, the major non-state roads are still not all the way to the asphalt or to the curbs – I can say that Washington Blvd isn’t too bad through Westover, but it is slushy and big puddles at intersections.

[mstone]

@DrP 212450 wrote:

We had quite a bit of snow yesterday and there is a fair bit of melting today despite being barely above freezing. Anyone know if trails have been plowed, if there is a lot of melt that might freeze overnight or any such information to help those of us who haven’t had a chance to get out yet?

I don’t get to the lux trails in arlington much these days. I’d expect the trails in fairfax to be insanely cratered and icy every morning for a few days, and the afternoons soft, like riding through sand. Oh, and the obligatory ice boulder at every intersection where the plow “had to” put the snow. (Just a guess; I’ve pretty much given up on even trying after snow and just stick to “car roads” that VDOT actually maintains, until everything melts in a week or two.)

[CaseyKane50]

@DrP 212450 wrote:

Happy New Year!

We had quite a bit of snow yesterday and there is a fair bit of melting today despite being barely above freezing. Anyone know if trails have been plowed, if there is a lot of melt that might freeze overnight or any such information to help those of us who haven’t had a chance to get out yet?
In Arlington, the major non-state roads are still not all the way to the asphalt or to the curbs – I can say that Washington Blvd isn’t too bad through Westover, but it is slushy and big puddles at intersections.

Trails in Alexandria have not been touched. Both the Holmes Run Trail and Potomac Yard Trail are treacherous with ice. I would assume the other trails are in the same condition. Major roads have been cleared, but black ice will be out there in the morning.

[Alcova cyclist]

Neighborhood streets in Arlington very much a mixed bag, but mostly quite bad. Even in the built-up orange line corridor commercial areas, many streets are solid sheets of packed snow/ice. Even roads that are cleared are not cleared edge to edge – maybe 1.5 lanes wide. And don’t even think about bike lanes.

I did happen across a snow plow/sweeper on the 4MR trail the morning of the big snow just as accumulation started… maybe 7:45am. (I gave the driver a big smile and two thumbs up!) No idea if they made more passes later in the day or after the snow finished up, but that seemed like a good sign. It seemed like a purpose-built machine for clearing trails/sidewalks.

[arlcxrider]

Rode a CaBi to work today from Thomas and Carlin Springs to Dupont. (Yes, trash someone else’s bike drivetrain in the salt.) Anyway, the Clarendon bike lanes are largely impassable. And the sidewalk on Key Bridge, forget it. Took the lane. The DDOT does a way better job plowing the bike lanes. 15th St was plowed yesterday. Inexplicably, the entirety of N. Lynn St. was snow covered curb-to-curb just south of Langston.

Arlington needs to up its game. And the DDOT on Key Bridge (and I assume TR and 14th St are bad too). It’s all well and good to be “committed” to bike infrastructure when it’s all warm and sunshiny, but when the chips are down, it’s no can do…

[secstate]

MoCo portion of the CCT is in good shape. Not sure about the DC portion.

DC downtown bike lanes seem highly variable but overall not in great shape — passable with caution?

[DrP]

Custis (at least some portions, but I assume all) was plowed, but lots of areas with frozen slush patches (where people walked before it was plowed), some on slopes, like western side of George Mason underpass. In some areas very difficult to pass, especially in the morning as the melted bits re-froze. Pleasantly surprised that the Ballston connector was plowed and mostly passable – worst on I-66 overpass, but clear areas there. Fairfax drive was plowed to two lanes in each direction and some of the bike planes were clear, but not everywhere and definitely not at intersections. Quincy protected bike lanes were not plowed and had detritus from lane/parking clearings.

[Meh]

Credit to Fairfax County – the really packed gritty grey-white aggregate they used on walking trails in parks like Daniels Run really seems to have cut down on the ice. In comparison the cross-county trail is a series of slush puddles with cratered ice chunks in between – with several trees down. None of the water is draining off the CCT, expect deep ice and deep slush tomorrow.

[Henry]

Have reports that Bluemont Connector Trail is clear. Has anyone ridden Four Mile Run Trail yet? Also assume Mt Vernon Trail has not been touched by snow clearing equipment. 3 years ago they started clearing some connecting trails near Memorial Bridge, but only a couple hundred meters in various directions. Any updates are appreciated.

Henry

[DrP]

@DrP 212541 wrote:

Custis (at least some portions, but I assume all) was plowed, but lots of areas with frozen slush patches (where people walked before it was plowed), some on slopes, like western side of George Mason underpass. In some areas very difficult to pass, especially in the morning as the melted bits re-froze. Pleasantly surprised that the Ballston connector was plowed and mostly passable – worst on I-66 overpass, but clear areas there. Fairfax drive was plowed to two lanes in each direction and some of the bike planes were clear, but not everywhere and definitely not at intersections. Quincy protected bike lanes were not plowed and had detritus from lane/parking clearings.

Yesterday’s warm temperatures helped to melt the frozen slush patches on the Custis. There are a few left, but generally easy to get around. And the plowing went to the East Falls Church station (trail from basketball court to Sycamore/I-66) and end of 4MRT (N. Van Buren St). W&OD was not plowed SE of the Custis or after 4MRT – roads are clear to get to the intersection of I-66, US 29, Rt237, but the new overpass looks like an ice pack. Riding back and forth on Custis/W&OD stretch was a nice way to get a few miles in without too much worry.
Tonight’s snow will probably make this a problem again, but at least for the Custis, plowing and melting might make it all passable soon. W&OD will likely be a mess for well into next week.

[Serdar]

@Henry 212636 wrote:

Have reports that Bluemont Connector Trail is clear. Has anyone ridden Four Mile Run Trail yet? Also assume Mt Vernon Trail has not been touched by snow clearing equipment. 3 years ago they started clearing some connecting trails near Memorial Bridge, but only a couple hundred meters in various directions. Any updates are appreciated.

Henry

I rode on Holmes Run and Mount Vernon trails today. The snow melted in most places, but snow and slush still cover the bridges.

[Judd]

@Henry 212636 wrote:

Have reports that Bluemont Connector Trail is clear. Has anyone ridden Four Mile Run Trail yet? Also assume Mt Vernon Trail has not been touched by snow clearing equipment. 3 years ago they started clearing some connecting trails near Memorial Bridge, but only a couple hundred meters in various directions. Any updates are appreciated.

Henry

LBJ has trees down when I talked to LSG yesterday afternoon. Multiple trees down across the MVT from Belle Haven headed south. NPS will likely start on downed trees on the MVT on Monday.

Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail are likely to put a call out for volunteers to help with cleaning up damaged trees next week. Hoping to be able to assess the damage this weekend.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fast Friendly Guy]

• This does not consider Friday’s new snow fall:
• Custis cleared Rosslyn to East Falls Church; 4 mile run Trail cleared from Shirlington to Eads; Washington Boulevard trail near the Pentagon is cleared to Memorial Bridge. W&OD is a mess from the junction with Custis all the way to Columbia Pike

  16 hours agoDelete

• Serder says, “I rode in MVT. Snow melted only on asphalt there. Bridges are covered with slush.”

[Alcova cyclist]

Custis from Ballston to W&OD was almost entirely clear, mostly dry pavement

W&OD west from Custis to the Rte 29 overpass mostly dry pavement edge-to-edge (Rte 29 bridge was bad enough that I went no further)

W&OD east from Custis marginal until the Dominion substation (just before Carlin Springs), (Does Dominion clear the trail between Wilson and the substation to ensure access?)

Further east from the substation, it is then mostly rutted, packed ice and IMO very dangerous.

Honestly, how can the county possibly justify just telling south Arlingtonians to suck it and they’re not going to clear the trail??? My unscientific eyeball poll said there was actually more traffic on the W&OD east of Custis than either Custis itself or W&OD west to Falls Church… yet no attention from the county. WHY?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25776[/ATTACH]
Pick which section of the W&OD is in north or south Arlington…

[chris_s]

@Alcova cyclist 212912 wrote:

Honestly, how can the county possibly justify just telling south Arlingtonians to suck it and they’re not going to clear the trail??? My unscientific eyeball poll said there was actually more traffic on the W&OD east of Custis than either Custis itself or W&OD west to Falls Church… yet no attention from the county. WHY?

Arlington County isn’t allowed to plow the W&OD, your beef is with NOVAParks.

[Author]

Posts