March 2016 Road and Trail Conditions

[consularrider]

@CaseyKane50 136250 wrote:

The parking lot off of Mount Vernon Avenue and to the west of the Four Mile Run Trail (Alexandria side) is going to be closed off while it is getting repaved. The contractor is expecting work to start later today and will last for about a month. There are currently no detour signs in place, but I have reached out to City staff to see if that can be addressed.

A month to repave a small parking lot (I count 21 spaces in the Google earth view)??? Are they digging it out and paving by hand? Should be a two to three day project.

[CaseyKane50]

@consularrider 136259 wrote:

A month to repave a small parking lot (I count 21 spaces in the Google earth view)??? Are they digging it out and paving by hand? Should be a two to three day project.

There might be more to this than the typical repaving project. The parking lot is part of the Four Mile Run Restoration project. The Four Mile Run Design Guidelines (see page 72)

… proposes that parking lots “should be surfaced with permeable, functional and maintainable materials or designed with biofiltraion areas to treat runoff from paved areas. These should be buffered by planting to minimize runoff and visual impacts on the stream.”

[consularrider]

@CaseyKane50 136277 wrote:

There might be more to this than the typical repaving project. The parking lot is part of the Four Mile Run Restoration project. The Four Mile Run Design Guidelines (see page 72)

Ok, so they are going to tun an asphalt lot into a gravel lot (Cyndi will like that)? Or are they going to use the kind of pavers you grow grass in and they need a month for the grass to take root?

[KayakCyndi]

@consularrider 136293 wrote:

Ok, so they are going to tun an asphalt lot into a gravel lot (Cyndi will like that)? Or are they going to use the kind of pavers you grow grass in and they need a month for the grass to take root?

mmmmm … Gravel.

[CaseyKane50]

@consularrider 136293 wrote:

Ok, so they are going to tun an asphalt lot into a gravel lot (Cyndi will like that)? Or are they going to use the kind of pavers you grow grass in and they need a month for the grass to take root?

Beats me. Next time I ride through there and I see the contractor I will ask.

[kcb203]

The last remaining patch of snow in Northern Virginia is still blocking part of the trail along the Fairfax County Parkway between the Toll Road and Sunrise Valley Dr. It should finally melt today. After the plowing and dumping, it was about 15′ high and totally blocked the trail, so this is a big improvement.

[CaseyKane50]

@consularrider 136293 wrote:

Ok, so they are going to tun an asphalt lot into a gravel lot (Cyndi will like that)? Or are they going to use the kind of pavers you grow grass in and they need a month for the grass to take root?

Heard back from the City’s project manager. Here are some more details

Quote:

Because the parking lot is located in a resource protection area, we are very sensitive to the materials used. The drive aisle will remain asphalt but we will be using this permeable paver in the parking spaces and turn-around: http://www.belgard.com/products/pavers/aqua_roc_ii

And

The parking lot renovation will include twenty marked parking spaces on pervious pavers, a turnaround for drop-off and pick up, a rain garden and additional trees.

And detour signs will be installed.

[Starduster]

Hi. I have not been on the Mt. Vernon Trail, specifically the Reagan National (DCA) section, since they started the road construction and exit ramp removal project. I missed the debut of the mulch cycling surface…lucky me. What’s it like currently?

[Sunyata]

@CaseyKane50 136356 wrote:

And detour signs will be installed.

I rode through there yesterday evening and the detour was mostly signed. It was pretty easy to follow, though.

[TwoWheelsDC]

[gibby]

@Starduster 136399 wrote:

Hi. I have not been on the Mt. Vernon Trail, specifically the Reagan National (DCA) section, since they started the road construction and exit ramp removal project. I missed the debut of the mulch cycling surface…lucky me. What’s it like currently?

if you really want to experience the joy of the Mulch Run, you could hop a barrier and go off road :cool:… otherwise the newly-paved section is mostly done, with construction on the shoulders.

[bobco85]

Arlington – at the intersection of George Mason Dr/Columbus St heading toward 4MR, there are a few potholes that will catch you off guard as you position yourself to get in the upcoming bike lane

Alexandria – the 4MR construction detour is underway, but coming from 4MR onto the Mt Vernon Ave sidewalk there is no sign pointing trail-users towards the detour through the park until you get past the farmers’ market parking lot

Alexandria – 2 ninja potholes hiding under the I-395 underpass in the right lane of Sanger Ave heading west; I hit one so hard that my taillight detached (luckily no cars were approaching, so I was able to recover it with no issues)

[dbb]

Just in from the NPS GWMP – Memorial Bridge sidepath alert

“Tomorrow contractors will put up a fence on the eastbound sidewalk (inbound to DC) which will take up roughly half of the sidewalk. The fenced area will remain up until the work in that area is completed. Time frame for the work to be complete is weather dependent.”

I’ve asked for their estimated period of performance and whether the contractor has been instructed to maintain the remaining portion of the sidewalk in a way that would allow cyclists to ride.

Additional info (10 March)

“For the duration of the emergency repair project, scheduled to be completed by mid-May, there will be 2 partial sidewalk closures on the outbound (upstream) sidewalk and 1 on the inbound (downstream) sidewalk. The specific locations of these closures will change during the different stages of work.”

[KWL]

@gibby 136410 wrote:

if you really want to experience the joy of the Mulch Run, you could hop a barrier and go off road :cool:… otherwise the newly-paved section is mostly done, with construction on the shoulders.

With the detour signs still in place (though covered) and the National Airport ramp mulch track not removed, I’m guessing when the final paving is done on the southern underpass, trail traffic will be detoured one last time.

[BlueMasonJar]

@gibby 136410 wrote:

if you really want to experience the joy of the Mulch Run, you could hop a barrier and go off road :cool:… otherwise the newly-paved section is mostly done, with construction on the shoulders.

Going off road is awesome. Anyone who want’s to hit Wakefield and Accotink after the trails get a little bit drier just let me know.

[Author]

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