Marshall Drive between IJM and ArlCem

[DaveK]

@Brendan von Buckingham 22744 wrote:

The underground construction that has had Marshall Drive torn up since Bike DC is progressing, but is still not finished. The EB lane has been completely torn up and excavated and has reduced the road to one lane alternating WB/EB with flagmen. The steel plates are starting to be replaced with lumpy temporary paving which should be approached with caution. Downhill speeds and extremely uneven paving make it hard to control a bike in spots. It will be nice when they’re finished, but they’re not there yet.

I’ve been just riding on the path through the Iwo Jima grounds. As long as you take it slowly it’s fine. It’s okay to ride up the hill on Marshall but downhill would be over the steel plates. No thanks…

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Still terrible. Essentially impassable. Lumpy and washboard temporary paving, steel plates with parallel seams and ridges, large areas of sand and gravel instead of hardtop. Stay away.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

Still nearly impassable, but crews and heavy equipment back to work. Reduced to one lane with flagmen. If you’re inbound, on downhill east to 110, the approach to the bike trail is blocked off by cones and barriers so that there’s only 2 small spots to enter. Reduce speed so you don’t miss them or skid out on the slick metal plates. This restriction applies whether you use Marshall or loop through IJ to get around construction.

[DaveK]

@Brendan von Buckingham 26056 wrote:

Still nearly impassable, but crews and heavy equipment back to work. Reduced to one lane with flagmen. If you’re inbound, on downhill east to 110, the approach to the bike trail is blocked off by cones and barriers so that there’s only 2 small spots to enter. Reduce speed so you don’t miss them or skid out on the slick metal plates. This restriction applies whether you use Marshall or loop through IJ to get around construction.

They have a “detour” built in the grass using small rocks scattered to form a “path”. I almost ate it on my road bike trying to come in this morning. They’ve made it much worse this morning.

[eminva]

Think they might have it done by next year’s Bike DC?

Liz

[Brendan von Buckingham]

The paving season is closing and Marshall Drive is still a patchwork of temporary macadam. I don’t think any engineers on the job have figured out that there a spring or water outlet in the saddle between the two hills right on the center line. It’s constantly outletting water and the crews on the job are always plugging it with new macadam only to have the water pop it out. They need a better solution. At least they mowed back the summer’s worth of tall grass at Marshall & 110.

[JohnL]

One alternative going down the hill on Marshall Drive can be to ride through Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery to get to Memorial Drive and the Memorial Bridge. There is an ID check to enter Fort Myer; with a driver’s license the guards will record your information, with a federal government ID they will just check it and wave you through. There is no stop to enter the cemetery from Fort Myer.

Major downside is that the cemetery gates don’t open until 8 a.m., so if you need to ride earlier than that, Marshall Drive is your only option. Cemetery gates close at 7 p.m. through this Sunday, then close at 5 p.m. from Oct. 1 through March. And, of course, you cannot ride uphill through the cemetery to Fort Myer, as there is no Fort Myer guardpost at that gate.

One thing to watch for is the occasional horse-drawn caisson carrying a casket from the chapel into the cemetery; you are not supposed to pass the horses. I got stuck behind one yesterday for several minutes. Not a big deal, just unexpected.

[dasgeh]

This was my commute pre-move, and I miss it. It’s one of the most beautiful views in the area. Just a few things to note.
@JohnL 32377 wrote:

Major downside is that the cemetery gates don’t open until 8 a.m., so if you need to ride earlier than that, Marshall Drive is your only option.

The real downer is that the Henry Gate (at Pershing Drive and 50) is only open 6am – 8am, so there’s a tiny window where you can go basically straight on Pershing through the cemetery. It’s possible and there’s a nice little group of cyclists there most mornings

@JohnL 32377 wrote:

And, of course, you cannot ride uphill through the cemetery to Fort Myer, as there is no Fort Myer guardpost at that gate.

It’s true that you can’t ride uphill through the cemetery, but it’s not because there’s no guardpost. There is a guardpost at the top of the hill, and if you were to walk up the hill, you can come on the base, just like at any other guardpost. I’ve never gotten an honest answer as to why they don’t allow riding up the hill in the cemetery…

[DaveK]

@Brendan von Buckingham 32364 wrote:

The paving season is closing and Marshall Drive is still a patchwork of temporary macadam. I don’t think any engineers on the job have figured out that there a spring or water outlet in the saddle between the two hills right on the center line. It’s constantly outletting water and the crews on the job are always plugging it with new macadam only to have the water pop it out. They need a better solution. At least they mowed back the summer’s worth of tall grass at Marshall & 110.

There’s a little void that’s developed in the patch in the intersection of the memorial access road and Marshall Drive. Could be nasty if someone hits it just right.

[JohnL]

@dasgeh 32390 wrote:

It’s true that you can’t ride uphill through the cemetery, but it’s not because there’s no guardpost. There is a guardpost at the top of the hill, and if you were to walk up the hill, you can come on the base, just like at any other guardpost. I’ve never gotten an honest answer as to why they don’t allow riding up the hill in the cemetery…

When I asked about this, I was told that the guardpost at the top of the hill is an Arlington National Cemetery post — not a Fort Myer post — and that the cemetery personnel were not authorized to conduct checks for bikers entering Fort Myer. I’ve never tried to walk onto the base.

[dasgeh]

@JohnL 32497 wrote:

When I asked about this, I was told that the guardpost at the top of the hill is an Arlington National Cemetery post — not a Fort Myer post — and that the cemetery personnel were not authorized to conduct checks for bikers entering Fort Myer. I’ve never tried to walk onto the base.

I used to bike/walk through here basically every day (commute). I’ve heard the same thing, but I know it’s not true — there are two guardposts — one in the cemetery, and one on the base. One version of my commute involved running to the cemetery, power-walking up the hill through the cemetery, and running through the base. I would check into the base at that gate just like I’d check in at the other gates. I even asked the people manning that gate if there was any difference between a person/car (yes, cars come through that gate too) coming through that gate was treated differently than at other gates. They said no.

So the powers that be are giving cyclists the run around with respect to this issue.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

The stretch between Wright Gate and 110 is now finished and ready for Bike DC 2012. I mean 2013. I mean 2014.

Really though, the underground work is done and Marshall has been repaved. Smooth as glass. They also changed the shoulders at the bottom of the hill at 110. It used to be uncurbed and you could cross from bike trail to Marshall at any point along that length. I actually liked that. It’s now improved with a curb so that all bike traffic has to go through an ADA curbcut at the crosswalk at the IJM Access Road intersection. If you’re inbound flying downhill towards 110, don’t miss that curbcut. It’s you’re only chance to get on the bike trail without dismounting.

In other sections of my commute, they’ve installed a traffic light at Meade and Arlington Blvd Access Road EB (helpful inbound, new delay outbound). Also they changed Rhodes & Arlington Blvd Access Rd EB into a 4-way stop. That’s an improvement inbound, no effect outbound. It is funny though, since about only 25% of drivers know how to determine right-of-way at a 4-way stop, there’s only a 1 in 256 chance of 4 cars meeting and doing it right.

[Steve]

@Brendan von Buckingham 48303 wrote:

The stretch between Wright Gate and 110 is now finished and ready for Bike DC 2012. I mean 2013. I mean 2014.

Thanks for the update! I’ve been cutting thru the Iwo Jima park to avoid this. The last week or two I’ve been able to tell that most of the repaving was done, but it’s still dark (I only go this way in the a.m.) and I haven’t felt like being wrong and having to ride over the terrible part of Marshall. Great news.

[Author]

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