Route Suggestions- Clarendon to Judiciary Square?

[GuyContinental]

I expect this one to be pretty easy given how many of you fine folk cross the river every day…

With my wife’s parking brushing up against $300/month I think that I have her convinced to switch to the bike once our youngest is out of daycare. What is the cleanest (read safest) route from essentially Revolution Bikes in Clarendon (Wilson and Edgewood) to 6th & DC NW? Can she leverage any of the new cycletracks?

I’m pretty expert at VA route finding but I rarely cross the river other than to hit Haines Point or head up the Cap Crescent so I’m remarkably clueless in DC…

Thanks!

Guy

Topic

[DismalScientist]

How about across the TR bridge, up New Hampshire to H to Penn. From there, across in front of the White House, down 15th Street to Penn again and east to 6th Street.
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Clarendon+Boulevard,+Arlington,+VA&daddr=38.8949,-77.07208+to:38.8927827,-77.0576659+to:38.8995806,-77.048918+to:38.895504,-77.032958+to:38.892826,-77.020202+to:400+6th+Street+Northwest,+Washington+D.C.,+DC&hl=en&ll=38.886624,-77.049694&spn=0.112107,0.070295&sll=38.886824,-77.056904&sspn=0.112106,0.070295&geocode=Fb1sUQIdzsJn-ymRHEP0iba3iTEqFod8eQecKw%3BFTR9UQIdMPln-ymFrIzfW7a3iTEvO2j4Rm7sMQ%3BFe50UQIdfzFo-ykX3Q2jVLa3iTH-8UM10uv1qQ%3BFXyPUQIdqlNo-ynh0LKZsbe3iTH4cawq9DU_EQ%3BFZB_UQIdApJo-ylrieYCmLe3iTESmGv1RcjAMQ%3BFRp1UQId1sNo-ymfDGY_hbe3iTFMkissBBoSuQ%3BFdd8UQId_sRo-ylZMNSXj7e3iTF-Gt3AqHLo_A&oq=400+6th++street+nw,+washington,+DC&dirflg=b&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=14&via=1,2,3,4,5&t=m&z=14&lci=bike
An alternate is to keep on New Hampshire to L and follow that cyclectrack to 15th.
Personally, I would go L to Mass and bomb down Mass to 6th Street.

[Steve]

Another option if safety is the number 1 concern would be to cross Arlington Memorial Bridge (or even 14th St. to avoide the GW Pkwy crossings) and then ride the path down past the Tidal Basin and up toward the Wash Monument. area and then just go up 6th. This is much more of a path than a sidewalk in this area, because it is fairly wide. It may have to include riding Jefferson St. once you get east of the Washington Monument (I’m not sure if the path is still the wide paved or crushed gravel at that point).

I’d try to map this, but my work computer struggles and it would take way to long to load. Sorry!

[Justin Antos]

I used to commute from DC to Clarendon; thankfully there are many good options, basically depending on which bridge you choose. One consideration is to have a good light if you ever do southbound on the MVT in the dark, since you’re looking into headlights.

Via Memorial Bridge Pros: very scenic! Cons: crossing the GW Parkway, pedestrians on the Mall.

Via Key Bridge. Pros: using the L and 15th St cycletracks in DC. Cons: M St. in Georgetown. L St. cycletracks might have “growing pains” the first few months.

Via the 14th St. Bridge. Pros: Mostly trails the whole way, least amount of stopping, safe. Cons: Longer. This was my first choice.

Via the TR Bridge: see DismalScientist’s excellent response above. Pros: fairly direct, uses Penn cycletrack in DC. Cons: narrow path on bridge, stoplights in Foggy Bottom.

[TwoWheelsDC]

For sh*ts and gigs, I’ll propose a slightly less bike-y route…what about taking Metro to Federal Triangle, then jumping on CaBi at 10th/Constitution, up to E St. NW, then over to the CaBi station at 4th/D NW.

[GuyContinental]

@TwoWheelsDC 34861 wrote:

For sh*ts and gigs, I’ll propose a slightly less bike-y route…what about taking Metro to Federal Triangle, then jumping on CaBi at 10th/Constitution, up to E St. NW, then over to the CaBi station at 4th/D NW.

It’s not a bad suggestion at all- in fact I’m sure that she’ll do metro a few days a week. She took metro for 8 years before kids afterall, and we do live 5 minutes from two metro stations. CaBi is a nice hybrid (as is taking a CaBi to work downhill and then metro home). I’m trying to convince her that it’s safe enough and easy enough to be doable a few times a week- that in mind, 14th st might be the way to go, less direct but prettier and largely off roads.

[Nuke]

I travel a similar commute (mine is from Ballston to the Hill). I have a few sets of routes I use based on my goal for that ride: shortest time, good target heart rate, or safety.

For shortest commute, every morning I take Claraden Blvd to 15th, 15th to Arlington Blvd Access Rd, through Iwo Jima, around Arlington Cementary, over Memorial Bridge, and then down the Mall. Except for the GW Parkway crossing, I feel this route is fairly safe. Its mostly bike lanes, MUP, or streets with very little traffic. In the morning, tourists are not an issue. This takes me about 30 minutes to work, 40 back. I just started biking in March so I’m not that fast.

For a better training/workout commute, most afternoons I take Penn to 15th, north side of the White House, through GWU (I take G st but still trying to find the best route), over TR bridge, and then Custis. This takes about 10-15 minutes more than the other route. Although it avoids the GWP crossing, I find TR bridge to be pretty hairy. There is barely enought room for two bikes to pass by eachother. The tourists are fairly tollerable this route even in the afternoon.

I would avoid M. St in Georgetown. I probably haven’t given 14th St Bridge a fair shot, might try it this afternoon.

I’d be happy to ride with her if our schedules work.

[Author]

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