Rt 50 to/from Key Bridge

[bobco85]

@04forlife 119569 wrote:

Hi,

The connection from the Rt 50 trail to Key Bridge via Lynn St seems ok in the AM thanks to the painted lane and steady stream of bicycles, but the reverse direction seems much more dangerous. There doesn’t seem to be much infrastructure or other cyclists going from the bridge along Ft Myer Drive back to 50.

Does anybody else go in this direction? Do you go through the Wilson underpass or up and over? I’ve gone through a couple times but it doesn’t seems like a great idea. I’ve yet to see a fellow cyclist there at around 4:30 pm in the last few weeks.

I understand the alternative is to go up Custis to Veitch to Wilson, then down to 50 via Highland/Irving, but that takes longer and is a steeper hill out of Rosslyn.

Thanks!

I take Fort Myer Drive on occasion to get to the Route 50 trail from Key Bridge, but I have never attempted it during rush hour. I find 2 options to get through downtown Rosslyn there:

If you decide to take Fort Myer Drive using the underpass:

• It is decidedly more dangerous, so experience and confidence are necessary
• Do not take it if you do not have bright, working taillights
• Do not take it if you cannot maintain at least 15 mph speed
• You absolutely HAVE to take the lane here
• I get beeped at regularly by drivers in the lane next to mine

If you want a safer alternative that gets you to Route 50:

• After getting off Key Bridge, get onto the sidewalk (depends on which sidewalk on Key Bridge you took; west side if Lynn, east side if Fort Myer)
• Use the sidewalk to get onto Moore
• Moore ends at Wilson Blvd; turn right then get in the left turn lane
• Turn left onto the far side of the overpass on Fort Myer Drive

Hopefully this will help with finding a safer route through there.

[hencio]

On my way home, I’ve been taking Ft. Myer Drive from the Key Bridge to RT 50 pretty regularly. I’m usually there around 6 to 6:15 and take the over route. I’ve taken the underpass a few times, but seems much more sketchy than going over. I have been surprised at how light traffic has been in that direction at that time. I take the lane and have had no issues.

[Emm]

@04forlife 119569 wrote:

Hi,

The connection from the Rt 50 trail to Key Bridge via Lynn St seems ok in the AM thanks to the painted lane and steady stream of bicycles, but the reverse direction seems much more dangerous. There doesn’t seem to be much infrastructure or other cyclists going from the bridge along Ft Myer Drive back to 50.

Does anybody else go in this direction? Do you go through the Wilson underpass or up and over? I’ve gone through a couple times but it doesn’t seems like a great idea. I’ve yet to see a fellow cyclist there at around 4:30 pm in the last few weeks.

I understand the alternative is to go up Custis to Veitch to Wilson, then down to 50 via Highland/Irving, but that takes longer and is a steeper hill out of Rosslyn.

Thanks!

When I lived in Rosslyn, I crossed Wilson using the over-pass on Ft. Meyer. I lived at the intersection of Ft. Meyer and N. Fairfax/Rt 50, so I did this daily. There is a small hill and a stoplight you can avoid by using the underpass, but I never once felt unsafe during rush hour going up and over, and this was back when I was a very inexperienced cyclist.

[04forlife]

I started going up and over without incident, going through the tunnel was just not worth it. Drivers seem to like to gun it after sitting in traffic on M St and I don’t think the lower speed limit in the tunnel helps much. Given the light traffic after the bridge’s bottleneck, a painted lane on the overpass could be easy to do and would help a lot.

[DismalScientist]

Have you considered using the neighborhood streets to the west of Rosslyn and joining the Route 50 trail at the Rhodes Street bridge? Sorta like this:https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.9014339,-77.0704984/38.8895265,-77.0777511/@38.8942023,-77.0789089,16z/data=!4m24!4m23!1m20!3m4!1m2!1d-77.07294!2d38.8963617!3s0x89b7b65b92f27691:0xf09fef8b5c17bec8!3m4!1m2!1d-77.0782477!2d38.8944383!3s0x89b7b65e123f497f:0xdca820d0ed410f84!3m4!1m2!1d-77.0784617!2d38.8924358!3s0x89b7b65fcf15785d:0x5af6a8b3c94781b8!3m4!1m2!1d-77.078229!2d38.8906861!3s0x89b7b65fedbf969f:0x8d55c284ab92acee!1m0!3e1

[Brendan von Buckingham]

@DismalScientist 120041 wrote:

Have you considered using the neighborhood streets to the west of Rosslyn and joining the Route 50 trail at the Rhodes Street bridge? Sorta like this:https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.9014339,-77.0704984/38.8895265,-77.0777511/@38.8942023,-77.0789089,16z/data=!4m24!4m23!1m20!3m4!1m2!1d-77.07294!2d38.8963617!3s0x89b7b65b92f27691:0xf09fef8b5c17bec8!3m4!1m2!1d-77.0782477!2d38.8944383!3s0x89b7b65e123f497f:0xdca820d0ed410f84!3m4!1m2!1d-77.0784617!2d38.8924358!3s0x89b7b65fcf15785d:0x5af6a8b3c94781b8!3m4!1m2!1d-77.078229!2d38.8906861!3s0x89b7b65fedbf969f:0x8d55c284ab92acee!1m0!3e1

Yep. I agree, sorta, so I tweaked it

[dasgeh]

My snow route puts me on this in the morning, and I honestly never had a problem. Morning drivers seem slightly less insane than afternoon drivers, and honestly, I rarely see more than one car in the tunnel with me, so that may have something to do with it.

It’s silly that cyclists are forced through an intersection (more conflict with cars) rather than being able to go under it because of some glassbowl drivers. What do people think of additional signage for both the speed limit and share the road/cyclists may use full lane, plus some additional enforcement?

[Author]

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