September 2018 – Road and Trail conditions

[Emm]

@Judd 181082 wrote:

I’m not planning on using the 14th Street Bridge during construction. It might not look like it, but my commuter bike is incredibly heavy and will fly right down that runnel.

I paused and looked at the existing runnel today. I’m decently strong but it’s still going to SUCK to walk a standard bike with panniers up and down it, especially in wet conditions. The existing runnel is over a small concrete barrier and then a little below the steps. So you’ll need to do this weird reach over to walk your bike a foot off to the side of yourself. It looks more like a drainage ditch that something for bikes. Are we sure they wont put new ramps in along the stairs for this? I have a hard time believing the existing thing is meant for bikes, and if it is, it’s only meant for them going 1 direction at a time.

Plus this will all lead to a total choke point at the end of the bridge with people stopping and making that sharp turn to get on/off the staircase. It’s going to be a mess…At least my PM commute is after bike rush hour so hopefully it wont be bad. My morning commute may be tough though.

[sjclaeys]

@Judd 181082 wrote:

I’m not planning on using the 14th Street Bridge during construction. It might not look like it, but my commuter bike is incredibly heavy and will fly right down that runnel.

There is this option:

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[lordofthemark]

@Emm 181085 wrote:

I paused and looked at the existing runnel today. I’m decently strong but it’s still going to SUCK to walk a standard bike with panniers up and down it, especially in wet conditions. The existing runnel is over a small concrete barrier and then a little below the steps. So you’ll need to do this weird reach over to walk your bike a foot off to the side of yourself. It looks more like a drainage ditch that something for bikes. Are we sure they wont put new ramps in along the stairs for this? I have a hard time believing the existing thing is meant for bikes, and if it is, it’s only meant for them going 1 direction at a time.

Plus this will all lead to a total choke point at the end of the bridge with people stopping and making that sharp turn to get on/off the staircase. It’s going to be a mess…At least my PM commute is after bike rush hour so hopefully it wont be bad. My morning commute may be tough though.

Well at least this gives me an excuse to put off buying panniers and stick to my old back pack a bit longer. But this is kind of depressing.

[dbb]

I just sent an email to both the GWMP and the public affairs guy for the NPS in the District suggesting that they have the USPP at the crosswalk on the GWMP.

The Superintendent is at gwmp_superintendent@nps.gov
The Chief of Communications at the National Mall & Memorial Parks is mike_litterst@nps.gov

Something like:

During the rush hour periods where cyclists will be diverted to the Memorial Bridge, can the NPS arrange for some USPP presence at the crosswalk across the GWMP between the Humpback Bridge and the Memorial Bridge?

Although the crosswalk has rapid flash beacons, during rush hour motorists may be focused on trying to get to work and they often ignore cars stopped for people in the crosswalk. The detour is going to increase the use of that crosswalk so additional measures will be necessary.

Additionally, because the crosswalk is in the District, the right of way rules for DC would apply, a more rigorous standard than in Virginia. It is unlikely most motorists understand their responsibilities.

Without some additional protections at that crosswalk, I am confident the additional crosswalk traffic will result in close calls and collisions.

[huskerdont]

I’m sure this doesn’t need saying, but if the construction sends folks over to the I-66 bridge instead, please be careful. Not only has Trollheim been wet for days on end, but there are slimy leaves down on the downhill portion heading north off of the bridge. I don’t consider myself too wimpy, but I’m braking now even before the downhill.

[jepstein]

been out of town for about a week. anyone care to share the current state of 4MR -> MVT?
was a mess when I last checked.

[OneEighth]

Minimal debris this morning shortly after 8. Most of the mud was also gone mid-4MRT.

[aschildg]

Good morning. I spoke with Grace, our NPS Trails Coordinator, this morning as she was doing some trail counts, and she promised to bring this issue up with the new superintendent at her meeting with him today. She agreed that it would be smart to have USPP posted at the crossings.

[dbb]

Re the 14th St Bridge Detour

I got this response from the NPS (National Mall and Monuments, not the GWMP)

“We have reached out to USPP. They are aware and familiar with the crosswalk you identified. Officers will be directed to pay special attention to this crosswalk, especially during the early stages of the transition when motorists and bicyclists are adjusting to the change. Due to operational needs and staffing levels, the USPP currently cannot dedicate an officer to monitor the crosswalk, but will incorporate it during their patrols. “

During a count a few years ago, I saw over 600 cyclists use the 14th Street Bridge in a couple of morning hours. That number using the crosswalk would likely cause real problems on the parkway. As motorists become frustrated…., well you know the rest.

My response to the NPS included:

“I think the message board that is currently positioned at the bottom of the Columbia Island ramp might be better used just south of the crosswalk and targeted at the motorists. As we all know, motorists don’t take change well and they likely know nothing of the trail detour. A message on the board that says “YIELD TO PEDS IN X-WALK” (if that will fit) might give the folks using the crosswalk a greater chance of getting across safely.”

Personally, I will probably take the Washington Ave trail on the west side of the Pentagon. I’ll probably go down towards the crosswalk just to watch the shit show.

[scoot]

Typical 14th Street Bridge traffic is almost certainly an overestimate for the increase in use of the GWMP crosswalk. Some 14th St Bridge traffic comes from the north, no? These folks are likely to decrease their current crosswalk usage during the construction, partially offsetting the increase in use by people coming from the south. For instance, anyone who currently commutes from the 110 Trail to the 14th St Bridge (e.g. Courthouse to Navy Yard) uses that crosswalk now but will stop doing so during construction.

That said, there will certainly be a lot of new people starting to cross there. I support and applaud your initiative to use the construction as a justification to focus more attention on the problems with this dangerous crosswalk.

[dasgeh]

The crosswalk across the GWMP is certainly an issue, but I’m more worried about the crosswalk on the VA side (though not in VA) of the Memorial Bridge, upstream side. I believe that ALL Memorial Bridge traffic, which is going to include a significant portion of the 14th St Bridge traffic during the closure, will have to use that crosswalk. It is much more dangerous than the other side, as drivers think they are leaving an urban area and are preparing for controlled access highways. USPP already has officers nearby in the mornings as they move the cones that control the traffic pattern getting on to the Memorial Bridge. Those officers are often there for at least 30 minutes longer than they need to be to move cones. Those officers could police the crosswalk.

@scoot 181150 wrote:

Typical 14th Street Bridge traffic is almost certainly an overestimate for the increase in use of the GWMP crosswalk. Some 14th St Bridge traffic comes from the north, no? These folks are likely to decrease their current crosswalk usage during the construction, partially offsetting the increase in use by people coming from the south. For instance, anyone who currently commutes from the 110 Trail to the 14th St Bridge (e.g. Courthouse to Navy Yard) uses that crosswalk now but will stop doing so during construction.

That said, there will certainly be a lot of new people starting to cross there. I support and applaud your initiative to use the construction as a justification to focus more attention on the problems with this dangerous crosswalk.

I doubt there are many people who take the 110 trail then head to the 14th St Bridge. If you take the 110 trail, it’s easy to just take the Memorial Bridge. That said, folks who normally take the MVT from Rosslyn to the 14th St Bridge would probably be better served biking through Rosslyn to the Iwo Jima then the 110 Trail to get to the Memorial Bridge, so those folks wouldn’t need to use the crosswalk across the GWMP.

[scoot]

@dasgeh 181158 wrote:

The crosswalk across the GWMP is certainly an issue, but I’m more worried about the crosswalk on the VA side (though not in VA) of the Memorial Bridge, upstream side. I believe that ALL Memorial Bridge traffic, which is going to include a significant portion of the 14th St Bridge traffic during the closure, will have to use that crosswalk.

Hmm… At first glance, I thought the north sidewalk would be the one closed during 14th St Bridge construction, because NPS says that “the westbound sidewalk will close first from fall 2018 until fall 2019.” But when one reads the details of the detours, it sounds like the south, or eastbound, sidewalk is actually the one that will be closed. Is there a better source of info for Memorial Bridge construction?

With the south sidewalk also closed on Memorial Bridge, the inaccessibility of the 14th St Bridge becomes a much bigger problem. The crosswalk just north of Memorial Circle is even worse than the one across GWMP, due to the merging, awful sightlines, and lack of flashing lights. A trip from Crystal City to the Fish Market now involves an awkward dance around Memorial Circle traversing both of those awful crosswalks, and it nearly doubles in distance.

Surely NPS would be happy to provide a temporary crosswalk between the two eagle statues (along with police enforcement)?

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[Brandon]

Ok, so I don’t really know the trails in Arlington too well. I commute most days eastbound from Vienna on the W&OD then link up with the 4MRT and then take the MVT north to 14th st bridge. Going home, I take the MVT north from 14th and up Custis to the W&OD. Twice this week, I tried going from the MVT, across these crosswalks then to the memorial bridge and down Ohio Drive (surprisingly pleasant, I just took the lane, no cars). But I was not really happy with the two crosswalks from MVT to the memorial bridge and having to take Custis eastbound to do so. So, for those of you more familiar with the area, how would you get to memorial bridge from the W&OD/4MRT? One time when the 4MRT was flooded out, a kind soul showed me how to take Eads over to the Crystal City connector and I hopped back on the MVT there, but that’s been the extent of my exploration. I’ve also considered taking Custis to crossing the key bridge and then following the river on the DC side, but I’ve never done that either, been playing with google maps to get comfortable.

[dasgeh]

@NovaEbike 181178 wrote:

Ok, so I don’t really know the trails in Arlington too well. I commute most days eastbound from Vienna on the W&OD then link up with the 4MRT and then take the MVT north to 14th st bridge. Going home, I take the MVT north from 14th and up Custis to the W&OD. Twice this week, I tried going from the MVT, across these crosswalks then to the memorial bridge and down Ohio Drive (surprisingly pleasant, I just took the lane, no cars). But I was not really happy with the two crosswalks from MVT to the memorial bridge and having to take Custis eastbound to do so. So, for those of you more familiar with the area, how would you get to memorial bridge from the W&OD/4MRT? One time when the 4MRT was flooded out, a kind soul showed me how to take Eads over to the Crystal City connector and I hopped back on the MVT there, but that’s been the extent of my exploration. I’ve also considered taking Custis to crossing the key bridge and then following the river on the DC side, but I’ve never done that either, been playing with google maps to get comfortable.

The discussion of detours for the NPS Bridge work deserves its own thread. I started one here: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?13775-Detours-for-the-2018-(and-beyond!)-NPS-Bridge-Work&p=181183#post181183

[bentbike33]

My concern is mainly the afternoon commute. I work in southwest DC and live near Tysons. Even though it is about 1 mile further, I prefer the 14th St-MVT route to Custis because far fewer cars. Since I transit through around 7 am, there is little difference to me to cross via Key or TR bridge (I avoid Memorial and associated GWMP crosswalk) since getting from NW to SW at the hour is no big deal. The afternoon (transiting about 5 pm) is a different story. I think I can rule out Key as when I went that way to avoid a frozen Trollheim, I found it faster to walk my bike on the sidewalk than cycle vehicularly (I am not a fan of filtering). Regarding TR Bridge, it seems (based on recent morning efforts to avoid MVT floods/mud) the only way to get there given the Kennedy Center construction is to go up via Virginia Ave to the north end of the Kennedy Center and ride the Death Star Trench/sidewalk to the bridge. Any alternatives? How trafficky is Virginia Ave in the afternoon (in the morning, I see more bikes and joggers than cars)?

Thanks.

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