SIGHTING: WOD Arlington – Wilson Boulevard Underpass Work Crew

[dasgeh]

@TimV 192583 wrote:

There was a work crew working on the Wilson Boulevard underpass as I pedaled past this morning. Fingers crossed that the repair to the caved in cement will be done soon.

I seriously doubt it will be done any time soon. According to DPR staff at Monday’s BAC meeting, they are still in the process of getting engineers out there to figure out how to fix it and what the price tag will be. Then they’ll have to find the money. They also seem not to have considered putting up a “dismount and walk bikes” sign and leaving a segment open. Or putting up signage for drivers on Wilson about the detour. All around, not a great performance.

All the streets damaged by the storm were repaired within a week. All the playgrounds were fixed within 6 weeks.

[zsionakides]

@dasgeh 192584 wrote:

I seriously doubt it will be done any time soon. According to DPR staff at Monday’s BAC meeting, they are still in the process of getting engineers out there to figure out how to fix it and what the price tag will be. Then they’ll have to find the money. They also seem not to have considered putting up a “dismount and walk bikes” sign and leaving a segment open. Or putting up signage for drivers on Wilson about the detour. All around, not a great performance.

All the streets damaged by the storm were repaired within a week. All the playgrounds were fixed within 6 weeks.

If it’s going to be awhile to get the underpass fixed, then serious consideration should be put into painting a crosswalk at Manchester where the curb cuts are and putting either a “stop for pedestrians” sign or a 3-way stop between Wilson and Manchester. There are other mid-block crossings on Wilson so this wouldn’t be unprecedented, though a temporary 3-way stop would be much safer for everyone going through the intersection.

[DismalScientist]

Not that this really bothers me, but why did they put the traffic light at that location on Wilson rather than just at the intersection with Manchester. BTW, this would not be a “mid-block” crossing of Wilson and there is an implied crosswalk at Manchester.

[dasgeh]

@zsionakides 192585 wrote:

If it’s going to be awhile to get the underpass fixed, then serious consideration should be put into painting a crosswalk at Manchester where the curb cuts are and putting either a “stop for pedestrians” sign or a 3-way stop between Wilson and Manchester. There are other mid-block crossings on Wilson so this wouldn’t be unprecedented, though a temporary 3-way stop would be much safer for everyone going through the intersection.

The detour was discussed at the BAC. Arlington staff seemed not hopeful that anything would change. I recommend writing powers that be — countymanager and countyboard arlingtonva.us

[baiskeli]

@DismalScientist 192590 wrote:

Not that this really bothers me, but why did they put the traffic light at that location on Wilson rather than just at the intersection with Manchester.

I’d guess it was meant for access to the tennis courts and park on the rose garden side and not anticipated as a detour. It could also be a matter of traffic having time to slow and stop and/or sight lines when turning from Manchester, which has no light.

[Steve O]

@DismalScientist 192590 wrote:

Not that this really bothers me, but why did they put the traffic light at that location on Wilson rather than just at the intersection with Manchester. BTW, this would not be a “mid-block” crossing of Wilson and there is an implied crosswalk at Manchester.

I remember when it was first installed, we discussed it at the BAC and we never got a good answer for why they selected that location. It is inconvenient whether you want to cross at Manchester (the Wilson underpass bypass) or at Bon Air Park/Lexington St. It just seems like a totally stupid location.

A painted crosswalk like at Lexington would be better than nothing. I lumberjacked the orange cones out of the way this morning. You’re welcome.

[Subby]

Arlington Co. has created a situation where it is way safer to just roll through the tunnel.

[Enabler]

@Steve O 192596 wrote:

I lumberjacked the orange cones out of the way this morning. You’re welcome.

Imagine the traffic-calming effect if the cones were lumberjacked onto the lane lines between the vehicle lanes where the crossing SHOULD be at Manchester.

[baiskeli]

@Steve O 192596 wrote:

I remember when it was first installed, we discussed it at the BAC and we never got a good answer for why they selected that location.

The light wasn’t ever really designed to let pedestrians cross. It was a speed-control measure. It turns red automatically when you roll down that hill too fast. I think that’s why it is in that location, to give enough room to catch speeding cars from the west before they blow through.

[Dan K]

Passed thru out and back today. Work crew was just doing brush work in the trees.

Speaking of this location, They also sure do need to fix that collection of root bumps on the trail just east of the detour. As is common, they dealt with them a couple of years ago, but they’re back big time.

Regarding root bumps, won a victory this week after dogged (8-week!) campaign with NPS. Extremely hazardous and huge root bumps on the MVT, right at the mirror, where the concrete meets the asphalt behind the power plant, finally fixed. Bumps were at the bottom of a hill (southbound) and a blind curve (hence the mirror there).

Last week I was northbound there, and nearly got hit head on by a southbound guy who hit the bumps and lost control of his bike. He missed me by a couple of inches and crashed into the fence (he was just scratched and bruised, his bike fared worse).

Duly reported all to NPS, perhaps that was what finally got them to do the fix. They also fixed some bad bumps on the straightaway just to the south as well. Bottomline: sometimes persistence pays off, other times sadly, it takes an accident.

[dasgeh]

To whom did you persist? Methinks we need to focus a new persistence on getting the root heaves on the TR Bridge ramp shaved again.

[Dan K]

@dasgeh 192621 wrote:

To whom did you persist? Methinks we need to focus a new persistence on getting the root heaves on the TR Bridge ramp shaved again.

GW Memorial Parkway HQ: (703) 289-2500

Rangers (Arlington Cemetery Office):

Brent O’Neill (Supervisory Park Ranger); (202) 438-6614

Jeff Long, Seasonal Ranger (Apr-Oct); (703) 235-1530

[Steve O]

@baiskeli 192615 wrote:

The light wasn’t ever really designed to let pedestrians cross. It was a speed-control measure. It turns red automatically when you roll down that hill too fast. I think that’s why it is in that location, to give enough room to catch speeding cars from the west before they blow through.

Perhaps, although that does not explain why it could not have been installed at N. Lexington.

[dasgeh]

@Steve O 192627 wrote:

Perhaps, although that does not explain why it could not have been installed at N. Lexington.

Sometimes neighbors oppose lights at neighborhood streets because more people use the street if there’s a light.

[baiskeli]

@Steve O 192627 wrote:

Perhaps, although that does not explain why it could not have been installed at N. Lexington.

It’s possible they wanted to control speed coming down the hill from the opposite direction too.

All I know is it wasn’t really about pedestrians crossing, but about speed control.

[Author]

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