Suggestions for a safe connection between the Key Bridge and the L Street bike lane

[Bilsko]

Werner – if you’re willing to dismount and walk a bit, you can go down to Water Street (it runs below the Whitehurst Freeway, along the Potomac), ride a few easy blocks, and then back up to M via 29th Street. You could also just go down to the Tow path (the trail runs on the North side of the Canal through Georgetown) and then back up to M.

You *could* continue on K Street up to Washington Circle, but the intersection with 27th St is a difficult one, and the hill up to Washington Circle can be a bit nerveracking with cars speeding by (what you’re trying to avoide on M st).

Unfortunately, its not a particularly bike-friendly stretch of DC.

[DismalScientist]

After construction is over (or not), just take the Roosevelt bridge and go straight up New Hampshire through Washington Circle. Only Washington Circle is the iffy part on this route.

[jnva]

I cross key bridge, M, then left on L. I do this every day and I think L is actually more dangerous even in the bike lane than M. Could be just the timing though, but I am constantly weaving in and out of traffic on L to go around the parked vehicles and avoiding left hooks, whereas on M I just take the lane and go straight.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@jnva 46394 wrote:

I cross key bridge, M, then left on L. I do this every day and I think L is actually more dangerous even in the bike lane than M. Could be just the timing though, but I am constantly weaving in and out of traffic on L to go around the parked vehicles and avoiding left hooks, whereas on M I just take the lane and go straight.

I agree with this.

On Dismal’s suggestion, I would take 25th just after crossing Virginia and avoid Washington Circle.

[wewo]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.

I had not considered the alternative route over Roosevelt Bridge, New Hampshire Ave. and possibly 24th or 25th Streets to connect to L Street. This route looks a little longer than the Key Bridge/M Street/Pennsylvania Ave. connection, but, with clearly less car and pedestrian traffic, should be safer to bike. Also, I can use the exercise.

Stay safe!

Werner

[Steve O]

@wewo 46366 wrote:

I am starting to commute to L Street and am looking for suggestions for a (relatively) safe connection between the Key Bridge and L Street NW. Sharing a lane with agressive BMW drivers on M Street and Pennsylvania Ave scares the dickens out of me.

Okay, I’m sure you will think I am even crazier, but I commuted across Key to a final destination at 1310 L St. This was my route:

Key Bridge
Whitehurst expressway. I know this seems crazy, but I think it’s actually safer than M St. No intersections, good sightlines for the cars, downhill start to get speed, traffic often stopped anyway towards the end–so it’s not like they are zooming by.

Then straight and UNDER Washington Circle. Also seems crazy, but if you wait just shy of the tunnel until the light on K turns red, then you get your very own, private tunnel to ride through. All by your lonesome. Nice. Here’s where you wait ( in the faded triangle):http://goo.gl/maps/hRksN

Then at the next light (21st St) I would go left on the sidewalk one block to L (it’s 1-way the wrong way, so you have to ride the sidewalk against traffic. Illegal in that part of the district, but what the hey.)

Then right on L and fly to my office. About 50% of the time I could hit every light green from 20th to 14th; sweet. Using this route I once made it from my house near 7 Corners in Arlington to 1310 L Street in under 22 minutes.

[PotomacCyclist]

Here’s more info about the New Hampshire Ave. mess:

http://www.newhampshireavestreetscape.com/Home_Page.html

[Subby]

M Street in the morning could not be easier. Afternoon is a different story. Not sure why that is.

[thucydides]

[QUOTE=Steve Whitehurst expressway. I know this seems crazy, but I think it’s actually safer than M St. No intersections, good sightlines for the cars, downhill start to get speed, traffic often stopped anyway towards the end–so it’s not like they are zooming by.

Are bikes legal on the Whitehurst? I guess I always assumed they weren’t (outside of Bike DC).

[Tim Kelley]

@thucydides 46431 wrote:

Are bikes legal on the Whitehurst? I guess I always assumed they weren’t (outside of Bike DC).

Yes, they are legal on Whitehurst. It’s not bad mid-day during the week, but traffic can be heavy during rush hour. It’s a nice downhill leaving Georgetown, but I don’t think I’d want to do it going the other direction.

There is a very narrow shoulder, which is generally full of debris a has drainage grates along the way.

The Strava segment doesn’t even look that fast!

[vvill]

OP: For me, there are a few options I switch between depending on time of day / how I’m feeling

The fastest is under Washington Circle onto Water St / K St under the Whitehurst, then hike the bike over the canal to get onto Key Bridge’s west side via M St via 33rd (or the east side more directly via 34th street). If it’s peak hour or I’m feeling slow I’ll instead go through Washington Circle (also with great care), and use the K St service road until 25th St, then wait to get onto K St on a pedestrian light cycle.

You could also take Virginia down to the Boat Center to get onto Water but that’s probably too inefficient.

Most days though I’ll go the longer way and use Roosevelt, assuming the wet MVT bridge trolls aren’t out in force.

@Tim Kelley 46435 wrote:

There is a very narrow shoulder, which is generally full of debris a has drainage grates along the way.

The Strava segment doesn’t even look that fast!

I’m not a segment flagger but I’d say that’s a fairly flag-worthy segment! GW Parkway ramp merging + Key Bridge onto Whitehurst + Whitehurst past the traffic split. Oh + the debris/drainage gates.

[cephas]

@Steve O 46422 wrote:

Key Bridge
Whitehurst expressway. I know this seems crazy, but I think it’s actually safer than M St. No intersections, good sightlines for the cars, downhill start to get speed, traffic often stopped anyway towards the end–so it’s not like they are zooming by.

Then straight and UNDER Washington Circle.

I second the idea. not for the faint of heart, but not bad. I generally prefer M St, unless I’m feeling brave. and/or running late.

[OutsideTheLaw]

I’ve worked on L Street for 20 years and bike commuted the last 10. I ride all the roads in all conditions, both night and day — which is only to say I’ve seen it all.

I’d respond to your question, since you indicate concern about M Street, by suggesting you simply avoid Key Bridge. Instead of getting on Key Bridge from Rosslyn, just go down the MV Trail through Roosevelt Island and go over Roosevelt Bridge. At the Kennedy Center, head northeast through Foggy Bottom and GW Univ (I usually do H Street), and you’ll end up at the World Bank on Penna Ave. Stay east on Penna (there’s hardly ever traffic, since it dead ends at the White House) and then go north at a place appropriate to where you want to get on L Street, which is only 4 blocks away at that point. If you’re heading somewhere east of the White House, just go north on Madison Place (east side of Lafayette Park) off Penna Ave, past the VA on Vermont and you’ll be there in a jiffy, and you’ve encountered very little traffic since you left Rosslyn.

[eminva]

@Steve O 46422 wrote:

Okay, I’m sure you will think I am even crazier, but I commuted across Key to a final destination at 1310 L St. This was my route:

Key Bridge
Whitehurst expressway. I know this seems crazy, but I think it’s actually safer than M St. No intersections, good sightlines for the cars, downhill start to get speed, traffic often stopped anyway towards the end–so it’s not like they are zooming by.

Then straight and UNDER Washington Circle. Also seems crazy, but if you wait just shy of the tunnel until the light on K turns red, then you get your very own, private tunnel to ride through. All by your lonesome. Nice. Here’s where you wait ( in the faded triangle):http://goo.gl/maps/hRksN

I tested this route to get to my K Street office yesterday, and it is faster and not scary. With the downhill on ramp, you can pick up quite a bit of speed and you will be going almost as fast as the cars by the merge. The speed limit is 35 and the cars seemed to be going no faster than that. I stayed in the lane and the drivers were respectful.

I also waited for the light to turn red to enter the tunnel under Washington Circle. It worked exactly as Steve describes, but the cars were backed up in the tunnel and not moving too fast, so I probably could have gone without waiting for the light.

Things were slow for the three blocks between the end of the tunnel and my office. But over all, I saved about four minutes. And as Steve notes, you avoid the intersections and other nonsense on M Street.

Liz

[brendan]

In my experience, sometimes the traffic on the Whitehurst Fwy is moving closer to 45. And I worry about the merge at the bottom of the on-ramp. It’s not entirely blind, but coming down the ramp it can be hard to see far enough back into the lane you’re merging into, esp. if someone is speeding. I tried it once on the road bike, didn’t particularly like it. Since I ride a slower bike most of the time, I avoid it.

Brendan

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