The National Park Service is planning a rehabilitation project for the bridge, with multiple alternatives being considered for the bascule span arch (the drawbridge section). WABA is suggesting that bike lanes should be added, since the bridge will be renovated anyway. According to the WABA statement: “After an initial study on regional traffic patterns, engineers determined a closure of one of the three lanes in each direction would only minimally impact traffic on other bridges that cross the Potomac River.”
If closure of one lane during construction would only have a minimal impact on traffic, then WABA suggests that the lane could be switched over to bike traffic after the bridge work is complete. Bike lanes could be useful for the many visitors who may travel back and forth between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall.
The comment period on the Environmental Assessment ends on December 2. Read through the materials and send a comment if you think bike lanes or a cycletrack would be a good idea for the bridge. I generally try to avoid the bridge because of the safety issues with the trail crossings on the VA side. But the WABA suggestion sounds intriguing. A protected cycletrack would probably be better. Painted lines would just be ignored by too many drivers. There are also tricky merge lanes on both the VA and DC sides, making it even more important that any bike infrastructure have more substantial separation than just paint.
The WashCycle summary: http://www.thewashcycle.com/2013/11/arlington-memorial-bridge-road-diet.html
National Park Service project site: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=37120
WABA statement: http://www.waba.org/blog/?p=13231
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