W&OD Detours Coming Soon

[zsionakides]

Will they move the intersection at the Custis I-66 overpass further away from the highway wall. Going west bound on the Custis, it’s a blind corner even with the stop sign.

[bentbike33]

@zsionakides 189828 wrote:

Will they move the intersection at the Custis I-66 overpass further away from the highway wall. Going west bound on the Custis, it’s a blind corner even with the stop sign.

It seems so, as depicted on slide 20 of this deck. The right turn westbound would be much further away from the bridge wall.

[Henry]

BikeArlington and DES just got a release saying this goes into effect TOMORROW, April 19:

RELEASE: IMMEDIATE April 18, 2019

CONTACT:

Michelle T. Holland
703-586-0487
Michelle.Holland@VDOT.Virginia.Gov

W&OD TRAIL DETOURS IN ARLINGTON BEGIN TOMORROW FOR CONSTRUCTION OF NEW TRAIL BRIDGE OVER ROUTE 29
Custis Trail detour near Bon Air Park begins in May
for I-66 Eastbound Widening Project

FAIRFAX, Va. – Detours begin Friday, April 19, 2019, on the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail for construction of a new trail bridge over Route 29 (Lee Highway) near the Arlington-Falls Church line. Additionally, the Custis Trail will be detoured beginning in May where it passes under I-66 near Bon Air Park in Arlington due to I-66 widening construction above the trail. Both detours are expected to last until fall 2020.

Details include:

Washington & Old Dominion Trail Bridge Detour at Lee Highway in Arlington (April 19, 2019, to Fall 2020)

On April 19, 2019, the W&OD Trail will close between Little Falls Street and Lee Highway (near mile marker 5.5) and for a short portion on the east side of Lee Highway.

• Pedestrians will be detoured to the north on Little Falls Street, then turn right on Fairfax Drive to reach the signalized crosswalk for Lee Highway. Sidewalk is available for this entire detour.
• Cyclists will be detoured to the south on Little Falls Street, turn left on West Jefferson Street to reach Lee Highway, then turn left on Lee Highway to the signalized crosswalk. Most of Jefferson Street does not have sidewalk.
• On the east side of Lee Highway, trail users will be shifted to nearby Fairfax Drive for about 200 feet. This portion of Fairfax Drive will be closed to vehicle traffic.

A new bridge is being built for the W&OD Trail over Route 29. This bridge will provide trail users a safer crossing at this busy intersection. Upwards of 2,000 people use the trail in this area near mile marker 5.5 on peak days. The bridge is expected to open in fall 2020.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19968[/ATTACH]

Custis Trail I-66 Underpass Detour Near Bon Air Park
(May 6, 2019 to Fall 2020)

On May 6, 2019, weather permitting, the Custis Trail will close where it passes under I-66 near Bon Air Park in Arlington.

• Trail users will be detoured to cross over I-66 using an existing pedestrian bridge about 750 feet east of the underpass. The bridge can also be accessed from N. Fairfax Drive near Kensington Street.
• The detour will be marked and uses existing paved trails.

An additional lane is being added to I-66 East between the Dulles Connector Road and Fairfax Drive / Glebe Road (Exit 71). Extensive work will occur on the bridge that runs above the trail, which requires the underpass to be closed for safety. As part of the construction, the Custis Trail alignment will be shifted slightly south, improving visibility and safety for trail users. Work is expected to be complete by fall 2020.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19969[/ATTACH]

W&OD Trail Bridge construction and I-66 Eastbound Widening are components of the Transform 66 Inside the Beltway Eastbound Widening Project. The I-66 Eastbound Widening Project will add a travel lane along four miles of eastbound I-66 and install approximately 12,000 linear feet of new and replacement noise barriers. The project also includes constructing a new direct access ramp from eastbound I-66 to the West Falls Church Metro Station at the Route 7 interchange. Learn more about the project at inside.transform66.org.

The additional eastbound lane is scheduled to open to traffic in fall 2020, and the overall project is expected to be complete in fall 2021.

Follow VDOT Northern Virginia on Twitter: @vadotnova.

[zsionakides]

Are the Lee Hwy detours full time or during certain construction periods. If it’s full time that will be really bad for trail users. A year and a half on that detour is really long and it’s not a good route on the Lee Hwy part.

[dasgeh]

@zsionakides 189842 wrote:

Are the Lee Hwy detours full time or during certain construction periods. If it’s full time that will be really bad for trail users. A year and a half on that detour is really long and it’s not a good route on the Lee Hwy part.

I believe full time. It’s disappointing that they didn’t ask for input for any of this, and that it’s going to take a year and a half (!?!?!??!?!)

[Steve O]

For through cyclists, I suspect they will learn it’s better to go one more block south to Columbia, cross Washington at the light and take Columbia all the way to Van Buren, then left to the trail.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19970[/ATTACH]

[zsionakides]

@Steve O 189852 wrote:

For through cyclists, I suspect they will learn it’s better to go one more block south to Columbia, cross Washington at the light and take Columbia all the way to Van Buren, then left to the trail.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19970[/ATTACH]

That route looks much better, though it would help if it was signed for infrequent users. It looks like eastbound you could also take the pedestrian detour route and it would all be on-road.

[huskerdont]

We could do with some vigilante detour signage.

[sjclaeys]

@Steve O 189852 wrote:

For through cyclists, I suspect they will learn it’s better to go one more block south to Columbia, cross Washington at the light and take Columbia all the way to Van Buren, then left to the trail.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19970[/ATTACH]

But that avoids the “fun” of the ACPD cyclist sting at 19th & Van Buren. The ACPD officer will be so lonely.

[zsionakides]

If bicycle safety and comfort were actually a priority, they could run a detour through the fire station’s service road. It could be coned off so cyclists didn’t interfere with emergency responders getting out either.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19974[/ATTACH]

[accordioneur]

@Steve O 189852 wrote:

For through cyclists, I suspect they will learn it’s better to go one more block south to Columbia, cross Washington at the light and take Columbia all the way to Van Buren, then left to the trail.

As is often the case, SteveO and I disagree on our preferred trails. I find Columbia Street to be a bad choice for riding – very narrow with frequent two way traffic, poor sight lines due to hills, and speed bumps.

[kwarkentien]

@zsionakides 189882 wrote:

If bicycle safety and comfort were actually a priority, they could run a detour through the fire station’s service road. It could be coned off so cyclists didn’t interfere with emergency responders getting out either.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19974[/ATTACH]

Sorry, as a former firefighter, I definitely don’t agree with this idea. You’d be going over two active fire department emergency apparatus ramps. Drills are often conducted on the back ramp and the sight lines coming in and out of the back ramp on Little Falls aren’t great. It’s a nonstarter.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rcannon100]

@kwarkentien 189896 wrote:

Sorry, as a former firefighter, I definitely don’t agree with this idea. You’d be going over two active fire department emergency apparatus ramps. Drills are often conducted on the back ramp and the sight lines coming in and out of the back ramp on Little Falls aren’t great. It’s a nonstarter.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Karen speaks my mind (well, except for the stuff about Tapatalk). This is a pretty bad idea. Please dont short-cut through fire stations.

[dbb]

As much as I dislike this, I am forced to agree with Steve O.

From Banneker Park, south to Columbia gets you across Lee Highway at a traffic light and you don’t have to ride on Lee Highway.

If you are heading west, a turn on Maple will take you past Bikenetic where you can get pie.

[josh]

@dbb 189913 wrote:

From Banneker Park, south to Columbia gets you across Lee Highway at a traffic light and you don’t have to ride on Lee Highway.

Yeah, trying to cross Lee Highway on Jefferson (with no light) sucks, it always feels like I’m waiting around for a couple minutes for a 10 second break in traffic.

[Author]

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