W&OD Detours Coming Soon

[consularrider]

@bentbike33 190092 wrote:

Funny story. … We can leave Columbia for use by the kool kidz.

Who knew was one of the “kool kidz”?

[Nadine]

@consularrider 190163 wrote:

Who knew was one of the “kool kidz”?

I know, right? I have so never been that! [emoji38]

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[Boomer Cycles]

@Nadine 190141 wrote:

Thanks for the great detour review. I’m still gonna prefer Columbia st, but it’s nice to know the detour works… I ride with Babes on Bikes, and if the people I’m riding with wanna do the detour, we’ll probably do the detour. [emoji2368]

I’m so right there with you about the intersection of doom, Dan. I really think it shouldabin prioritized over this one… I think there are complicating structural issues with that one, though.

I, too, prefer the West Columbia Street crossing of Lee Highway because it has a traffic light for a safer crossing.

The official detour on West Jefferson means that you have to cross 4 lines of high speed motorized traffic to exercise 2 of the 3 options (go straight or make the left). And the 3rd option (make the right) takes you up to the Columbia Street traffic light anyway. It’s a tad longer, but you get to avoid riding alongside Lee Highway (not my favorite bike route).

However I do like that the West Jefferson Street detour passes by the Bikenetic shop, which has a tool rack outside, and Acme Pie inside;-)

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[Drewdane]

@dasgeh 190075 wrote:

This is squarely a VDOT project. But since it impacts Arlington, I’ve been including Arlington on my emails — but I should also include Falls Church. Does FC have a bike/ped planner? Anyone have contact info?

I don’t have a name or contact info for Falls Church’s bike planner, but I found their official portrait:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20026[/ATTACH]

[Dan K]

@Boomer2U 190197 wrote:

I, too, prefer the West Columbia Street crossing of Lee Highway because it has a traffic light for a safer crossing.

The official detour on West Jefferson means that you have to cross 4 lines of high speed motorized traffic to exercise 2 of the 3 options (go straight or make the left). And the 3rd option (make the right) takes you up to the Columbia Street traffic light anyway. It’s a tad longer, but you get to avoid riding alongside Lee Highway (not my favorite bike route).

However I do like that the West Jefferson Street detour passes by the Bikenetic shop, which has a tool rack outside, and Acme Pie inside;-)

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To clarify from my OP, when westbound, the “straight ahead” detour option crosses Lee at Fairfax, which is also controlled by a traffic light.

[Drewdane]

I’ve taken the EFC pedestrian bridge detour a few times now, and it’s just fine. Crossing Lee Hwy/N. Washington st. from W. Jefferson st. is easy in the morning – Eastbound cross traffic is minimal and it’s usually bumper-to-bumper Westbound, so getting across the street and continuing on your merry way is really not a problem. In the evening, it’s a simple matter to turn left from N. Westmoreland onto Lee Hwy/N. Washington with the light and head on up to W. Jefferson.

[josh]

@Drewdane 190495 wrote:

I’ve taken the EFC pedestrian bridge tour a few times now, and it’s just fine. Crossing Washington Blvd. from W. Jefferson st. is easy in the morning – Eastbound cross traffic is minimal and it’s usually bumper-to-bumper Westbound, so getting across the street and continuing on your merry way is really not a problem. In the evening, it’s a simple matter to turn left from N. Westmoreland onto Washington Blvd. with the light and head on up to W. Jefferson.

Lee Highway/N Washington St according to Google Maps, not Washington Blvd

[Drewdane]

@josh 190502 wrote:

Lee Highway/N Washington St according to Google Maps, not Washington Blvd

I have absolutely no idea why you posted that.

[Emm]

I took the Little Falls-E. Columbia- N. Van Buren detour Friday heading eastbound. About a mile before hitting the detour I was passed by someone I know who was definitely riding faster than I was.

He caught up to me about a mile AFTER the detour, very confused about how he somehow got that far behind me. According to him, the posted detour was pretty slow, while I very comfortably rode through the detour I learned about here.

No idea how this translates to daily commuters going through this area, but I at least found my super-fast detouring to be pretty amusing. I found the Columbia detour to be easy, direct, and low stress.

[Boomer Cycles]

@Dan K 190219 wrote:

To clarify from my OP, when westbound, the “straight ahead” detour option crosses Lee at Fairfax, which is also controlled by a traffic light.

Yes, true at FFX – Lee Hwy intersection, though it is much more congested and has multiple left turn signals sequences and right-on-reds than East/West Columbia Street, which I find to be much safer crossing over Lee Hwy.

I’ve had several close calls at the Lee Hwy-FFX intersection while obeying traffic signals and inside the cross-walk due to right-on-reds eastbound cars, and lefties going westbound turning into Lee Hwy southbound. The pedestrian bridge will eliminate all those risks for the through-commuters. Yeah VDOT!

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[bentbike33]

The other detour, actually of the Custis under I-66, looks like it is about ready to begin (a month late, it seems). I like how the detour signs (still bagged up) are about as tall as basketball backboards. I guess it’s so all the penny-farthing riders I see on the Custis every day can see them well.

[Sunyata]

@bentbike33 191423 wrote:

I guess it’s so all the penny-farthing riders I see on the Custis every day can see them well.

[Starduster]

@Sunyata 191455 wrote:

Larry @ The Old Bike Shop will approve.

[ursus]

@bentbike33 191423 wrote:

The other detour, actually of the Custis under I-66, looks like it is about ready to begin (a month late, it seems). I like how the detour signs (still bagged up) are about as tall as basketball backboards. I guess it’s so all the penny-farthing riders I see on the Custis every day can see them well.

Does anyone have any update as to when this detour will start? It is now about four months since the May supposed start, and besides for the bagged detour signs, nothing has happened. Not that I am complaining.

I want to thank whoever suggested using Columbia St. rather than the official detour for the bridge project. Besides for some rough pavement on Columbia, the detour is great. A matter of fact, had I known about it all these years, I might have used it when a detour was not needed because the crossing of N. Washington St. (Lee Highway) is much simpler than where the bridge is bring built. I am surprised that Columbia St. traffic seems to get as much time at the light as N. Washington does.

[huskerdont]

@ursus 193043 wrote:

Does anyone have any update as to when this detour will start? It is now about four months since the May supposed start, and besides for the bagged detour signs, nothing has happened. Not that I am complaining.

I want to thank whoever suggested using Columbia St. rather than the official detour, for the bridge project. Besides for some rough pavement on Columbia, the detour is great. A matter of fact, had I known about it all these years, I might have used it when a detour was not needed because the crossing of N. Washington St. (Lee Highway) is much simpler than where the bridge is bring built. I am surprised that Columbia St. traffic seems to get as much time at the light as N. Washington does.

Columbia is awesome. Learned about it on a Spoke ride and, like you, I find it a better crossing than at Washington.

[Author]

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