[arlcxrider]

Per NPS National Mall Twitter feed, as of this morning, the trail underneath (through?) the TR Bridge is now open. I hope to check it out after work.

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[arlcxrider]

Steel outriggers to support the temporary bike/ped crossing of Four Mile Run at the West Glebe Road bridge.

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[arlcxrider]

The bridge is comprised of two structural precast “Ts.” The repairs are needed to address the joint between the Ts. Kind of a crappy design, in my design, with persistent maintenance issues, especially if there isn’t enough positive camber in the Ts to provide decent drainage. Has to drain to each end thanks to the curb.

And, what is it with Alexandria and out-of-service bike/ped facilities?

[arlcxrider]

@CaseyKane50 219267 wrote:

Here is a picture taken during construction. You can clearly see the Belvedere and the trees lining Constituion Avenue.

The TR Bridge was a planning calamity not easily undone.

[arlcxrider]

@Starduster 219246 wrote:

“Mommy, what’s a Belvedere?”

The “Belvedere” was intended to be the monumental termination of Constitution Ave. The TR Bridge and its gawdawful tangle of ramps turned it into a vestigial oddity.

[arlcxrider]

@JorgeGortex 219130 wrote:

My feeling is that they are trying to create a solution for a problem that doesn’t really exist and in the process will mess up one of the most enjoyable places to ride. Most riders, except the most casual and families, will end up in more conflict with cars. If they want to ensure pedestrian safety, install a sidewalk on the “inside” of the loop adjacent to the golf course property. Leave the roads alone.

That would cost megabucks, as would fixing the seawalls. And I’m not sure there is room for a sidewalk unless you removed part of the roadway, due to proximity of the cherry trees. It looks like NPS thinking on this one is limited to “magical paint.”

[arlcxrider]

Final reminder that the comment period closes on May 19.

[arlcxrider]

It has changed, just a little.

[arlcxrider]

Maybe in honor of occasion they can the APD to ticket the double-parking food delivery drivers who habitually block the Crystal Dr. bike lanes.

[arlcxrider]

In front of the Econolodge, where the trail used to cross the former Lee Hwy. at grade. Google street view from 2009.

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[arlcxrider]

Great. Now all they need are more reverse-commute trains (or indeed ANY reverse-commute trains on the Fredericksburg Line), mid-day trains, and weekend trains. Then I might be able to actually use the service.

[arlcxrider]

@ursus 218961 wrote:

Thanks greatly for posting that. I had to miss it due to a dentist appointment.

I was thinking this morning about the fact that school buses will still be allowed. For between 30 minutes and an hour, 30 or more Fairfax County school buses were parking in what will be bike/pedestrian territory on the Potomac River side of HP. I spoke to a Metro policeman there who told be they were there because they had driven students to the Kennedy Center and there was no other place for them to park.

This happens often. Not the school buses specifically, but NPS treats the Ohio Drive loop as a “surplus” parking and staging area for any number of activities. Last week the gates were closed because the Park Police were doing some kind of training exercise down there. They didn’t seem to mind my presence (or even notice, to be honest.)

[arlcxrider]

The slide deck from the meeting is available on the project web site. Seems innocuous for the most part, although there’s really no good solution offered for the “angled” parking down at the south end. Other than getting rid of it, which isn’t on the table.

Public comment period runs through May 19th.

[arlcxrider]

Thanks, but I won’t bother filing a report. The entire street and bike lanes need to be swept from Montana Ave. to Florida. (Probably by hand, thanks to the ubiquitous flexi-bollards.) Heaven forbid that one agency could oversee street maintenance. Additionally, the lanes are too narrow. A bike infrastructure fail.

[arlcxrider]

Went to the Arboretum on Sunday, and conditions on the West Virginia Ave. bike lanes are abysmal. Covered in grit, grime, and debris, including abundant broken glass. (Say what you will about plastic bottles, but I’ve never had one shatter and cause a flat.) Took the lane most of the way. DDOT is dropping the ball big time here.

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