[DCAKen]

I’m a maybe, just having arrived home that afternoon from a round-the-world trip. It’s been amazing seeing pedestrians, cyclists, and cars barely avoiding crashes on the chaotic streets

[DCAKen]

@chuxtr 181893 wrote:

Yup. This is just an accident waiting to happen.

#NotAnAccident

[DCAKen]

@Tania 181778 wrote:

What exactly was it about this guy doing that was illegal and would make you want to notify the police? He’s walking across a bridge on a pedestrian path – is that illegal? There are plenty of times where I can’t pass people because of one thing or another so I wait. According to what you wrote, he was just minding his own business and going from point a to point b.

However, the 14th Street Bridge crossing is wide enough where two people can pass safely. And minding his own business does not cover wacking someone in the face.

[DCAKen]

This was just announced (https://www.nps.gov/nama/learn/news/biketrailwork.htm)

Washington – Beginning Monday, September 24, the National Park Service will start work to improve the bicycle and pedestrian trail that connects the north terminus of the 14th Street Bridge with East Basin Drive near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. The project will widen and improve the trail surface, correct a dangerous slope along the path and improve the crosswalks and crosswalk markings across East Basin Drive. At the same time, a two-way cycle track will be installed in one lane of East Basin Drive where it passes the Jefferson Memorial, providing a dedicated and protected route for cyclists.

Starting on September 24 and lasting the duration of the anticipated 10-week project, the trail will be closed to all pedestrian and bicycle access. A marked detour utilizing stairs and a runnel (ramp adjacent to the stairs) will guide trail users around the closed area via Ohio Drive, past the George Mason Memorial, and along East Basin Drive. However, from October 7-13 (dates are weather dependent), there will be no access to or from the 14th Street Bridge; users will need to detour via Arlington Memorial Bridge.

The improvements to the 14th Street Bridge connector are a cooperative effort of the National Park Service, the District Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The $275,000 project being funded primarily from a Transportation Alternatives Program grant from FHWA.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18366[/ATTACH]

[DCAKen]

Unfortunately, it’s been canceled.

If you have been following the weather, or in most cases have looked outside this week, you will know that there has been an inordinate amount of rain in our region, as well as a category 4 hurricane that will threaten the Mid-Atlantic this weekend. We have been closely following several meteorologic trajectories of Hurricane Florence, as well as consulted local authorities and emergency service personnel for the Back Roads Century region. In this research, we have learned that many local roads along the BRC routes are already at or above flood stage, with no signs of abatement over the weekend, even without the predicted rainfall. The governor of West Virginia has also issued a State of Preparedness, which requires all local emergency and enforcement agencies to prepare to respond to imminent emergencies caused by the hurricane, and for local residents to prepare for an impending disaster.

It is with this information, and in our agreement that the safety of our riders, volunteers, and local authorities takes priority over a weekend riding experience, that we have made the decision to cancel the 2018 Back Roads Century.

This decision has not come lightly, nor without frustration, as we are sure you understand. Thousands of hours of planning over the past eight months to ensure a fantastic experience for our riders has abruptly come to an end without anything tangible in return. We are also making this decision ahead of a typical 48-hour forecast to ensure that you all have an opportunity to amend your plans and, for many in our region, plan for an impending natural disaster.

You may have already reviewed the BRC web page and have re-read the registration acknowledgement that the event would go on rain or shine, and no refunds would be given. However, due to the unprecedented nature of this weather, we are offering an unprecedented opportunity for our displaced cyclists. We would like to offer all of our registered riders a $30 credit towards next year’s century. We hope that you will consider riding with us next year, under fairer skies and better circumstances. If you have any questions or concerns that we may not have entertained yet, please reach out to the club through our president at rbernstein55@yahoo.com.

Thank you once again for your interest and support in the Back Roads Century.

[DCAKen]

The latest word from DDOT is that work on rehabilitating the remaining portions of the Rock Creek Trail won’t be starting until Spring 2019.

[DCAKen]

@chris_s 179985 wrote:

Could also be for the proposed trail realignment under TR bridge, but I don’t think that’s close enough to construction yet.

Those are some nice improvements! I hope they get implemented.

[DCAKen]

@Bilsko 179980 wrote:

I’m curious about that too; across the river, adjacent to the Kennedy Center, they are doing some heavy duty tree/vegetation maintenance. They have generators and it looks like they are using compressed air to clean or the root system – hard to tell, but its a pretty major operation for tree maintenance.

I was wondering if that section across from the Kennedy Center was being prepared for a trail detour for the construction of the overpass between the REACH and the Rock Creek trail

[DCAKen]

@peterw_diy 179890 wrote:

I suppose you have an idea what streetsmarts’ commute is like? A lot of y’all have lovely commutes that are > 80% car-free MUP, but some of us have commutes that are 100% surface streets with traffic controls every 250 feet, and we go through brake parts (and tires) more quickly.

And some of us actually stop at the traffic controls

[DCAKen]

No more cycling through the zoo on the Rock Creek trail for the foreseeable future. From WABA’s Facebook page:

BIKE TRAFFIC ALERT:

A section of the Rock Creek Trail next to the Zoo is closed. (see map)

You know that section where you always think, “it looks like this trail is going to fall into the creek?”

Turns out it’s about to fall into the creek.

Park officials have deemed it unsafe.

You can bypass the closed section by riding the sidewalk through the tunnel. It’s definitely not ideal. Take it slow, yield to pedestrians and ride single file.

This segment of the trail is slated to be rebuilt by @DDOTDC as part of the Beach Drive Rehabilitation project, but that isn’t scheduled to happen for another year. We’re talking to the agency to see if that can be accelerated.

Either way, this closure is going to be measured in a scale of months, not days, so plan accordingly.

[DCAKen]

Electronic signs in Rock Creek Park are now showing Beach Drive from Joyce Road to the DC line will be closed on July 6 as the last phase of the project starts. The short segment between Wise and West Beach Drive will remain open for a couple of months.

[DCAKen]

At last night’s public meeting, the project manager announced that Segment 3 (Broad Branch to Joyce) of Beach Drive will be finished a little earlier than expected and the last phase of the project (Joyce to the Maryland line) will be begin in mid-July. Beach Drive (and the trail from Joyce to Bingham) will be closed to all traffic, with the designated detour for pedestrians and cyclists to be the trail along Oregon Ave. Ross Drive and Ridge Road will be reopened to cars at this time. The short segment of Beach Drive from Wise Road to West Beach Drive will remain open for about six months to provide cut-through access, but this will be closed somewhere around January. Wise Road will also be closed, but it will not be rehabilitated. This final phase of the project is estimated to take about a year.

[DCAKen]

A public meeting about the final stage of the Beach Drive rehabilitation is being held in Silver Spring on May 15, from 7-8 pm

The National Park Service (NPS) invites residents, drivers, and trail users to an informational meeting about what we’ve accomplished so far as well as new construction. Since this project will temporarily close part of Beach Drive and some trails to all use, we will also share detours around the work area, which is between Joyce Road NW and the Maryland-District of Columbia border. We will host the meeting on May 15, 2018 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Plan to attend at the:

Silver Spring Library
Small Rooms 1 & 2 (third floor)
900 Wayne Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Check the Silver Spring Library website for information about transit options including bus, Metro, and parking. To request specific accommodations, like a sign language interpreter, please contact Jonathan Shafer at e-mail us or (202) 619-7186 by Wednesday, May 9. Join representatives from the NPS, Federal Highway Administration (FWHA), District Department of Transportation (DDOT), and DC Water who can answer questions about the rehabilitation of Beach Drive.

[DCAKen]

@viennabiker 177163 wrote:

Yes, I was wondering where to submit a comment. Can you supply the contact information?

It was bad yesterday and had not been cleaned up by today. Or rather parts had been cleaned up and others not. I

I thought the worst section was actually up around Tilden Street (I bike between the Kennedy Center and Broad Branch) where the train was actually impassable at some points. But it was also bad in the section you mention.

I send these messages to the Superintendent of the park at rocr_superintendent@nps.gov

[DCAKen]

@drevil 177080 wrote:

One neato torpedo thing I discovered last week is that the Ortlieb pannier hooks clip easily onto the top of the sides of the shopping cart. I was filling them up while shopping and knew exactly when it was full. However, I didn’t have the hand scanner, so I had to pull everything back out, scan, then repack. Thanks for the tip!

I had discovered this a few years ago. Then recently, my local Giant replaced the carts with more rugged plastic sides. My Ortlieb hooks don’t fit as easily on them, but I can wedge them on.

[Author]

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