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@Starduster 226187 wrote:

Yesterday- the bike repair stand @ W&OD & Columbia pike. The “unbreakable tire pump” was found broken, with a replacement floor pump chained to it. Schraeder valve only. While I was documenting this, another cyclist came up needing air. He ran Presta.

I always keep something like this with all of my bikes: https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Bits-Brass-Presta-Adapter/dp/B07DN2MTKQ

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Fun fact: on a sunny day, the lack of shade and the shiny white soundwall combine to allow a rider to receive light and radiant heat from both sides! With hot asphalt below! Maybe we should nickname it “the rotisserie”. The (short) sections where the sound wall is on the sensible side are at least 20 degrees cooler. With global warming, in 20 years it’ll probably be like taking a recreational summer ride in death valley. Maybe it’ll be possible to put some kind of potted plants on the jersey wall? Perhaps a shrubbery.

TLDR; took a ride on the 66 trail in the early afternoon today, it was miserable.

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@n18 226093 wrote:

One time there were like 3 trees blocking Willow Pond Trail(Adjacent to Lee Highway/RT29, near Fair Oaks Mall) for several months. I reported it to Fairfax County Park Authority along with Google Maps link, and within 3 days they were removed. So they can do it, it’s just that someone has to report it. I don’t think it works for vegetation overgrowth though, they can barely cut grass.

FCPA is pretty good about responding to trail issues. But most trails outside of the stream valley trail network aren’t maintained by FCPA. It might be VDOT (who specifically don’t do routine trail/sidewalk maintenance), it might be fairfax DPW, it might be FCPS, it might be a neighborhood association, it might just be ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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It’s now possible to get through the I66/US50 interchange. Once you’re on the south side the trail stops in a gully with the only exit to climb a steep gravel construction trail and hop a guardrail onto US50 at an expressway merge just before a no-shoulder constriction (NOT RECOMMENDED). There’s supposed to be a trail through random hills park here eventually, but the ETA is spring next year and there’s no sign it’s even begun. For all practical purposes the trail will end on the north side of the I66/US50 interchange for the foreseeable future.

The blake lane crossing is a substandard joke. It’s one of those intersections with limited crossings and the curb cut is one of those narrow right angle sidewalk things with the steep curbs on the sides. Most riders will need to slow below walking pace to negotiate the turn, and a group of riders are unlikely to be able to make the crossing signal legally. Going east that will dump you on the wrong side of sutton road (which is marked as a bike facility). From there you’d either have to wait another light cycle to cross sutton or ride a sidewalk until you have a chance to cut across the road. Since they just repaved the intersection I’d assume this is it. There should at a minimum be a way to cross on both sides of sutton road, there should be wide aprons, and the sidewalk should be trail-sized. I cannot fathom why they didn’t route the trail under blake lane to sutton except for the general level of care devoted to this project.

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@huskerdont 225891 wrote:

On February 11 I rode the portion from Nutley to just shy of Gallows (dodging glass, tree limbs, construction debris, gravel, perhaps the odd barricade)

August, trail still covered with construction debris. I assume this falls under VDOT’s general “we don’t maintain trails” policy.

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rode more of it today. the few sections on the correct side of the sound wall make it painfully clear how much better the trail could have been with more commitment from VDOT.

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@consularrider 226015 wrote:

Brand new paving on the Rocky Run Trail for the first half mile west of the Fairfax County Parkway, then reverts to dirt/mud and gravel/crushed stone

I don’t really understand what FCPA is doing here. They were supposed to replace the bridge at the end of this section with one that doesn’t flood every time there’s a heavy rain. They haven’t replaced the bridge, so presumably the new pavement will be flooded every time there’s a heavy rain? I also haven’t been impressed with the quality of the work they’ve done on this trail generally; the section near stringfellow was paved only a couple of years ago and is already full of root heaves and has generally poor drainage. The overall intent is good, but the execution of the contracts has been terrible.

They also refused to get rid of the bollards, which are often folded down into death traps. 😡

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why on earth did NPS think it was a good idea to put those hilariously stupid looking bollards there to force cyclists into the wall, rather than narrowing the path by putting something against the wall? like, did anyone actually look at this plan while it was being drawn up, or even as they started to install it?

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@mstone 225840 wrote:

I tried yesterday, found nothing but smooth empty pavement and a “sidewalk closed” sign by 50 off fairfax farms road. The map says it’s green, but also indicates that the trail goes through a house so it’s maybe not trustworthy. I’ll maybe try again today to see if there’s access off sarah harper.

The access at sarah harper is an existing trail which will eventually be the connection from waples mill. It’s maintained to the usual standards of fairfax county MUPs.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]30789[/ATTACH]

Here’s a shot from the bridge at waples mills:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]30790[/ATTACH]

On the left is the 66 trail, on the right is the existing trail.

At least they’re consistent, and have taken care of the important things:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]30791[/ATTACH]

AFAICT that’s a legally meaningless sign that manages to be both obnoxious and useless–the possibility of a sign that imparts actual information (like, “blind intersection” or “watch for bicycle traffic coming from the left”) is apparently inconceivable. FWIW, if you stop for the sign you still can’t see approaching traffic. The real solution would have been a trail design that cared to provide sightlines, but there are some high-priced homes on the other side of the wall and we certainly wouldn’t want to prioritize safety over NIMBYs.

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@lordofthemark 225835 wrote:

Given the controversy, I am eager to see some ride reports

I tried yesterday, found nothing but smooth empty pavement and a “sidewalk closed” sign by 50 off fairfax farms road. The map says it’s green, but also indicates that the trail goes through a house so it’s maybe not trustworthy. I’ll maybe try again today to see if there’s access off sarah harper.

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@jrenaut 225829 wrote:

Today is 9 years since Boat to Work Day. That was fun.

I disagree. After about 15 miles I was like “seriously?” At least I had front panniers to act as breakwaters.

Also, I object to it being 9 years.

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@bentbike33 225832 wrote:

Yes, but just think of all the fabulous hidden storage space for discarded mattresses and truck tire shreds! The highway will look so tidy! Ooh, and if it ever snows again…

don’t forget how vdot does road work in fairfax! sure as heck they’ll just shut down the trail when they feel like it, no detours. (pic from ffx county parkway, as of sunday. yes that’s a desire path–the only approved procedure is to turn around.)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]30786[/ATTACH]

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@secstate 225788 wrote:

Thanks — this is helpful. I was confused about the status of the trail and had expected it to open along with the new express lanes. I guess it will continue to be a patchwork for a while.

wait, you thought VDOT was going to prioritize finishing a trail they didn’t want to do in the first place?

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@lordofthemark 225774 wrote:

AKA – The Gates of Mordor

I was thinking more the “gates of duloc”
[ATTACH=CONFIG]30775[/ATTACH]

[mstone]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Great+Allegheny+Passage+–+Trail+Access+Frostburg/@39.6585204,-78.9227405,451m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x89ca91296c9726e9:0xd66c08b2e5a88fbe!8m2!3d39.6592639!4d-78.921859!16s%2Fg%2F11f5d4lkjc
It’s a pretty decent grade
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.6594464,-78.9216268,3a,75y,186.96h,105.37t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipN4BCM8_yvVYUM5i5jJAtI2pH6FhvFRdGlk4IVo!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipN4BCM8_yvVYUM5i5jJAtI2pH6FhvFRdGlk4IVo%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya187.93756-ro0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120

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