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Here is a picture of possible ways to approach the Mosaic District:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6398[/ATTACH]

When approaching the area, avoid following the red arrow as shown in the picture because you would have to cross a 4-Way intersection because there are too many cars want to go north into Yates Way(to park or exit) from Strawberry Lane, and too many pedestrians depending on time of day. There are no bike racks on the east side of Yates Way, only the west side, and around the district.

Of note to those who haven’t visited the area for a long time, there was no sidewalk on the north side of Lee Highway near Home Depot, now there is a wide sidewalk that takes you straight to Hilltop road without having to dismount. West of Hilltop road intersection, there are no curb cuts on Lee Highway in some areas, until you reach Chain Bridge RD, I did manage to go back and forth between these two points several times though.

It seems that Fairfax County does a good job when it comes to their Fairfax Connector Bus service(When a Fairfax Connector Bus replaces a Metrobus, it offers more frequent service), but when it comes to sidewalks and bike paths, they stop short of making a complete path, leaving gaps of few feet to one block or less.

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@kcb203 92237 wrote:

And who hid the one at Sunset Hills in the woods?

As I recall, it’s provided by Sunset Hills Automotive, which is next to the trail.

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@bobco85 43820 wrote:

I took advantage of the great weather on Tuesday and made my way down to check out the Gallows Road bridge over I-495. I must say, this bridge is a LOT better than the Little River Turnpike bridge! Not perfect, but a lot better.

Here’s a map of the possible paths and where you can access the northern and southern paths (note: on the eastern side both paths are accessible for the most part via sidewalks):
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2422[/ATTACH]

Going across the northern path, there are 3 crossings. The central and eastern ones have stoplights with pedestrian signals while the western one has only a crosswalk. Note: I crossed the northern path going east-to-west, and crossed the southern path going west-to-east.

Before the first (eastern) crossing, the sidewalk temporarily ends (top image) and you must navigate a short (20 feet) dirt and small gravel (skinny tires beware) path. The other two images are from the eastern side (right image) and western side (bottom image). You may have a pedestrian signal, but beware of aggressive drivers trying to make left turns from eastbound Gallows towards north I-495.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2423[/ATTACH]

The central crossing is basically at a T-intersection, and you get a pedestrian signal. Nothing special.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2424[/ATTACH]

The western crossing is the worst of the three as it has neither a pedestrian signal nor anywhere to go after you cross. Seriously, the path just ends, and you are forced to join Gallows traffic.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2425[/ATTACH]

After getting to the Gallows/Woodburn light, the only way to get to the southern side is to cross the intersection, get into the right lane of Woodburn, and wait for the light to be able to cross Gallows.

The southern path is actually a lot better than the northern path. There are only 2 crossings, and even though the western one is a bit dangerous, the eastern one has a pedestrian signal with stoplight. It is accessible from the west by using Luttrell Road.

The western crossing (top two images) is made more dangerous due to the bad sight lines for those going eastward. The eastern crossing (bottom left image) has a pedestrian signal and the stoplight helps to slow down traffic. Once across, the path turns into a sidewalk on Gallows (bottom right image).
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2426[/ATTACH]

All in all, I’d have to say that crossing the Gallows Road bridge is pretty feasible. The biggest problems with it are trying to cross Gallows Road is difficult and the abrupt end of the northern path when going westward. Other than that, I would recommend taking the southern path as it is easy to connect to from Woodburn Road and it only has one flaw (western crossing). I think the Gallows Road bridge would serve as a viable alternative for anyone in the area who does not want to travel north to cross using Lee Highway (using Route 50 to cross I-495 on a bicycle? I’ve done that once years ago on a mtb, and will never do it again!) and does not want to travel south past Little River Turnpike (not a great bridge) to use the pedestrian bridge near Wakefield Park.

P.S. – to get to the bridge from Ballston, I used (generalized route) Custis to W&OD to Cherry St to Arlington Blvd service road to Luria Park to Holmes Run Dr.

It seems that Gallows Road bridge over I-495 has been improved a bit since you took your pictures. They added a sidewalk to the west of the bridge on the north side to take you safely past Woodburn intersection. So this picture:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2425[/ATTACH]

Has become this(The intersection on the left is Woodburn intersection):

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6393[/ATTACH]

The sidewalk ends at this spot. However, you could keep going over a grassy area that is free of thorn trees for one block and stay on the east side of Gallows Road. See this picture which is at the end of the sidewalk looking north on Gallows Road:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6394[/ATTACH]

I have gone back and forth over the grassy area and the north side of the bridge several times, and it’s passable without having to dismount. Unfortunately, the east side still has the 20 feet of dirt and gravel. I am using these 700x25mm puncture resistant tires if that matters.

I did go north all the way to W&OD intersection. The sidewalk after the grassy area turns into a broken black pavement, and at RT50 intersection, there are crumbling curb cuts, then a sidewalk to Gatehouse RD. Both east and west side sidewalks have been redone and made wider between Gatehouse RD and one block before Dunn Loring metro. The west side is mostly black pavement, while the east side is just a wide sidewalk.

[n18]

There are at least 2 in the Vienna area. The one you mentioned, and another one nearby, see the center of the picture at this link(Zoom out to see the area clearly).

The one at the intersection of W&OD and Sunset Hill RD in Reston; which TwoWheelsDC mentioned, is now working. It was broken long time ago. More water fountains locations on the W&OD can be found at this link:

http://wodfriends.org/parking.html

At the bottom left of each map there is a link to the legend.

Personally, I take this detour to Giant in the area(which allows me to avoid the traffic at the intersection of W&OD and Park ST), but it would add more minutes to your commute.

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@Steve 92088 wrote:

My guess is he didn’t actually watch the video, just read the description, and assumed it was like a lock-out type function, or that the handlebar locked back onto the bike, not realizing that it is actual an integrated/removeable u-lock.

No, I didn’t watch the video, but after seeing it, it only takes minutes to saw off the lock.

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@dplasters 92083 wrote:

My guess is this has nothing to do with cycling? He disliked comments both pro and negative to the driver in question… so its all I got.

Correct! This is a biking centric forum, and car-only discussions generally don’t belong here; however, I do appreciate the warnings about going 80+ MPH in VA as many drivers are probably not aware of it.

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@Tim Kelley 92049 wrote:

Integrated, innovative handlebar “lock” – whoa.

Unfortunately, that will not prevent thieves from tossing the whole thing in a van, then break the lock later.

[n18]

You could rent a cargo trailer from U-Haul, or Budget.

Other options:

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=bus+Rental

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@laughter95 91945 wrote:

What is HTA?

Head Tube Angle.

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Not as much as this hurts mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NImjxbWTZIU

[n18]

I once took the train from Ballston to Vienna at 3:30 PM weekday, and regretted it. It was too crowded for my taste.

[n18]

Done. As a governor, I would build secure bike rooms with showering facilities, and overhead super highways bridges for bikes use only.

[n18]

This mountain bike requires less maintenance, but you still have to deal with flat tires:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1401606907/nuseti-the-mountain-bike-of-the-future

http://www.nuseti.com/

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@eminva 91782 wrote:

How do you find riding on Route 7 across the beltway? My son is starting at Marshall High School next month and we live in Vienna. He can either take the W&OD and work his way to Idylwood and Route 7 or ride to Tysons and then over the bridge on Route 7. Both have their downsides and there is no really great option, of course.

I have gone back and forth several times over Route 7 bridge over I-495 without problems. There are sidewalks on both sides now with curb cuts, and wide in some places. The sidewalks extend beyond the bridge so there is no need to walk your bike. The last time I have gone there though maybe 2 or 3 months ago.

[n18]

Option #1: Go to a bike shop and ask them to measure it for you.

Option #2: Buy a digital caliper, like this, or this, or this. They are accurate to 0.02 mm depending on which one you buy. If you want to buy a manual one, see this video about how to use it.

Option #3: Measure the circumference, then divide by PI. You can use a measuring tape, or wrap a narrow piece of paper around it and mark it. This gives a more accurate result than trying to measure the diameter directly.

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