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@gibby 181775 wrote:

Just missed the last opening of the bridge today before they closed the VA side so had a nice tour of the Mall and couple extra miles. A rider at work said he was one of the last thru before they closed it and that he was told it would be open later today. That true? Seems all the intel on nps says it’s completely closed thru Friday..

My wife got to the 14-th street bridge right before they closed it around 8:00 this morning. I rode across the Memorial Bridge and down Ohio. I checked the stairs at the 14-th street bridge and they were blocked off with tape and some of that orange webbed fencing. I think it’s closed for the week. Enjoy today and tomorrow — what appear to be the last two days of warm weather for a while. Hopefully not a long while.

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@Judd 181712 wrote:

Construction is planned to take 10 weeks with the stairs also being closed for one week starting October 7th.

So they’re closing the whole 14-th street bridge crossing next week!!!!!??

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Anyone know how long the stairs detour on the DC side of the 14-th street bridge is going to last? I’m surprised no one has been hurt hauling their bikes up and down 40 stairs.

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Boardwalk was open this morning! I didn’t even spot any new boards, although my wife claimed she saw some. The stoopid National Park Service site says the trail is still closed. Enjoyed the stairs at the 14-th street bridge — didn’t have to haul a single ebike up or down. Have a great day and enjoy the bike commute — it beats the shite out of taking the metro.

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Well, I’m getting ready to head home soon. Just so I can enjoy the stairs detour on the 14-th street bridge, I’ll take that, turn left rather than right, head past DCA and pick up the FMR to W&OD trail.

When I stopped this morning at the accident, a woman pulled up beside me riding an electric bike. She said she just took up bike commuting 2 weeks ago. What can I do she asked. She told me she wanted to go to Crystal City. I told her that I planned on going across Roosevelt bridge and weaving my way through DC to my office over by the Washington Monument. She was welcome to follow me and I’d show her to the 14-th street bridge. So I ride through town at 10 mph so she can keep up. We finally get to the stairs detour. She tells me there’s no way she can pick up her heavy electric bike and carry it up those stairs. So I hauled the thing up the stairs for her. I get to the top and there’s this guy standing there with an even bigger, heavier, electric bike. Its got 3 wheels. The tires are literally 4″ wide. Can you help me carry my bike down the stairs? So then I get to go back down the stairs helping him haul this monstrosity of a bike. Electric bikes. Not a fan.

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@dasgeh 181640 wrote:

To be clear: can someone ride to the Roosevelt Bridge now or is the western-most part (west of the T intersection) of the Trollheim damaged?

If you are coming from Rosslyn riding south (downstream direction), you can get on the Roosevelt Bridge. The damage is just beyond where the boardwalk splits — about 100 feet from the split.

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@dasgeh 181640 wrote:

To be clear: can someone ride to the Roosevelt Bridge now or is the western-most part (west of the T intersection) of the Trollheim damaged?

If you are coming from Rosslyn riding south (downstream direction), you can get on the Roosevelt Bridge. The damage is just beyond where the boardwalk splits — about 100 feet from the split.

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@KWL 181624 wrote:

If’n I was still commuting that way, I would just consider it a preview of this winter when the MVT isn’t cleared.

Living out in Vienna means that when it snows, I don’t ride. You guys in Arlington are spoiled with the county plowing the bike path. I remember one year when VDOT had the bright idea of dumping all the snow that was accumulating on the side of I-66 onto the bike path that ran below it. Took forever for that to melt.

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Thanks. I hope they get it fixed. My commute to Vienna is already long enough without looping through DC, or riding past the airport.

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@trey197 181615 wrote:

Whoops. Photo credit to a coworker.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18437[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18438[/ATTACH]

How did he get that close? I rode up there to take a look and the moron in charge started yelling at me for crossing the yellow tape. At that point, around 8:45, they appeared clueless about what to do next. How could anyone be dumb enough to drive that heavy machine down that wood walkway?

Were they working on removing that machine?

It would be nice to get a better surface on that part of the trail. It owes my wife a rotator cuff surgery. But how would they detour us? Remember the detour when they were building the new parking lot at Roosevelt Island? That muddy strip covered with mulch. Anything …. gravel, plywood … would have been better than mulch.

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@Brendan von Buckingham 180121 wrote:

My money is on temporary landing for construction barges for the restoration of the Memorial bridge.

They’re excavating the bank down to the waterline and they’re laying a construction entrance driveway off of GWP.

I rode through it this a.m. It’s like driving through a construction site amidst dump trucks and blind entrances (due to the construction fences). It really really really should be a NO GO zone for us during construction.

Curious about this myself. Anyone know any info about planned bridge work? This could really screw up my commute for God knows how long.

Maybe they’re just clearing ground and paving the area so the Trumps can use it for picnics.

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@jnva 147714 wrote:

I know exactly who OP is, as he has told me to “get a real bike”. This guy is a rude rude a-hole. What kind of person does this? Just shouts at people like this? For your info, buddy, I do have a “real” bike. I’ve been bike commuting to DC longer than you have. It’s funny that you really aren’t in great shape considering all the riding you do, but that’s none of my business.

I only ride on the mup when I have to (mainly to cross 495 and 7) or when it’s raining.

I’m guessing more than just me does this given how sensitive you are about it. I’ve decided to quit being such an a-hole and not saying anything to you guys as you buzz by. I do worry what commuting is going to become when a substantial portion of the bikes on the path are motorized. I ride 4000-5000 miles a year. Maybe I don’t look like I’m in great shape, but I’m in a lot better shape than I’d be if my bike was motorized. Yeah, I’ve got kids and a 17 mile each way commute, so save the excuses.

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UPDATE ….

Well, we’ve not gotten a ticket in the mail, so it appears the whole thing was some kind of scare tactic. Still, I think it was kinda crappy pulling her over, demanding to see an ID and then radioing the information in to the police station. I haven’t seen the bozo all this week. Maybe he’s on jaywalking detail at Tysons.

Like everyone else has stated, there’s a pretty good system on the W&OD that’s developed over the last few years with bikers and cars. In most cases, they stop for us and we cross the street. This is a big change from what it used to be. I don’t see how coming to a full stop would accomplish anything more than wasting everyone’s time and likely frustrating motorists.

Don’t forget that thankyou wave.

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