New I-66 Trail

[Serdar]

Has anyone ridden the total length of this new trail? I mean the parts of the trail that is open to use. I will appreciate Strava or RWGPS route.

[bikesnick]

Has anyone ridden the total length of this new trail? I mean the parts of the trail that is open to use. I will appreciate Strava or RWGPS route.

Yes, I rode it this afternoon, from Cedar Lane to Rte 123 (Chain Bridge Rd) and back. The trail is very smooth, and I saw only a handful of cyclists. The noise and fumes from the cars/trucks were not that bad, but it was a cool and breezy day. The barricade is higher than expected, but the parts of the trail above the traffic were definitely nicer.

[mstone]

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.



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



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:



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.

[loki]

[lordofthemark]

Thanks. Bottom line, I might as well do other "bucket list" rides, and wait for more progress before exploring this trail.

[huskerdont]

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). It was about like I thought it would be, perhaps a bit better: probably helpful for some commuters, but not something you'd do recreationally, except as a curiosity. I think those in the neighborhoods along the Interstate really missed an opportunity to have a trail they could use to run or hike along, maybe take the doggo for a walk--all things you won't be seeing outside the sound wall.

[consularrider]

Gallows to Cedar is still not open


Between Chain Bridge and US 50 there were no closed signs, cones, or fencing, but they are still working on it.


The Braddock Rd sidepath looks complete, but is still closed.

[mstone]

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.

[mstone]

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.

[mstone]

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.