January 2013 Kennedy Center Path Closure

[Dirt]

Nice day for a detour.

[eminva]

Another way I sometimes take is south on 21st to G or H St to Virginia Ave, past the Boat Center and the 30th St CaBi station to get to K St under the Whitehurst. That's a bit of a roundabout way perhaps.

Okay, I tried vvill's detour #2 suggestion (above). It had the advantage of giving the illusion of movement -- don't know if it was really faster overall. The disadvantage was the portage over the canal -- it was dark, secluded and a bit too creepy for me (conceding I think about personal safety more than most people).

Is taking P west to 35th too far out of your way?

Will try this one next. It is out of the way, but not too bad. At times I have switched from M over to N just as soon as I'm west of Rock Creek -- could go back to doing that.

Thanks.

Liz

[Dirt]

Big Ben, This here's Rubber Duck, I say we ain't a-gonna pay no toll, So we crashed the gate doing 98, I said "Let them truckers roll!" 10-4

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/8379678535

[Dickie]

Big Ben, This here's Rubber Duck, I say we ain't a-gonna pay no toll, So we crashed the gate doing 98, I said "Let them truckers roll!" 10-4

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/8379678535

Not sure what made more of an impression on my youthful eyes, Ali McGraw or the convertible E-Type.... "...Oh ain't she a beautiful sight"

[Dirt]

Not sure what made more of an impression on my youthful eyes, Ali McGraw or the convertible E-Type.... "...Oh ain't she a beautiful sight"

Don't say that I didn't warn you.

[essigmw]

what I find interesting is not that we should dismount our bikes, but apparently we need to let them roll away and chase them down on foot. (see detour sign for graphic).

[Dirt]

what I find interesting is not that we should dismount our bikes, but apparently we need to let them roll away and chase them down on foot. (see detour sign for graphic).

Brought me back to my childhood when "ghost riding" my BMX bike off some HUGE jump or cliff was cool. Not sure I'm really ready to do that with my commuter bike.... especially since it is, in theory, launching out into traffic on its own. Fun to think about though.

[bobco85]

I just saw an article for a Kennedy Center expansion on the south side of the building. If the plans go through, it looks like that beloved (by some) steep hill currently being used for the detour may be gone forever.

Here's the Kennedy Center Expansion Building Project site: http://www.kennedy-center.org/explor...ves/expansion/

[ShawnoftheDread]

I just saw an article for a Kennedy Center expansion on the south side of the building. If the plans go through, it looks like that beloved (by some) steep hill currently being used for the detour may be gone forever.

Here's the Kennedy Center Expansion Building Project site: http://www.kennedy-center.org/explor...ves/expansion/

They say it will include an outdoor performance space on the river. Aren't the jets coming into DCA going to interfere with that?

[dasgeh]

So I biked to work today. Yay!

Unfortunately, I had forgotten about this sill detour. Boo. A few notes: (1) there isn't any forewarning, if you're going fast, you have to pound the brakes pretty hard to stop by the barrier (it's around a curve).

(2) The paved detour is STEEP. So steep, I didn't feel comfortable navigating my heavy bike down it (dismounted). Luckily, there's a great alternative -- staying up in the grass along the wall. There's a clear desire line there. Why don't they just pave that (and give us a curb cut)?

(3) With the current detour, someone in a wheelchair who crossed the bridge would be SOL. There is no curb cut at the end of the current detour, and there's no indication that it's missing. So if someone were to wheel all the way down, they'd have to wheel back up and back to VA. Of course, I imagine you wouldn't want to go down that hill on a wheelchair, so they'd probably turn around and head to VA at the top of the hill. Still, not ADA compliant.

(4) WHY IS IT CLOSED? I went by this morning, and again at lunch, and nothing was going on. There was some equipment stored on the path, but it was easy to navigate around. It seemed like they were doing work on the wall, but that it would be easy to open the path when, like today, they're not actually doing work. Has anyone actually seen evidence that the path needs to be closed?