Good News on Infrastructure thread

[Boomer2U]

Open for Business (or commuting;-)


The new 4MR boardwalk at the electric substation east of the water treatment plant was open this morning and barricades were removed from both ends of the trail.

** UPDATE **
I may have posted too soon: the detour sign at the west entrance is now back up, but the barricades still removed from both ends of the boardwalk

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[Starduster]

Open for Business (or commuting;-)


The new 4MR boardwalk at the electric substation east of the water treatment plant was open this morning and barricades were removed from both ends of the trail.

** UPDATE **
I may have posted too soon: the detour sign at the west entrance is now back up, but the barricades still removed from both ends of the boardwalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I cruised by here yesterday. Wasn't open then. Any positive change at the end of S. Eads?

[Boomer2U]

I cruised by here yesterday. Wasn't open then. Any positive change at the end of S. Eads?

Negative on any improvements to the Eads entrance to 4MR. The new fence line splitting the cut out entrance in half escalates the risk of hitting the high curb head-on upon entry as you have clearly documented. So keep your head up and eyes wide open!


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[Judd]

Open for Business (or commuting;-)


The new 4MR boardwalk at the electric substation east of the water treatment plant was open this morning and barricades were removed from both ends of the trail.

** UPDATE **
I may have posted too soon: the detour sign at the west entrance is now back up, but the barricades still removed from both ends of the boardwalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It looked like someone had lumberjacked it on Friday evening based on stuff being moved but not removed.


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[Starduster]

Negative on any improvements to the Eads entrance to 4MR. The new fence line splitting the cut out entrance in half escalates the risk of hitting the high curb head-on upon entry as you have clearly documented. So keep your head up and eyes wide open!


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There is a lesson for all here: While I did get a quick acknowledgement from the powers that be on this project (and also for my two other letters regarding the Columbia Pike detour at ANC and the Doctors Run Trail), that by itself wasn't enough. All three cases will require focused & directed lobbying efforts (otherwise defined as "making a nuisance of yourself") to actually effect improvements we can safely ride.

[JorgeGortex]

This is my response to the ARLNow post on Facebook (i.e. I think this new bit of trail sucks): Any time you have to zig-zag through tight entrance/exit areas like they've created here you are reducing safety. The sight lines are blocked, the new surface has the potential for being slippery (although better because it gets lots of sun compared to the wooden path near TR Island along the Mount Vernon Trail), and again, the terrible zig-zag on and off the main path. It looks nicely built, but about only 75% well-engineered from a use standpoint. And given how many people go through this area on foot and bike, it's going to be far from ideal. As always, ArlCty failed and allowed something to be executed poorly.

(And yes, I realize it was more than ArlCty that any active say in how this was constructed.) This area, as well as the zig-zag where you come from under West Glebe and onto the main trail along S. Glebe Road, are foolish and dangerous.

[arlcxrider]

Yeah, tight turns on and off a potentially slippery boardwalk. What could possibly go wrong.

[Starduster]

BikeArlington has just reported on FB that the boardwalk section is now officially open. Please report back here if that "Slippery When Wet" sign is simply "being prudent" or a genuine warning.

[Steve O]

There is a lesson for all here: While I did get a quick acknowledgement from the powers that be on this project (and also for my two other letters regarding the Columbia Pike detour at ANC and the Doctors Run Trail), that by itself wasn't enough. All three cases will require focused & directed lobbying efforts (otherwise defined as "making a nuisance of yourself") to actually effect improvements we can safely ride.

While waiting for whatever powers that be to maybe or maybe not do anything, it can be worthwhile to use whatever materials can be found nearby to at least make some minor improvements, as someone has done here.

[Steve O]

BikeArlington has just reported on FB that the boardwalk section is now officially open. Please report back here if that "Slippery When Wet" sign is simply "being prudent" or a genuine warning.

One wonders if the anonymous lumberjacking accelerated the opening.