Good News on Infrastructure thread

[chris_s]

North-side sidewalk on the Columbia Pike Bridge over 4MR being expanded to a 10′ shared-use path! Should drastically improve access to Arlington Mill CC from the W&OD.

[lordofthemark]

Yesterday I rode K Street NW from Mt Vernon Square to NoMa for the first time in well over a year. A. There was about a block or so of what appeared to be buffer markings chalked in. This is, I take it, the first part of a PBL to be implemented? B. The existing conventional bike lanes were extended a bit? This is a temporary place holder until DDOT does PBLs on the whole stretch, or have they given up on that?

[LhasaCM]

@lordofthemark 202234 wrote:

Yesterday I rode K Street NW from Mt Vernon Square to NoMa for the first time in well over a year. A. There was about a block or so of what appeared to be buffer markings chalked in. This is, I take it, the first part of a PBL to be implemented? B. The existing conventional bike lanes were extended a bit? This is a temporary place holder until DDOT does PBLs on the whole stretch, or have they given up on that?

PBLs in the works. Per the DDOT NOI at https://wiki.ddot.dc.gov/display/NOI/NOI-20-64-PSD, the protected lanes will run all the way from 7th NW to 1st NE and connect to the 1st street cycletrack there. That leaves a block of “share the road under the bridge” before reaching the unprotected lanes on K NE between 2nd and 6th.

For other DC developments: I think your ride also took you along the Crosstown project (connecting Park View to the west end of Catholic U alongside the “Hospital Highway”). That project is almost done – needs the final western block (between Park and Warder) to be installed, plus the signal work to make it more useful to people. Work also continues on the MBT portion to connect to Fort Totten between the Metro tracks and transfer station (dump); that’ll be a huge benefit once it opens (scheduled for Winter 2021 as of now).

Other notable PBLs in the works in DC that spring to mind (in that prep. work is underway or soon to be, hopefully):
1. 4th NW/SW between Pennsylvania and M SW.
2. 20th/21st NW (not quite connecting to Q/R NW so very annoying at the end there)
3. West Virginia phase 2 (between Mt. Olivet and Montana – leaving the Florida to Mt. Olivet portion for another project)

DDOT also is installing advisory bike lanes on a few quieter streets (Kentucky and Tennessee) on Capitol Hill. Those will have painted bike lanes on each side, with a single 14′ general travel lane in the middle that is for both directions of car traffic. Will be interesting to see how those work out.

[lordofthemark]

For other DC developments: I think your ride also took you along the Crosstown project (connecting Park View to the west end of Catholic U alongside the “Hospital Highway”).

Yeah, I was going to add some more comments on the rest of my ride later

DDOT also is installing advisory bike lanes on a few quieter streets (Kentucky and Tennessee) on Capitol Hill. Those will have painted bike lanes on each side, with a single 14′ general travel lane in the middle that is for both directions of car traffic. Will be interesting to see how those work out.

We have those on Potomac Greens Drive. I think they are supposed to serve a traffic calming, in a place where conventional bike lanes wouldn’t fit. I guess the neighborhood (it’s not a route to anywhere else, because that area is a giant cul de sac) is happy with it.

[lordofthemark]

So, after riding K Street NW, I rode on K Street NE through NOMA. Those bike lanes are new I think? Conventional painted lanes, but IIRC part of them was not in a door zone, and I guess they help with traffic calming on K?

From there I rode up the Metropolitan Branch to Brookland. I loved the improvements thus far – wider and straighter. And the new park was lovely and seemed to be quite well used (I did not take the time to stop and explore it though)

[LhasaCM]

@lordofthemark 202322 wrote:

So, after riding K Street NW, I rode on K Street NE through NOMA. Those bike lanes are new I think? Conventional painted lanes, but IIRC part of them was not in a door zone, and I guess they help with traffic calming on K?

Continuing as your NE DC correspondent: the bike lanes on K NE between 2nd and 6th are relatively new; they were installed about a year ago. Previously, that stretch of K Street had rush-hour restricted parking to allow for two lanes in one direction during rush hour, alternating directions between morning and evening. With the change, the road is now just one general travel lane in each direction for those few blocks, with “permanent” parking on the north side (so the westbound bike lane is in the door zone), and no parking on the south side (so eastbound lane is unprotected but no door zone). East of 6th is just a sharrow. That particular project overall helps to calm traffic by keeping the roadway consistent no matter the time of day. DDOT also added dedicated turn lanes at a few key intersections to help with traffic flow.

These lanes also connect to the new parking protected bike lanes on 6th NE between K and M; those were carved out by making 6th NE one-way northbound, and become an east-side two-way cycletrack on 6th/Brentwood NE between Union Market and Galludet. That cycletrack was recently extended north all the way to Mt. Olivet and features a much nicer floating bus stop (especially compared to the temporary ones installed on Florida NE). If not for the cycletrack taking you to a confluence of unfriendly bike route choices, I’d recommend checking it out. Some day…

[lordofthemark]

Thanks, I did not ride K beyond 6th Street NE, and I had already ridden the new PBLs around Union Market (except for the extension to Mt Olivet, I think), etc, so I headed back to get on the MBT.

I want to add that I was impressed by the progress on the developments along the trail since I had been there last. I hope they will help activate the trail further, and I look forward to the “bike lobby” that I hope is still part of the project at Florida Avenue.

[lordofthemark]

After a water break on 8th street I headed towards the new Crosstown bikeway. I first tried Monroe to Michigan – took a look at Michigan and headed back down into Brookland – made my way to 4th and picked up the new PBL there. Google maps was confusing, but I managed to find the little SUP on the north side of Michigan, and then proceeded onto the Crosstown cycletrack. It was great, and I think a game changer connecting NE and NW.

After another water break at Bruce Monroe park, which involved a certain amount of circling around on one way streets to reach, I headed down 14th Street, to see the new PBLs with the floating bus stops, etc, that I think people have complained about. It did make it easier to ride 14th for me, though it required more vigilance than many PBLs, and I would almost always pick 15th Street in preference. I noted that the bike lanes on 14th made the streeteries appear to be more pleasant than streeteries in some other places, which are adjacent to general travel lanes.

[Fairlington124]

Any news on this front? I know fall and winter are slow times for infrastructure development.

[lordofthemark]

@Fairlington124 205778 wrote:

Any news on this front? I know fall and winter are slow times for infrastructure development.

G Street NW PBL is complete basically from 17th to Virginia (IE 24th)

20th Street NW PBL from G down to Virginia (IE E Street) and almost done last I looked to Constitution.

NJ Avenue NW from Eye to N, IIRC?

4th Street SW /NW from Eye street SW to Madison.

Some small improvements right around NJ SE and Tingey

[LhasaCM]

For some upcoming news: work is underway (and should be wrapped up this week) to reopen the Anacostia River Trail connection underneath the 11th Street bridge. This will allow ART users to go under 11th Street between the West Bank Trail and Navy Yard/the Riverwalk, rather than having to cross at grade at the traffic light. https://twitter.com/MarkSussman_/status/1353763220943761408

Also – work continues on the Metropolitan Branch Trail extension to Fort Totten (going alongside the train tracks/dump rather than detouring around it). From the last BAC update, it sounds like they’re now targeting a May completion date for that. For the next MBT segment heading north (between Fort Totten and Takoma): a public meeting is scheduled for February 10th at 6:30PM. https://twitter.com/Wash_cycle/status/1353815808808538113

[dbehrend]

Good news on the Trolley Trail through Riverdale Park Station (Prince George’s County; near the Whole Foods and Denizens)- I saw this weekend that they opened the section of the Trolley Trail that had been closed due to construction.

I believe there may be more buildings constructed in future phases, but hopefully, the trail will remain open.

[Fairlington124]

Went for a walk today on the W&OD. Got some good footage of the Lee Highway bridge. It’s really close to being done – workers were putting in safety barriers along the side of it, and I would estimate that it’s probably going to be ready to open within a month or two, if not a few weeks.

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[Fairlington124]

I also noticed a little stub of a trail leading back from the eastern side of the bridge. (You can see it on Google Earth…the right side of a “T” shape leading off from the mainline trail). Perhaps a future approach to a notional bridge over I-66 to the north side of the highway?

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Also, the “double tracking” project in Falls Church is well underway, still mostly with earthmoving, excavation, and grading. Parts of the trail are closed, but fortunately there are plenty of detour options through the Falls Church neighborhoods, both on the north and south side of the trail.

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Finally, and I realize this isn’t infrastructure, but some motorist apparently wanted to take a spin down the trail. This was at the intersection with West St. While it was mildly amusing watching the motorist get their car off the trail (after a nearby pedestrian let them know their problem), I’m mostly happy that their erroneous action’s didn’t put anyone on the trail at risk.

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[n18]

Trail connection to McLean Metro station near Tysons is open. Google Maps link here. Switch to Satellite view to see the trail.

https://www.insidenova.com/news/fairfax/fairfax-officials-dedicate-new-4-5m-scotts-run-trail-near-tysons/article_b78e4126-6ba4-11eb-bbb7-7f2f293b3b99.html

From the article above, “It has a curvy design intended to discourage use by bicyclists, officials said.”

Any challengers?

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