Monroe Avenue Bridge

Construction began on February 16th on the new Monroe Avenue Bridge (according to reports, I actually haven't been out there lately). The present bridge has two sharp turns, so even though it was only built in 1986, it's being replaced largely, officials claim, for safety reasons.

Officials believe that removing the curve and straightening the bridge will improve safety, allow for an expansion of nearby baseball fields and parkland, and allow easier access to the shopping center for nearby residents. The developer, Potomac Yard Development LLC, will pay for the new bridge. Some proposed changes, such as a pedestrian ramp, will be paid for by the city.

It's not without controversy. Alexandria City Council member Andrew H. Macdonald wrote an op-ed arguing that the new bridge shouldn't be built until how best to increase bus, train and Metro ridership can be determined or until there is agreement on if the forecasted reduction in traffic will be large enough to offset many of the quality-of-life concerns expressed by residents. He dedicates an entire paragraph to cycling concerns in the area

Residents east and west of the tracks want to be able to bike and walk safely between George Washington Memorial Parkway, Del Ray and the Braddock Street Metro station. But now, instead of following a fairly direct east-west route, cyclists and walkers would have to follow a serpentine course to cross the new bridge. According to a bicycle and pedestrian watchdog group, many of the new intersections that will accompany this grid of new streets would be unsafe to cross; some trails would be too narrow, and crossing times would be much longer. So it's no wonder that there is still no consensus about how best to incorporate this important community benefit into the project. Advocates of biking and walking have asked the city to hire a firm that specializes in the design of such trails to ensure that both the disabled and able-bodied can navigate easily and safely.

The potomoc yard trail, a rail trail since it runs along an abandoned line of the old Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, dead-ends just north of the site at Howell avenue. Any plans to build in this area should include a trail that continues along the rail line all the way to Braddock avenue. In addtion, a bike/ped bridge (built on the site of the old railroad trestle) should connect the trail to the W&OD railbed that still exists between Route 1 and Commonwealth Avenue.

The unfortunate thing about this bridge is that it's being built by the Potomac Yard Development Company. I would suspect that their first allegiance is to their investors so the bridge will serve Potomac Yard's interests and not the community's. Serving the community's needs is why - in theory - we have government in the first place.

The new bridge will have pedestrian walkways on both sides like the present bridge, but a little nicer.

The Potomac Yard Development site says of the park.

Potomac Yard Park will be a 24-acre linear park that will run parallel to the property between Potomac Avenue and the railroad corridor. This park will offer an ideal venue for the public to stroll along its paths or perhaps have picnics on its beautifully landscaped grounds.

The slideshow is particularly informative.

Metropolitan Branch Trail Photos

I mentioned earlier that construction on the Metropolitan Branch Trail north of the New York Avenue Metro station had begun and the other day I got out and took some photos of the construction.  In addition to work north, I noticed that asphault has been put down south of the station all the way to L St NE, where it runs behind the parking lot across from the bus station (it's possible this work was done a long time ago, but I never remember seeing it before). Eventually a staircase and/or a ramp will connect this part of the trail - at the level of the railroad tracks - with L Street about 11 feet below.

I must warn you that I'm not much of a photographer. The first photo is of the portion that was opened (and promptly closed) in December 2004.

The next shot is of the construction looking north from the New York Avenue Bridge. The green line I drew in constitutes the west edge of the trail.

The last photo is of the trail south of the station.

W&OD, Power lines and Battlefield Parkway

The W&OD trail attracts "3 million people a year--more than any such trail in the country" (though I've also heard the CCT referred to as the most popular in the country) and so it's no surprise that it excites a lot of passion. Earlier I wrote about how it was in danger of having power lines built along it - lines that would require the removal of the tree canopy. The power lines would require

82 towers, 110-feet tall, posted along an 11-mile stretch of the trail from east of Leesburg to Purceville.

The public hearings related to this began recently and

State Corporation Commission hearing officer Howard P. Anderson proposed a last-minute compromise route that would follow the Rt. 7 Bypass for much of the way. It would also use the W&OD Trail west of Leesburg, but be located far enough to the north so that trees on that side of the trail could be spared.

People who lived near either of the two alignments showed up to argue that the lines should be built away from their homes (classic NIMBY-ism). Everyone argued the lines should be buried (I agree). And

Stephen H. Axeman, chairman of the Leesburg Airport Commission, highlighted concerns about aviation safety, both at the airport itself and for pilots having to fly through a narrower envelope over the ridge west of the airport if the 120-foot towers carrying the transmission cable are erected there. Axeman, a longtime licensed pilot and operations supervisor for the Federal Aviation Authority, said there could be problems either to the south or the north. Noting past accidents, Axeman said the 120-foot towers could impact landings at the airport.

Finally,

A Virginia Department of Transportation engineer said the agency did not support using either the shoulders or median of Rt. 7 for installation of the line, as the county originally requested. VDOT is planning to widen the Bypass to ease congestion from traffic flowing west from the Dulles Greenway.

Then, the hearings were postponed until May or June when it was pointed out to Anderson that his proposed route might require the purchase and condemnation of up to 12 homes.

By seeking to preserve wooded sections of the trail, Anderson’s plan would move the power lines closer to homes in the upscale Shenstone subdivision north of the trail. Homes in the community are assessed at $1 million and up.

Leesburg2day weighed in with an editorial that included this piece

Another attorney advocating that the utility use its W&OD Trail easement told the hearing officer that virtually all bike trails have power lines along them. Listening to his comment one got the impression that power lines and recreational trails go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Exsqueeze me? Even if that were true, the BEST trails do not have power lines along them. Cyclists need our shade, we have sensitive skin.

There are also plans to build the Battlefield Parkway, which will necessitate an easement from the park authority to cross the W&OD Trail.

VDOT’s link has three distinct sections, the outer two will have a 40-foot grass median and the inner section will be side-by-side bridges with a 38-foot open-air median to allow light to reach the W&OD and Tuscarora Creek below, Folse said.

A shared-use path for pedestrians will run the length of the roadway and tie into the future Russell Branch Parkway to lead users across the future interchange at River Creek Parkway and Rt. 7, Folse said.

So it's hard to say how much it will impact the trail, and if that impact will be balanced out by the addition of the shared use trail.

Finally, while this isn't related and it's a bit far from DC, I found it researching this and found it compelling.

David Brickley, who was a delegate from 1976-98 and served as director of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation from 1998-2002, said he "acquired the rights" to the 16-mile right of way [of the Dahlgren Railroad Heritage Trail] in December from former King George Planning Commissioner Joseph Williams. He hopes to open it to the public by June.

Which is downright inspiring. One guy fighting to make a public space - with his own money. I might cry. And then in the same article you get this

But John LoBuglio, who lives near the site, said county residents "overwhelmingly" oppose the trail because of potential side effects such as crime, pollution and noise.

Those noisy, pollution toting, criminally minded trail users ruin it every time or...

The rail bed cuts through land owned by the Northern Virginia Shooting Facility, and the club's 325 members are concerned, said LoBuglio, the gun club's president.

That's awful suspicious. It seems Prince George County In 2000 agreed to delete all "rails-to-trails" references from the county's comprehensive plan. Thats's too bad. Best of luck David Brickley (pictured walking along his right-of-way.