CWL #4 - W&OD under 395

This is the fourth project on my 12-item Christmas wish list for DC biking projects.

#4 Extending the W&OD (or Four Mile Run) trail under 395

Cost:Unknown
Status: Part of the 2001 Alexandria Bike Plan and 2003 Northern Virginia Bikeway and Trail Network Study. Reportedly, ROW acquisition is complete and project is funded, but being held up by gas line construction.
Probability: High

This is one of those common sense projects that I just can't believe hasn't been done yet. If you ride the W&OD or the parallel Four Mile Run trail heading east, the W&OD ends at I-395 and the Four Mile Run trail takes a convoluted detour through Shirlington. Meanwhile the actual Four Mile Run passes directly under I-395 through spacious culverts. Directing the trail along Four mile run, past the Exxon, under I-395 and then along Four Mile Run to the Wayne Anderson/Four Mile Run Trail along S. Glebe Road seems like a rather simple and inexpensive way to connect the trails across what was identified by citizen groups as a major barricade.

Construction was suppose to begin in 2002 and again in the first half of 2005, but still nothing has been done. The only possible explanation for the hold up is the construction of a natural gas line to supply WMATA buses that's being built in the same area. Plans to run the W&OD trail along the remainder of the old railroad right of way all the way through Del Ray were shot down years ago:

 W&OD right of way between Raymond and Jeff Davis Highway. Rejected by city staff for bike plan due to neighborhood resistance.  Jefferson Park in favor, Del Ray deferred to Randolph Street residents who are concerned   about opening the trail with the current state of commercial properties to the north.

CWL #3 - Suitland Parkway Trail

This is the third project on my 12-item Christmas wish list for DC biking projects. (photo courtesy of www.cyclemas.org)

#3 Extending and rehabilitating the Suitland Parkway Trail

Cost: ~$4Million
Status: Preliminary Feasibility Study done in 1994, but would need to be redone.
Probability: Medium

If you've ever tried to bike the Suitland Parkway Trail then I have to ask, really? It's not that the trail itself is so bad (though it is right up on the road and in less than ideal physical shape). It's just that the trail doesn't go anywhere. It dead-ends at the DC border and because it has steep embankments, it's hard to get to/from the trail.

Still a small extension from the DC border to the Naylor Road Metro station would make this trail a viable tool for commuters, and a better recreational trail. DDOT has said it will rebuild its portion if Maryland builds it (though not sure if that means build it to Naylor Road or all the way to Andrews Air Force Base as proposed in 1994 - that's the $4million project).

Here is the status as of July 19th, 2005

The Suitland Parkway is a unit of National Capital Parks East, in Maryland.  It is one of three scenic parkways in the national capital region, the other two being the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the Mount Vernon Parkway.  It was designed as a scenic limited-access roadway during World War Two and opened in 1944.  It runs southeastward from Anacostia in the District of Columbia to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

In 1994 the NPS did a preliminary design study.  It identified substantial physical obstacles due to slope of the embankments, relatively narrow ROW, sensitive forest and wetlands.  There are also some security concerns in the vicinity of Andrews Air Force Base, and the original route going past the front gate may no longer be viable. No funding has been identified for this project since the preliminary feasibility study was done some years ago.

Making East Potomac Park part of the Mall

The National Coalition to Save Our Mall presented plans to expand the mall to include East Potomac Park as part of their Third Century Mall project. So basically, their plan to Save the Mall is to expand it.

East Potomac Park is really the only place in DC one can go for a good training ride. It's flat, there's little traffic and it's close to the urban core of the city. The plans do call for making bike trails and planners claim it would give cyclists a place to ride now that they've been "crowded out by museum".

Personally, I don't have trouble biking in or around the mall. And I don't see how taking away one of the best biking areas in the city will help cyclists. And I don't see how doubling the size of the mall "saves" it.

If they're really interested in saving the mall, then they should work on making it a 24 hour part of the city. When the sun goes down, the mall is dead. I'd like to see a "Tavern on the Mall" type bar/restaurant somewhere near there. And outdoor cafes. A place for residents as well as tourists.

From BeyondDC:

While it’s true that the more cultural uses you plop in one location the more efficiently that location handles them, it does so at the expense of urban diversity as that location becomes ever more isolated from the rest of the living city. On the other hand, if you use cultural nodes as civic components in mixed-use neighborhoods, you enhance the experience for all.

Someone should read Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

CWL #2 - WB&A to Anacostia Connector Trail

This is the second project on my 12 item Christmas wish list for DC biking projects.

#2 Connecting the WB&A trail to the Anacostia Trail system

Cost: Unknown
Status: Mentioned in Metropolitan Washington Greenways Report 2000
Probability: Low
Comments: The WB&A trail is one of my local favorites (the bridge over the ConRail line is amazing), but right now it doesn't connect to anything. In the far distant future there are plans to complete it and connect it to the B&A trail, but right now the two pieces of the WB&A aren't even connected (though they should be by the end of 2006). Using neighborhood streets or the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the WB&A could be connected to the Anacostia Tributary Trail System at the Northeast Branch Trail. Right now the American Discovery Trail has a route to get from one to the other, but it isn't very appealing or well marked. A sign alerting riders of a connector route, a map at each trail showing how to get to the other, and simple trail-blazes is a minimum. Building an off road trail (and the land is there to do so) would be preferable. Alternatively, connecting the trail to New Carrolton Metro could give the trail a better role for commuters.

Rock Creek Park Debate

 

With the recent decision to leave Beach Drive open even during non-rush hour traffic, a debate rages on. Eric Gilliland of WABA wrote:

In the hopes of finding common ground, a plan was developed that recommended closing just one segment between Broad Branch and Military roads. This segment of Beach Drive has no bike path and offers a parallel route for cars, Ross Drive, which could handle the diverted traffic and leave surrounding neighborhoods unaffected by the closure. But the final version of the plan rejected both approaches without explanation.

And an opposing opinion:

[Closing Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park] was overwhelmingly opposed by surrounding communities. Closing Beach Drive would have created inequalities in access to the park.The management plan will improve existing hiking and bicycle trails and examine the possibility of new trails.

But, closing Beach Drive and improving existing hiking and bicycle trails are two unrelated issues. Unless you believe that improvements are just a consolation prize. It's ridiculous that the Park Service was unwilling to make the smallest of consolations.

Christmas Wish List #1 - Mt. Vernon Trail Extension

With Christmas just around the corner, I've decided to put together my wish list for DC area projects. Because of the inane song, I've come up with 12 items and I'll be putting them up one at a time. The order is not random, I've got favorites and we'll go from least to most so this should really be exciting (if you find this exciting you really need to leave the house more). Some of these projects have been considered, some are planned, some are funded and some are just crazy. So crazy they just might work. Feel free to add your wishlist in the comments.

#1 Extending the Mt. Vernon Trail North to the American Legion Bridge

Cost: Unknown
Status: Feasibility Study Complete
Probability: High
Comments: This has been mentioned before. It's a pretty good project from a recreational standpoint, and it would really open up the northern portion of the GW parkway to cyclists, but I'm not sure how much commuter use it will get. In order to reach full potential it will need to connect to a bicycle crossing of the American Legion Bridge.

Cross County Trail to Open Dec. 17

The Cross County Trail, a 38 mile trail across Fairfax county, opens Dec 17. The trail runs from the Occoquan River in southern Fairfax to the Potomac River in Great Falls in the northern end of the county. The trail has a variety of surfaces - asphalt, smoke ash and natural surface - and it follows numerous stream beds, with some fair weather crossings. For much of the route the trail avoids housing developments and only has about 1/2 mile on roads. The trail connects dozens of disparate pieces of public land to create a continuous line. It can be broken up into two pieces, the Difficult Run section and the Accontink Creek section, both of which move downhill from I-66.

Additionally,

Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) proposed an effort to encourage the use of bicycles in traffic-clogged Fairfax. The board agreed Monday to ask the county departments of Transportation and Planning and Zoning to consider such proposals as creating a countywide map of bicycle facilities and identifying roads that could accommodate bike lanes without considerable construction. With the planned completion of the Cross County Trail, Connolly said, "the time has come to actually look at our bicycle policy."

Nice to see Fairfax county catching up with the rest of the region - most jurisdictions have had bike maps and plans for years now. More here.