The 9/11 Memorial on the west side of the Pentagon will open this fall. I used to ride the Washington Boulevard Trail that passes the construction there pretty regularly, but I haven't been to see it in a while, it sounds like it's mostly finished. The Post wrote about how the opening of the memorial would force the Pentagon to be more visitor friendly.
Said Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) Director Steven E. Calvery, the Pentagon "was not designed to be a welcoming and nice place to visit, like the Mall.
People wanting to visit the memorial are going to find it a little harder to visit than others in the area.
Those who want to drive to the Sept. 11 memorial will have to park at Pentagon City and walk through a pedestrian tunnel beneath Interstate 395 to reach the site, a five- to 10-minute trek. Five spaces in the Pentagon's south parking lot will be reserved for handicapped parking, but that will be the extent of visitor parking -- even on nights and weekends. Tour buses won't be able to pull up next to the site, either.
The graphic in the post - not online - showed how to walk to the memorial from the parking lot or the Metro/Bus drop off, but I think the best way to get there (surprise, surprise) is by bicycle.
The trail from Columbia Pike to the Mt Vernon Trail is a pretty easy way to get to the area since it passes about 10 feet from it. But this is a good opportunity to upgrade the facility and tie some things together at the same time. Here are some ideas
1. How about a name? Maybe give the trail a fitting name - it really doesn't have one - based on where it is. [I've called the Washington Boulevard Path, the Pentagon Bikeway etc...]
2. Complete the Secure Access Lane project to straighten the trail out.
3. North of the old driveway the trail gets awful narrow - how about widening it to 10-12 feet.
4. The intersection where it crosses the driveway entrance to the parking lot [Between Lee Highway and Boundary Channel] needs to be improved - maybe taking out the slip stream and making it a hard turn that requires slowing down. Or grade separation.
5. The GW parkway crossings are tough too.
6. Build a good connection to the Route 110 trail - when that gets built
7. Open the Service Complex gate from Patton Drive to Columbia Pike to cyclists and pedestrians or create a new opening between Patton Dr. and Southgate Rd. just north of the Air Force Memorial. There are three visitor attractions within walking distance (9/11, Air Force Memorial and the US Coast Guard Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery) of one another. It would be nice if people who wanted to could walk between them. Some signage could help. Some people might want to ride or walk from the Arlington Cemetery Metro Station.
8. Connect the trail to the pedestrian tunnel under 395.
Often a project like this, one that will change traffic patterns would come with some TDM. I think biking should be a part of that. There was a 9/11 memorial ride (pictured) to drum up support. I think it's fitting.
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