The Four Mile Run Master Plan came out in 2006. It had all kinds of goodies for cyclists
A proposed bicycle facility [WC: a.k.a. A bike station] [on the now-defunct railroad bridge at the eastern end of the corridor] provides a venue for bicycle rentals and a place at which bicyclists stop to eat, rest, shower and buy supplies. New pedestrian/ bicyclist bridges are proposed at other key locations: the extension of Commonwealth; at the site of the new community plaza and recreational facility on Mount Vernon Avenue that links to Arlington ’s Four Mile Run Park; west of the existing Mount Vernon Avenue bridge to provide safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle access for Alexandrians wishing to shop at the stores along South Glebe Road; and at the place where lower Long Branch meets Four Mile Run in. In addition, with the creation of a new bridge and intersection proposed for traffic traveling on South and West Glebe Roads, the existing bridge would be converted to, or possibly replaced by, a pedestrian and bicycle-only bridge.
As DCMud points out, the Draft Design Guidelines are out as of June. The plan calls for a commuter trail on the north side
The existing asphalt trail that travels along the northern bank of Four Mile Run will remain the primary commuter bike trail within the corridor, providing an east-west link between the National Park Service Mount Vernon Trail and the trails of the upper reaches of Four Mile Run to the W&OD trails beyond. Stream restoration improvements, bridge construction projects and other ongoing improvements in the corridor will likely affect large segments of this trail. Over time, it will become necessary to make significant refurbishments to this heavily used recreation and transportation trail. The design team responsible for developing the first phase of this trail will need to carefully consider how their solutions will be extended to future phases and how their design will inform other improvements in the corridor. The following guidelines apply specifically to the commuter trail:
• The trail design must be compatible with the Alexandria Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Plan.
• The trail must safely accommodate high-volume, high-speed, two-way bicycle traffic as well as pedestrian and other non-motorized traffic.
• The travel trail should be 12 feet wide with opposing lanes of travel divided by a painted line. Where space is limited, a minimum 8-foot-wide trail may be used.
• The primary paving material should be asphalt and must have a durable, non-slip surface.
• Incorporate infiltration strips adjacent to the trail to minimize runoff.
• Incorporate recycled materials such as milled asphalt, crushed used brick and crushed used glass into the asphalt matrix.
• To the extent possible, align the new trail to the existing bike trail and reuse the existing paving base and asphalt materials.
• The design should integrate a strong unifying element.
• Future planning efforts to extend the trail beyond the area addressed by the Guidelines should consider extending this unifying element to future trail segments elsewhere in the Four Mile Run watershed.
• Increase the paving width and integrate other compatible paving materials at trail intersections and nodes. See the illustrated concept development for Trail Nodes.
• The full length of this trail should be lighted using full-cutoff, high-efficiency fixtures. See the section on lighting under “Built Feature
and a community trail
The primary trail on the South side of the channel is the community trail, which is similar in design to the commuter trail but with the following exceptions:
• The width should be between 6 feet and 9 feet.
• The community trail is not considered a high-speed commuter bicycle trail, but rather will accommodate slower-paced bicycles, rollerbladers, runners, walkers and other non-motorized travel.
• The alignment of the community trail will typically be more sinuous, as opposed to the straighter route of the commuter trail.
The call for good wayfinding signage
A thorough wayfinding and signage study must be prepared to develop the complete program of themes, content, format and location of elements within the corridor. This effort should be done in concert with the development of entry markers (described above) and in coordination with Alexandria and Arlington’s wayfinding signage guidelines. This program should also complement the built features described by the design language and established by these Guidelines or be public art. Wayfinding and signage should be considered as an opportunity for the development of a large-scale public art project.
and good continuous lighting. None of the designs shown are planned, they just give ideas for what the trail elements might look like. Hopefully, none of the designs involve sewage spills.
Update: Seems my hoping was enough. Alexandria has released a second alert.
Arlington’s Fire Marshals Office and Department of Environmental Services are investigating this second dumping in as many weeks at the same location.
An illicit dumping of portable lavatory waste into Four Mile Run Stream near Westover Park in Arlington County is affecting waters and parks all the way to the Potomac River in Alexandria.
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