Route 110 Trail gets funding, work could begin next year

After 16 years of waiting, it appears the Route 110 trail might finally break ground.

Arlington County Board approved almost $250,000 in grant funding Feb. 12 to construct the half mile stretch along the highway that will connect the Pentagon and the Columbia Pike corridor to Memorial Bridge.

Then there's this familiar refrain

The entire project is expected to cost more than $600,000, although when it will be up and running largely depends on the National Park Service. The land for the trail, which runs next to Route 110 from the Pentagon north parking lot to the Memorial Bridge, is almost all part of George Washington Memorial Parkway property maintained by the federal agency.

The county is about to start an environmental assessment for the project, and still has to secure permits from the Park Service for installation of the paved trail.

It should be no problem getting the permits from NPS. NPS loves cycling

Cycling is friendly to the environment in the parks and to the health of the rider.  These qualities bring cycling in line with the goals of the National Park Service and help make bicycling a great way to visit the parks.

No one is sure yet, but work could begin as early as spring 2012.

In the meantime, Arlington has applied for another grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation to finance the rest of the project.

This path will follow the route of the old Rosslyn Spur, so it could be considered a rail trail of sorts, were one so inclined. You can see the old rail line on this map.

Comments

[Brendan]

Speaking of that neighborhood, the downstream side of Memorial Bridge is exhibiting some hot bridge-on-bridge action.

February 19 is the anniversary of Iwo Jima. Expect some more honor guard and ceremony activity the next couple of days, especially after twilight Saturday

http://www.usmc.mil/community/Pages/EventDetails.aspx?EventID=31360

[Michael H.]

This trail doesn't seem that necessary to me. Cyclists can already take the (admittedly substandard) Washington Blvd. trail to Memorial Bridge. I'd like to see that trail get widened and fixed up. It's not really safe for two-way bike traffic, especially on the bridge that crosses over the GW Parkway.

I sent an email to VDOT last year complaining about how narrow the trail is. They said that the Pentagon and maybe NPS had jurisdiction. They forwarded my concerns. I don't know if anything came of that. But I noticed that someone added a series of wooden poles marking both sides of the trail along most of the section along the Pentagon grounds.

The Rte 110 Trail could be a better path to get to Memorial Bridge once it's built, so I won't complain if they want to build it.

[washcycle]

Michael H, the Trail does several new things:

It creates a direct connection between the Arlington Cemetery Metro station and the Pentagon.

It reduces the number of at-grade crossings between Columbia Pike and Memorial Bridge from 5 to 2.

It creates a shorter connection from the Pentagon to the Arlington Cemetery Trail.

It creates a nice alternative for recreational runners, walkers and cyclists.

[John]

There used to be a dirt path here but I didn't see it a couple of weeks ago. I think this would get quite a bit of use especially once the Humpback Bridge connection is done. Come to think of it, if they ever repair the pavement on S. Clarke Street you could ride from Rosslyn to the Long Bridge Park and Chrystal City without using the MVT.

[MB]

It also - hopefully - will play a part in a better/more direct connection to Pentagon/Crystal City from the R-B corridor in the long run.