New Beltway Crossing from Alexandria to Fairfax County

This is the new bike/ped bridge over the Beltway and Cameron Run that connects Alexandria and Fairfax County.It is the third and final major bike/ped component of the Wilson Bridge Project, but it opened recently without much fanfare. It is the only bike crossing of the Beltway for a mile in either direction (Clermont to US 1) and the only crossing of Cameron Run for about the same distance (Eisenhower Ave to US 1)

I rode it yesterday and echo BlindPilot's take.

1. There is a total lack of signage on either side. The facility is open, but I hope that sometime soon signs go in to help those who may not have read about this on the Web several times. The one sign there is is a "Do Not Enter" sign facing Eisenhower Ave, clearly intended for cars as the exit ramp is otherwise one way headed north, but the sign is smack dab in the middle of the entrance to the bridge path, so it's a little ambiguous.

2. The connection on the Huntington Ave side to anything is dicey at best. I ended up riding on a narrow sidewalk a couple hundred feet to get to a cut out in the curb where I could get out onto Huntington Ave headed east. Then again, everything on that side of the Beltway is still a total mess of construction, so maybe it'll all be remedied at some future date? I hope.

All that said, the path itself is plenty wide, smooth and clean (only some muddy construction worker footprints). There aren't even any nasty joints between spans to have to navigate/get out of the saddle for.

Although I did see one joint on the Alexandria side.

The sidewalk along Telegraph Road is closed, but I don't know where it would take you if it were not. Google maps shows Huntington Avenue, the sidewalk along Telegraph and Elmwood/East Drive as an east/west bike route, but I've never ridden that. Maybe this will build momentum for the Cameron Run trail.

Comments

[Aaron]

Can someone show me where this is exactly on a map? I can't figure out where this thing actually is.

[washcycle]

There's a link in the post where it says "Google maps shows"

[Jon]

You can continue south on Telegraph Road if you follow a small detour. Follow Huntington Ave. east for 50 yards to Kathryn St., cross Huntington and then follow the sidewalk west and over the hump back to Telegraph Road. Sometimes the detour sign is hard to see amidst the construction jumble. From there you can head south about 800 yards to Telegraph Station for beer sandwiches, and music. Stop off at Jefferson Manor Park for softball on Saturdays. Continue south on Telegraph about 2 miles to Lee District Park and Rec Center, 3 miles to Huntley Meadows Park, and for the really ambitious 16 miles to Mason Neck State Park. Happy riding.