On Saturday, the Arlington County Board \approved a $2.4-billion, 10-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Most of the press about this has related to the streetcar element of this, but worry not, for there are several bicycle projects included as well. The CIP includes capital investments (pdf) for Fiscal Years 2013-2022.
Some of these projects will be paid for with General Obligation (GO) Bonds, which have to approved by voters this fall. There are 4 referendum to be voted on totally $153 million.
GO Bond Projects
One of the four referenda is the $31.9 million Transportation referenda. Of it $254,000 will go to BikeArlington for FY 2013.
The BikeArlington program makes physical enhancements to Arlington's bicycle infrastructure, including trails and streets. The intent of the program is to complete the bicycle network, making the network safe to use, providing intuitive and easy to understand wayfinding and traffic control. The program provides safe and convenient bike parking and ultimately increase the number riders and their riding frequency to make bicycle usage a more significant travel mode. The program funds five types of projects: new construction of multi-use trails; trail renovations and safety improvements; expansion of bike lanes and other on-street facilities; installation of bike parking; and bike network wayfinding. Projects range is scale from small intersection adjustments and spot fixes to 1/2 mile segments of new trails. The program coordinates with the Neighborhood Conservation (NC) program, Department of Parks and Recreation, and Transportation Engineering & Operations (TE&O) to achieve multiple long term infrastructure and operational goals that span multiple departments and constituencies.
BikeArlington will also recieve $200,000 from car decal fees, $10,000 from transportation capital funds and $500,000 from federal funding. The program also has $2.808 million in previously approved funding to work with as well.
$2.5 million in GO Bond money will go the Boundary Channel Drive Interchange project in 2013. This will, among other things, create "critical bike and pedestrian connections" from Crystal City to the Mount Vernon Trail. I'm not sure if this is the bridge from Long Bridge Park or finding a way to connect to the dead-end trail from the Humpback Bridge's southern underpass. Regardless, it's funded through the next 3 fiscal years. Bike lanes are already being installed on Long Bridge Drive as part of an ongoing project.
Another $30,000 of the GO Bond money will go to the Potomac Yard/Four Mile Run Trail Connection which "will provide an ADA compliant shared use trail of approximately 250 feet traversing the steep grade between Potomac Yard and the Four Mile Run trail, below. Project will necessarily require significant grading and retaining walls." $786,000, much of it federal funding, is budgeted for this over the next 3 years.
Projects that don't need GO Bond funding
Capital Bikeshare will recieve $200,000 from car decal fees and use $1.243 million in previously approved funding in FY 2013 for expansion and operations, but then the budget drops as no more expansion is planned. The program will continue to use $200k in decal fee revenue and another $200k in state and federal funding to keep the program running.
The Columbia Pike Streets project will include parallel bike routes on 9th St. S. and 12th St. S. ("Bike Boulevards"). Design is scheduled to be complete in fall 2013, with construction to start the following spring and end in summer of 2017.
The Crystal City Streets Network Program is designed to bring and support multi-modal transportation in Crystal City. "Projects include revised and new roadway alignments, improved intersection geometry, two-way traffic patterns, updated traffic signals, bike lanes, new signage and striping, utility undergrounding, accessible clear zone sidewalks and crosswalks, new street lights, street trees, and modern transit shelter facilities. Project locations include Crystal Drive, Clark Bell Street, 12th Street, 18th Street, 23rd Street, and 27th Street." Funding is planned for FY13-18. There is also a program to expand capacity at the Crystal City Metro Station that includes more bike parking in both phases (FY13 and FY15-16).
Bike lanes are also included in the Rosslyn-Ballston Arterial Streets Improvement projects, and bike parking to address increasing bicycle mode share is "anticipated" as part of a modification of the Ballston Metrorail Station. It's funded over the next 10 years.
Army-Navy Drive will be put on a road diet that will allow for the addition of a two-way cycle-track on the south side of the ROW. The project is funded from FY13-FY17.
There's also Maintenance Capital (MC) money that is used to maintain trails.
the Transportation MC program coordinates with the Parks MC program on the maintenance of bicycle and pedestrian trails, since roughly half of the off-road bicycle network is outside park boundaries, and the off-street bicycle network investments must be jointly coordinated with the on-street bicycle network and pavement marking priorities
This includes $273,000 in car decal fee money for the Custis Trail in 2016 for design and construction for milling and paving, asphalt repair, drainage and site furnishings.
I guess I'm ever the cynic, but a lot of it seemed like bike parking (something I think community groups could partner with the country to do easily). I did like the Army-Navy Drive bike lane, although I wonder if it's a cycletrack or simply painting they plan to install.
Posted by: T | July 25, 2012 at 10:23 AM
The Boundary Channel Drive Interchange project will attempt to include a connection on VDOT ROW "to the dead-end trail from the Humpback Bridge's southern underpass". Unfortunately, a trail bridge over the GWMP from the Long Bridge Park esplanade is not currently programmed.
Sadly, all the bike funding in the CIP could not mitigate the damage to bicycling on Columbia Pike due to the planned streetcar tracks.
Posted by: Allen Muchnick | July 25, 2012 at 08:35 PM
One note about the Boundary Channel Drive interchange: it's primary intention is to reconfigure the ramps to/from I-395 at this location. The ramps in the "northwest quadrant" (closest to the Pentagon) will be eliminated entirely, with the "northeast quadrant" ramps (those closest to the channel) being reconfigured. Roundabouts will be built at the ramp terminals.
This project was one of those recommended as part of the 14th Street Bridge EIS studies. It would definitely be nice if it includes trail completion of the "tail" coming from the Humpback Bridge.
Posted by: Froggie | July 26, 2012 at 11:02 AM