Progress in Arlington - December 2012 Update

This is by no means a complete list of what Arlington has been up to with respect to their bicycle programs, but this is from an update to Appendix B of the county's Master Transportation Plan's Bicycle Element. 

• Arlington Blvd. - South Side Trail and North Side Trail Improvements - Construction on track for a 2013 completion. 
  
• Arlington Boulevard, South Side Trail Extension Study - Extending the east side/south side Arlington Blvd trail to Washington Boulevard and continuing the trail south along Washington Boulevard to 2nd Street S. and Columbia Pike was deemed infeasible by the study, so funding was shifted to the west/north side of Arlington Blvd. An extension to Columbia Pike along Washington Blvd is in design with construction planned for 2014.
• Boundary Channel Bridge Underpass Trails - A trail to Boundary drive was constructed as part of the Humpback Bridge Project, but completion was halted due to DOD security concerns. Possible construction of roundabout interchange at I-395 and Boundary Drive in conjunction with the Long Bridge Park aquatics center could provide a DOD-acceptable trail connection.
• Crystal Drive and Potomac Ave. Bike Lanes - Crystal Drive bike lanes to be extended in 2013
• S. Joyce Street Bike Lanes from Columbia Pike to 15th Street - Bike lanes from Army Navy Dr. to 15^th St complete as part of FHWA project under I-395, which will be completed in January 2013.
• Old Jefferson Davis Highway Bike Lanes - First phase implemented along Long Bridge Drive in 2012.  Extension to Boundary Drive will be done in conjunction with Phase II of the Long Bridge Park project.
• Rosslyn Circle Area Improvements – Street Level - Currently at 60% design and undergoing VDOT review
• Route 110 South Trail Paving - Project requires a complete reconstruction of trail, new highway ramp crossings and a retaining wall. This project is currently at 50% engineering, with design to be completed in 2014, followed by the NPS required Environmental Assessment (EA)
• Washington Blvd. Trail – West Side Trail - Phase I completed in 2010.
  (0.3 mile)  Phase II currently being redesigned to reduce tree canopy impact. Approximately at 90% design. Construction planned for 2014
• Columbia Pike Parallel Bike Routes - Designed as “bike boulevards”. First implementation planned for 2013.
• Pentagon Area Trail - DOD security concerns have forced the project off of the Pentagon Reservation, so it has been re-envisioned as the Army Navy Drive/Joyce Street cycle track project. Phase I design, including provisions for streetcar, will occur in FY 2013-2014 with construction in 2015. 
• W&OD Crossing at Columbia Pike - Designed as at-grade intersection improvements. In 2013 construction queue.
• Arlington Boulevard Trail Renovation - Sections between Irving & Filmore Streets under design or in queue for construction.
• Four Mile Run and W&OD Trail Connector -North and south approaches partially rebuilt in 2011. Requires bridge replacement to complete.  Design planned for FY2014.
• Four Mile Run Bridge - Currently under design.  Source of construction funding needs to be identified.
• Potomac Yard – Four Mile run Trail Connector - Currently under design.  Railroad viaduct to be demolished in 2013.
• Rosslyn Circle Area Improvements - Tunnel - West Bound lane reduction and other safety improvements approved by VDOT at 50% design, but tunnel is not included in the Rosslyn Circle proposal.  Short-term elements implemented 2012.
• Washington Boulevard Sidewalk Upgrade - Route 110 overpass being redesigned by VDOT.  Complete corridor requires VDOT & DoD approvals.
• W&OD Trail Crossing at Lee Highway - Ramps and trail alignments to be revised in 2013.  Signal modifications also under consideration.
• 15th and 16th Streets N. Bicycle Route  - On bike network map.  Possible future bike boulevard.
• 15th Street S. Bicycle Lanes - Bike lanes marked Hayes St. to Eads St.  Eads St to Crystal Dr. incomplete.
• 18th Street S. Bicycle Lanes - Partially complete.  Bell St. to Crystal Drive incomplete.
• Fairfax Drive Bike Lanes  - Arlington Boulevard RSTP enhancement study will address bike facilities.
• Fairfax Drive Bicycle Route - Possible uphill bike lane to be marked after completion of Route 50/Courthouse Rd interchange project.
• Fort Myer Drive Bicycle Lane -Will proceed according to Rosslyn Transportation Study recommendations.
• Kirkwood Road Bike Lanes - To be evaluated in 2013
• Military Road Sharrows - To be implemented after Five-Points project. 2014.
• N. George Mason Drive Bicycle Lanes or Sharrows - Bike lanes and sharrows added in 2012.
• N. Pershing Drive Bicycle Route - Placed on bike map in 2011. Possible upgrade to bike lanes with “nub shaving”.
• S. Courthouse Road Bicycle Lanes or Sharrows - Active project. To be implemented 2013.
• S. Lynn Street /S. Arlington Ridge Road Bicycle Lanes - Uphill bike lane to be incorporated into next paving
• Virginia Square–Cherrydale Bicycle Route - To be implemented after installation of HAWK signal on Washington Blvd. at Nelson St.
• N. 26th Street Bicycle Boulevard - Added to bike network in 2013 map revision.
• N. Harrison Street Bicycle Boulevard  - Continuity improvements planned for 2013.
• Washington Boulevard Wide Curb Lanes/Sharrows - Bike lanes implemented between Westover and N. Harrison St. in 2012
• N. Carlin Springs Road Bicycle Lanes - Bike lanes and sharrows implemented in 2012. Southward extension pending bridge rebuild.

I really wish DDOT could update its list of projects regularly and make it publicly available as Arlington does.

It's a shame about the Pentagon Ares Trail. That project is described as "an on‐ and off‐street bikeway to link Columbia Pike at S. Rolfe Street with Southgate Road, the Pentagon, and Boundary Drive. At Boundary Drive, a connection would be made to the trail and underpass [Humpback Bridge stub] that leads to the Mount Vernon Trail and the 14th Street Bridge. The project would provide a safer and more direct route for commuting through federal property]. It really is unfortunate that they've deemed a bicycle and pedestrian trail a security concern. Maybe someday we'll be more hardy again.   

Comments

[IMGoph]

What goes in the empty bullet points?

[xmal]

The entries have been excised for security reasons. Have a nice day!

[Greenbelt]

Very jealous of Arlington's great bike planning and, more important, execution of improvements. Meanwhile, Greenbelt's bike/ped master plan sits stuck somewhere between committee and City staff...

[washcycle]

Nothing. Just formatting errors.

[washcycle]

Oh. Actually I don't know, but I fixed it.

[Allen Muchnick]

Arlington did NOT make this information "publicly available"--WashCycle did that!

While it's genuine progress that Arlington's bicycle program is finally providing annual project list updates, Arlington still does not routinely provide current transportation project information on its website.

Moreover, this project list update downplays how the implementation of many projects has fallen many years behind original schedules, and many of the now-proposed project completion dates will fail to materialize.

[DE]

Other than the Pentagon thing, which isn't their fault, it's hard to complain about what Arlington is doing for cyclists. Thank you!

And thanks, washcycle, for explaining the trail to nowhere after the Boundary Channel bridge. We've been wondering what that was about.

[Michael H.]

Thanks for the post. Always interesting to see updates on all of the Arlington bike projects in one document.