Beach Drive/Rock Creek Park Trail Rehabilitation project enters Phase II

I missed it, but last weekend there was a block party on the newly paved section of Beach Drive that celebrated the end of Phase I and the beginning of Phase II (because every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end) of the federal portion of the Beach Drive/Rock Creek Park Trail rebuild.

This project also built a smoother, wider multi-use trail and a better side path in the tunnel. 

This segment finished a little late, but it's good news for cyclists. 

Jeremy Barnum, with the National Park Service, said contractors with the project are taking on adjacent roadwork and DC Water projects and are putting more into widening and rehabilitating the multi-use trail. 

They also built part of the DDOT project  - the connection to Harvard Street. 

Beach Drive, which serves as an active recreation facility on the weekends will close for a year, but so will Ross and Ridge and those will serve the same purpose as well as the route for bike commuters.

Beach Drive will close from Park Road/Tilden Street NW to Joyce Road NW (immediately south of Military Road NW). Originally planned to be addressed as two separate phases, both segments 2 and 3 will close at the same time so that work can begin concurrently on both.

Just like Segment 1, bike and pedestrian access will be maintained while the road is closed for Segments 2 and 3. And just like Segment 1, it’s important that people biking and walking stay out of the active construction zone.

During work on segments 2 and 3, Ross Drive and Ridge Road, which both run through the park and are parallel to Beach Drive will also be closed to vehicle car traffic until Fall 2018. The closure provides greater safety for bike commuters who will need to detour on these narrow, winding and hilly routes; will reduce traffic impacts to local neighborhoods; and will provide an alternate location for weekend recreation in lieu of Beach Drive

This means that the portion of Beach that becomes a bike/ped only road on the weekends will be closed for a year

As of August 28, Beach Drive will no longer be accessible to cyclists between Park Road/Tilden Street NW until the Maryland state line. This is a change in policy, as this section of Beach Drive is designated for recreation access only over the weekend. This closure to cyclists will be in effect 24/7.

DDOT will tackle the trail sections through Rose Park, northwest of Rock Creek (the trail on the Zoo property), a new bridge across Rock Creek near the Zoo, and a trail extension on Piney Branch Parkway. DDOT’s trail construction will start after Federal Highway Administration (FHWA, the lead agency on the Beach Drive segments) is done with their work.

This is a big project and when it's complete it will make bike commuting and bike recreation so much better - especially when coupled with an extended Capital Crescent Trail. 

Comments

[Crickey]

Cars should be barred from Beach Drive during commuting hours.

[Brett Young]

Crickey -I agree and I'll go further than that.
I'd love to see a plan where a significant amount of auto traffic is removed from the park....beginning with from Connecticut Ave to the Kennedy Center which is the worst culprit

[Atlas Cesar]

Brett- As someone who lives right at the park, that would be incredible! Unfortunately, it will never happen in my lifetime. To most, parkway is synonymous with motorway.

[Uptowner]

Yep, why is this beautiful park sacrificed to car commuting. NYC has banned cars from Central Park and Prospect Park, and the city still functions just fine. Let's reclaim our park!!

[Washcycle]

I have a post on that.

https://ggwash.org/view/41285/would-it-be-the-end-of-the-world-if-fewer-cars-could-pass-through-rock-creek-park-well-find-out-soon

[Washcycle]

I'm kind of interested in turning it into a 1-lane rush-hour direction road from Boulder Bridge to Joyce, with the other lane a two-way bikeway. And then toll the road - using the money to support the park. But that likely won't happen either.

[Purple Eagle]

Why Boulder Bridge as an end point? There is no place to turn off or turn around there. I would like it makes more sense for Broad Branch/Blagden to be the end point of a closure? (I do like the idea but agree that it's not likely).

[Crickey]

It's not just the blatant abuse of the park for a purpose it was never meant for. It's the fact that the road is hard to use during the week for its intended purpose, recreation, while the recreational path would be a joke if it weren't downright scary.

[Washcycle]

Boulder Bridge (or nearby) because that's where NPS had proposed closing it back in the 1990's. But maybe I'm wrong on that.

[Brett Young]

So what is the Sierra club's take on this?
I talked with WMATA and they are advocates to closing the park permanently to vehicles.
What can WE do?
I love to have a meeting and come up with a realistic plan for the park that removes most of the auto traffic.
Is there an organization dedicated to this cause already?
If not, I'd be interested in forming one.
You have to start with an idea....then believe in it before anyone else does. Gradually others join your cause and soon the Kennedy Center and NPS joins it.
First thing that needs to be done is to create a group dedicated to this cause. So feel free to contact me with ideas on how to get this started. Starting with you Mr. Washcycle. You know how to reach me.
Who else is interested?

[Purple Eagle]

I support the idea but I would not have time for any meetings. I think going for the one-way idea would be a good start. Also NPS will probably want to retain vehicle access to the picnic areas along beach drive in the northern part of the park.

RE Boulder Bridge - maybe they had an idea for creating a turnaround there. Or maybe it was really a shorthand way of referring to the Broad Branch intersection?

[tdcjames]

As of August 28, Beach Drive will no longer be accessible to cyclists between Park Road/Tilden Street NW until the Maryland state line.

I couldn't find the cite for this quote linked in the article, but if it came from go.nps.gov/beachdrive, that page now says "Joyce Road" instead of "the Maryland state line".

[Purple Eagle]

So is the section of trail between Broad Branch and Tilden still open?

[Purple Eagle]

I will answer my own question - the paved trail between Broad Branch and Tilden (as well as further downstream) is open.

[David Cranor]

Thanks. I didn't know the answer.