New S. Oak Street Bridge a small part of Future Tripps Run Trail

This is not much of a bike project, but Falls Church is planning a significant rehab of S. Oak Bridge over Tripps Run that will create a better connection to a trail you probably aren't using. 

Oak Street Bridge is a simple span steel beam bridge with reinforced concrete deck and concrete abutments. In 2012, Dewberry inspectors found the bridge to be in poor condition with a bridge rating of 4 out of 10. There is severe corrosion in the steel beam webs. Timber blocking was installed at locations where steel beam webs were severely corroded. Concrete deck has spalling and numerous hairline cracking with some exposed rebar. The bridge is on a yearly inspection cycle and was inspected from 2012 through 2016. The rating has not changed and there have been no major changes from the 2012 condition. All inspections recommend replacing or repairing the steel beams and concrete deck immediately. 

The repaired bridge will have a modified design with wider sidewalks and a better connection to the trail along Tripps Run.

That narrow connector trail (visible on the left) is a couple blocks long and connects S. Oak with - wait for it - Sherrow Ave.

Ok let me just stop right now and say that washcycle is now your "Sharrows on Sherrow" headquarters and I will not stop until this is a thing. 

Anyway, it might not look like much now, but the Falls Church Bike Plan calls for a trail along Tripps Run from the southern edge of town at Cavalier Trail Park to S. West Street with a short bike lane connection to the W&OD Trail. So this is a very small part of that. There are also to be bike lanes south from this bridge.

The old bridge does look dumpy.

Construction is to schedule late this year. 

Comments

[darren]

Whenever i get to visit, I always make time to ride the wrong way on the one-way Salmon St in downtown Portland

[DE]

Interesting. I have never cycled the connector trail (not really that kind of trail), but we walk the dog there fairly often when we go to Space Bar. That little trail is right next to an elementary school, so an improved connection could make things a bit safer for any kids riding to school if they chose to enter that way. It also connects to a gravel trail up through a little stream park to Route 7.