The DC end of the C&O Canal is a major trail juncture where the Rock Creek Trail, C&O Canal Towpath and Capital Crescent Trail/Water Street PBL meet, and so the plan to revitalize the mile of the C&O Canal between the CCT trailhead and Thompson Boat House is one of great interest to cyclists.
The plan being presented to the Commission of Fine Arts tomorrow proposes several significant changes to the area that should make biking through there better (and also improve walking and the utility of the area in general). Many of these changes are not new, having been proposed elsewhere at other times.
Throughout the corridor, the proposal considers widening the towpath, which in some places has a usable width of as little as 2' to make it either 3.5' or 8', depending on the option selected.
On the east end the project envisions a couple of bridges over Rock Creek to the Rock Creek Trail (RCT).
One bridge would be at the Zero Mile Marker/Thompson Boat House area, connecting to the "Tuxedo Trail" portion of the RCT. It would also create a path on the west side of Rock Creek between the creek and the boat house that would connect to the Virginia Avenue Bridge and the existing trail by the Swedish Embassy.
It also proposes a trail bridge over Rock Creek and underneath the Whitehurst Freeway ramp to I-66 to create a new connetionc between the extended Capital Crescent Trail and the RCT.
At the confluence of the canal and Rock Creek, another new trail bridge would extend across the canal providing for a trail from the towpath, around the West Heating Plant to 29th Street.
The plan also imagines better connections from the towpath to Wisconsin Ave, Potomac Ave and Francis Scott Key park. In some places widening stairs, adding an elevator and/or replacing stairs with an ADA-compliant ramp. It also appears to include a new (wider?) bridge at Potomac Street. Hopefully and rebuilt stairs will include runnels.
At 34th Street, the ramp to Francis Scott Key Park is replaced with an ADA compliant one and a trail connection is added from 34th south of the canal to the towpath (around 3401 Water Street)
At the CCT trailhead, a new ramp connection (the Canal Towpath Bypasss) is envisioned from the CCT to the towpath and a pair of ramps on each side of the canal will connect to the lightly used pedestrian lane on the Whitehurst Freeway. Ideally that would also be widened. It also looks like the existing stairs to the Whitehurst ped lane will be improved.
It doesn't go into that kind of detail yet, but this should include bike parking, signage and other small features.
If built as envisioned here, the project would create a better C&O Canal towpath and more connections between it, the two trails near it and other destinations nearby.
If only they'd rebuild the Aqueduct Bridge as a bike/ped bridge.
The comment period on the refined comments presented in April is closed, but the CFA meeting is tomorrow and there will be more opportunities for comment in the future.
I really like the proposed ramp connection from the CCT trailhead to the canal towpath. The bike runnels on the current stairs down from the towpath to Water St at 34th St are narrow and too near the wall, often I find my rear wheel bouncing down the stairs instead.
Posted by: Dewey | July 18, 2019 at 10:39 AM
In general, the plans look terrific.
Posted by: Crickey | July 18, 2019 at 07:29 PM
The aqueduct bridge as a bike/ped bridge would be awesome and reduce some bike/ped conflicts. I'd really like bike lanes on Key Bridge itself though.
The donkey is a real nice touch.
Posted by: huskerdont | July 19, 2019 at 02:07 PM