TheWashCycle

NPS Trails Study - George Washington Parkway

The National Park Service's National Capitol Region (NCR) recently released a draft version of its "Paved Trails Study", which serves as a plan for how NCR sees the paved trail network, both within and outside of the parks, developing in the future and as an update to the 1990 plan. In addition to identifying several high priority capital projects, the NPS Paved Trails Study also identifies some lower priority capital projects which it groups by park.

Comments are open until May 19th.

Here are all the paved trail projects identified for the George Washington Parkway, which with 33 projects, has the most of any park. There are some good ideas here, but many of the best ideas from the 1990 plan - like widening the trail - have neither been completed, nor carried forward to this plan.

Immediate (0-2 years) - all of these projects are high priority projects that were covered in this earlier post. 

1. (G1.7) Conduct alternatives analysis to provide off-road trail connection from the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to Arlington Ridge Park
2. (G2.2) Improve access on Airport Access Road overpass to Reagan National Airport/ Aviation Circle; connect with steps; expand sidewalks
3. (G2.3) Connect 14th Street Bridge to proposed off-road facility on Boundary Channel Drive along Lagoon; create on-street trail facility on Boundary Channel Drive that connects under I-395 to Long Bridge Drive
4. (G2.4) Develop connection from Mount Vernon Trail to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge on south side of bridge
5. (G2.5) Improve safety and access at intersection of Mount Vernon Trail and Custis Trail at Lee Highway/North Lynn Street approach to Key Bridge Coordinate with NPS regarding access drive to future boathouse
6. (G4.7) At the intersection of Mount Vernon Trail and Four Mile Run Trail at Reagan National Airport, provide safety and sightline improvements and explore the potential for new roundabout

Short Term (2-5 years)

1. (G1.2) Develop off-road trail facility along Vernon View Drive from the MVT to Fort Hunt Road
2. (G1.3) Develop off-road trail facility along Fort Hunt Road from Fort Hunt Park to Belle Haven Road
3. (G1.4) Develop off-road connector along Belle Haven Road from Fort Hunt Road to Mount Vernon Trail
4. (G1.5) Develop off-road connector along Belle View Boulevard from Fort Hunt Road to Mount Vernon Trail
5. (G1.6) Realign trail within Gravelly Point Park to separate through-traffic
6. (G3.1) Develop a regional trailhead with bike share at Mount Vernon Estate
7. (G3.5) Develop a regional trailhead at Jones Point Park
8. (G3.6) Develop a regional trailhead at Long Bridge Park
9. (G3.7) Develop a regional trailhead at Gravelly Point Park
10. (G4.2) Provide traffic calming measures to facilitate crossing of GWMP at Vernon View Drive
11. (G4.3) Provide traffic calming measures to facilitate crossing of GWMP at Collingwood Road
12. (G4.4) Provide traffic calming measures to facilitate crossing of GWMP at Morningside Lane
13. (G4.5) Provide traffic calming measures to facilitate crossing of GWMP at Belle View Boulevard
14. (G4.6) Provide traffic calming measures to facilitate crossing of GWMP at Belle Haven Road
15. (G4.8) Provide at-grade crossing improvements per ongoing EA recommendations at Arlington Memorial Bridge
16. (G4.9) Provide at-grade crossing improvements per ongoing EA recommendations at Washington Boulevard

Mid Term (5-10 years)

1. (G1.1) Realign trail at bridge near Little Hunting Creek at Mount Vernon Estates
2. (G2.1) Replace existing 300-foot-long bridge through wetlands near Dangerfield Island
3. (G3.2) Enhance existing Local/NPS trailhead with improved signage and amenities at Riverdale Park
4. (G3.3) Develop a local/NPS trailhead at Fort Hunt Park
5. (G3.4) Develop a local/NPS trailhead at Belle Haven Road
6. (G3.8) Develop a viewshed compliant local/NPS trailhead with bikeshare at Arlington National Cemetery
7. (G3.9) Enhance the existing bikeshare station on North Meade Street adjacent to the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial with signage, shelter, bike repair station, etc.
8. (G3.10) Develop a local/NPS trailhead at the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot
9. (G4.1) Provide improvements to at-grade Highway crossing at Mount Vernon Estate and Garden
10. (G5.1) Implement edge of pavement striping on trail within close proximity of roadway along National airport perimeter
11. (G5.2) Coordinate with the City of Alexandria to promote, through enhanced signage, the Potomac Yard Trail as an alternate to the Mount Vernon Trail and as a commuter route

 

 Some really good proposals were in the 1990 Plan that don't show up in this one. Among them are

1. Widening the trail to at least 8 feet, 10 feet where possible and 12 feet near the city center and bridges
2. Relocate the trail at the Gravelly Point parking lot to eliminate conflicts between drivers and cyclists (maybe this has been "done" and things use to be worse than they are now, but conflict has not been eliminated)
3. Provide an attractive barrier between the trail and the parkway north of the airport where the two are very close together. This would protect cyclists from on-coming headlights and from vehicles crossing from the trail to the road or the road to the trail.
4. Construct a shoreline loop trail on Dangerfield Island
5. Develop safe access under the Boundary Channel Bridge (Despite the fact that to everyone else the Boundary Channel Bridge isthe bridge from Arlington Memorial Circle to Arlington Cemetery, on second review NPS is clearly talking about the "Humpback Bridge" (based on the map on page 61 of the 1990 plan). They also use the two to mean the same thing here. So this has actually been done).
6. Build both an east-west and north-south trail near the Pentagon (maybe this was done. There aren't enough details to know what this entailed).
7. Re-establish federal ownership of the Glen Echo Trolley Right-of-way and develop parts of it for trail use. 
8. Extending the Mount Vernon Trail to Scott's Run Park in Fairfax County. 

Trailheads are nice, but the 1990 plan was significantly more ambitious than the one proposed now is, at least when it comes to the Mt. Vernon Trail. 

NPS Trails Study - National Capital Parks East

The National Park Service's National Capitol Region (NCR) recently released a draft version of its "Paved Trails Study", which serves as a plan for how NCR sees the paved trail network, both within and outside of the parks, developing in the future and as an update to the 1990 plan. In addition to identifying several high priority capital projects, the NPS Paved Trails Study also identifies some lower priority capital projects which it groups by park.

Comments are open until May 19th.

Here are all the paved trail projects identified for the National Capital Parks East. The NPS study is about paved trails, which it defines as asphalt or concrete trails that serve pedestrians and cyclists of all abilities. While the C&O Canal Towpath and the Fort Circle Hiker Biker Trail are not paved, NPS has included them in this study due to their regional significance. 

1. (E1.1) Develop an on-street connection between Shepherd Parkway along Blue Plains Drive SW and DC Village Lane to Oxon Hill Farm Trail - this is a high priority project and was covered in this earlier post. 
2. (E1.2) Improve connection from Audrey Lane and Forest Heights Elementary School to Oxon Run Park and Oxon Hill Farm Trail 
3. (E1.3) The South Capitol Street Trail 
4. (E1.4) Construct an off-road connector from the Suitland Parkway Trail to the Fort Circle Hiker-Biker Trail
5. (E1.5) Develop an off-road trail along Fort Davis Drive SE and Fort Dupont Drive SE with a connection to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail under I-295
6. (E1.6) Connection from the Fort Circle Hiker-Biker Trail to the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station
7. (E1.7) Connection from the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail to the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station
8. (E1.8) Develop an on-street facility from Oxon Hill Farm Trail across 495 to Oxon Hill Road and Harborview Avenue (in Prince George's Co.); improve signage and crossings; connect to the POHE - this is a high priority project and was covered in this earlier post. 
9. (E1.9) Develop an on-street trail (along 13th SE and Dogwood Street) to connect the improved Oxon Run Trail to the Suitland Parkway Trail through Saint Elizabeth's  with a link to Metro.
10. (E3.1) Develop a regional trailhead facility with bikeshare at Oxon Hill Farm
11. (E3.2) Develop a regional trailhead facility with bikeshare at Poplar Point Park
12. (E3.3) Develop a local/NPS trailhead facility at Fort Dupont Park
13. (E5.1) Conduct a feasibility study to establish an offroad trail facility along Oxon Run extending through D.C. and MD linking to Pennsylvania Avenue, SE and the Congress Heights Metro Station
14. (E5.2) Conduct a feasibility study for extending the Suitland Parkway Trail from the D.C./MD line to the Henson Creek Trail, and to also address upgrades to the D.C. portion of the trail - this is a high priority project and was covered in this earlier post. Interestingly, the Henson Creek Trail doesn't extend to the Suitland Parkway, so this shoud really be an added part of this project.
15. (E5.3) Work with Prince George's County to explore the feasibility of a trail along the Baltimore Washington Parkway (or other nearby corridor) to connect Washington to Baltimore

A few things I'd like this to pull forward from the 1990 plan are

• Extend the Fort Lincoln Trail to the Anacostia and take it across the river either on or underneath the US-50 (New York Avenue) Bridge
• Extend the Kenilworth Park trails east along Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue to the Mavin Gaye Park Trail
• Building a trail from Buzzards Point along the shoreline of Fort McNair (I know, fat chance, but in 1990 they thought it was possible) to the SW waterfront
• Urge appropriate agencies to implement long-standing open space plans by opening up the Potomac shoreline to trail use from Oxon Cove/Wilson Bridge to the Douglas Bridge through Blue Plains, NRC and JB Anacostia-Bolling. [Again, fat chance. But interesting that this seemed to be the policy at the time, and so how it was that a direct connection from DC to the Wison Bridge was missed remains mysterious]

Then, of course, there is the EOTR Fantasy map. Key among them:

• A trail along the abandoned railroad to Blue Plains

 

 

There will be closures

The National Park Service recently released the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Arlington Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation Project. The good news is that all of the alternatives, including the preferred alternative, will keep the bridge open for another 75 to 100 years (so go ahead and commit to that bike ride in 2091). The bad news is that the bridge will be closed a lot during the 2-3 year repair project and there won't be much done beyond fixing the structural problems.

Memorial Bridge is an important connection for cyclists travelling between Virginia and DC.  

A high volume of pedestrians and bicyclists use the Arlington Memorial Bridge and connecting pathways. Pedestrian and bicycle counts obtained in October and November 2012 indicate that approximately 2,000 bicyclists and pedestrians used the sidewalks on the Arlington Memorial Bridge each day. The bridge and its connections support both commuter and recreational uses. Sidewalks and crossings at both ends of the bridge connect with regional trail networks. On the west side of the bridge, access is provided to the Mount Vernon Trail (MVT), and on the east side of the bridge, access is provided to the Rock Creek Trail.

But it has some well documented issues - mostly on the western Columbia Island side, where the north sidewalk doesn't connect well to the MVT and trail-users are expected to make numerous at-grade crossings of the GW Parkway, and Washington Boulevard.

Highly visible road markings and signs are in place to enhance safety at road crossings. However, based on a 2011 road safety audit conducted by the National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration, collisions between pedestrians and vehicles are a concern on the west side of the bridge (NPS 2011b). Observations described in the road safety audit involved driver aggressiveness and driver confusion at the approaches to Memorial Circle. To reduce the likelihood of collisions, a range of recommendations were presented including additional warning signs, restriping, and realignment of the existing ramps.

There was a spate of car-trail user crashes at these crosswalks that prompted NPS to make some of those recommended changes - and they appear to have made it safer, but it still doesn't create an appealing experience for more cautious cyclists; and no work on this safety issue is expected as part of the rehabilitation.

Unfortunately the two previous bicycle-relevant plans called out in the EA don't offer any strong guidance. The 2005 DC Bicycle Master Plan recommends "access improvements" from both sides of the Potomac River (or more accurately from one side of the Potomac to the island in the Potomac, but let's not quibble) and the MoveDC update reiterates that without any detail. Meanwhile, NPS's Memorial Circle Transportation Plan doesn't seem to have progressed beyond a bunch of photos of charrette drawings. [I recall a document, created by Toole Design, used as input to the 2005 plan in which they listed the specific problems and recommendations for each bridge in DC, but I can't track it down. That would be a good place to start to identify the known issues.] It may be a missed opportunity, not having some specific improvements identified. The bike plan has been successfully used before to force the federal government to build good bike facilities.

Anyway, instead, trail users can count on the bridge not falling into the river and a slight modification of the sidewalk surface. The current exposed aggregate sidewalks would be replaced, which I think is good because I find exposed aggregate gets slippery when wet. But it's being replaced with an exposed aggregate concrete/polymer concrete sidewalk, and I don't know how that's different.

 

Also Arlington County requested that the bridge rehabilitation include permanent bicycle and pedestrian counting equipment and DDOT requested permanent traffic counting equipment. Those requests were noted, but there is no indication they will be included. 

Closures

It's  a choice of catastrophes here for bridge users. There are four alternatives, which are basically choices about the kind of bridge that will replace the Bascule Span, although alternative 3 is to repair the existing span. There is also a no-build option, which involves maintenance and further weight restrictions until such time as the bridge has to be closed. The preferred alternative is to replace the span with a new span comprised of variable depth steel girders. This is due to reasons of cost, safety, ease of painting, and the opportunity to preserve things like the guard’s cabin, the overseer’s cabin, and the machinery rooms.

Then, there are two construction methods. Construction Method A is called "Temporary Full Closure of the Bridge, Sidewalks and All Vehicular Travel Lanes." It involves complete closure of the bridge for 70 consecutive days and then closing half the bridge, including either one sidewalk of the other, for 245 days each. Construction Method B is not much better. Entitled "Partial Bridge Closure with Closure of Three Vehicular Travel Lanes."It would close one half of the bridge for  280 days and then the other half for another 280 days. They don't appear to have a preference on the construction method. Other alternatives involve similar combinations of temporary partial and full closures of the bridge.

During periods of full closure, the pedestrian/bicycle detour would add approximately 2.5 miles to the normal 1.1 mile trip

but that's from Memorial Circle to the Lincoln Memorial, and most people will be able to find a shorter detour.

In  addition to the closures, they might build one or two barge staging areas along the river north and south of the bridge. To access the barge staging areas, they'd need to construct access roads from the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which would mean cars crossing the Mount Vernon Trail at times and that those parts of the trail would have to be changed to handle the traffic.. These areas would be restored following completion of construction. 

NPS is accepting comments until May 16th although the EA itself says May 9th, so don't dilly dally. Personally, I'm going to ask them to look at a material other than exposed aggregate for the sidewalks, and to consider taking the opportunity to make access and safety improvements on the west side of the bridge. Perhaps they could finish their Transportation Plan as a precursor to this project and incorporate those recommendations into it. 

Memorial Bridge Rehab could limit bike access, represent opportunity

The National Park Service is warning that "the historic but crumbling Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River may be closed to traffic in five years if it does not get a complete overhaul by then."

The project would include the removal of the antique drawbridge mechanism at the center of the bridge and the creation of a new central section

No design has been created, but It's hard to imagine them doing this kind of work without closing or limiting use of the bridge in a way that would impact cyclists.

But, it could be an opportunity to make the bridge work better for cyclists too. For one think, I'd like to see the sidepath surface changed from the stone agregate sheets to something better. The surface can get slick when wet and the seal-filled gaps are something on the spectrum from unpleasant to unsafe. And then at the ends of the bridge some improvements are still needed. I wrote this post several years ago, and there have been some changes since then, but much of this is still true.

1. From the west side of the downstream lane, grade separated crossings - underpasses perhaps - of Washington Boulevard (in 3 places) and the GW parkway would improve travel between the bridge, the MVT and the Pentagon bikeway. And it would help drivers as well.

2. A Hawk light (or grade separated crossing) for the crossings just north of and just south of off Memorial Drive Circle would improve safety.

3. From the west-side of the upstream side of the bridge, a real trail should be built down to the Mt. Vernon Trail with safe crossings of Washington Blvd and the Mt. Vernon Parkway.

4. Connect the trails to the narrow sidewalk on the west side of Washington Boulevard under the Bridge.

DDOT takes first steps toward Hopscotch Bridge replacement.

DDOT released a Request for Qualifications for consulting services for the Design/Build of the replacement of the Hopscotch Bridge (aka H Street, NE Bridge over the railroad tracks north of Union Station), which likely means they are getting closer to actually replacing it. The inclusion of bicycle-relevant requirements give reason to hope for a bike-friendly design.

The civil design shall be performed according to the provision of pedestrian and bicycle access

The design work is to be completed in accordance with current design practices and requirements of the NACTO - Urban Bikeway Design Guide, Second Edition and the AASHTO Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities, 4th Edition

Data collection will include peak hour intersection bicycle and pedestrian counts.

Etc...

I don't have reason to bike over it very often, though I bike under it quite a lot, so I don't have strong feelings on the bridge itself. But, in addition to thinking about how E-W cyclists should use this facility, it would be great if they could create quicker connection between the bridge and the Metropolitan Branch Trail both at 1st and 2nd St NE. I just recently used the new staircase from the bridge down to 2nd Street - which was useful for getting to the CaBi station there - and I don't recall if it had a bike trough or not, but even stairs like that can help.

Hatem Bridge to open to cyclists, closing gap in East Coast Greenway

This is good news

Like all Maryland toll facilities, the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge between Perryville and Havre de Grace has long prohibited cyclists. State officials said they were responding to bicyclists’ complaints that their lack of access to the Hatem Bridge, in particular, interfered with using Maryland’s section of the East Coast Greenway and the September 11th National Memorial Trail that connects memorial sites at the Pentagon and in New York City. The bridge now has signs telling bicyclists to call a taxi if they want to cross.

Because the bridge has no shoulders, cyclists will have to share the right travel lanes with vehicles. State officials said they are still working out details about tolling rates, safety signage, and any restrictions.

I hope they do keep a token toll for cyclist (a nickle or something) just as a counterpoint to the "cyclists don't pay anything" argument. Of course an even better development would involve a bike/ped crossing built as part of the replacement Amtrak bridge. Or maybe they could build a new facility on the old abutments next to the current railroad bridge.

Bay Bridge next?

Sparks said the authority isn’t considering allowing cyclists to use any other Maryland toll facilities because state law prohibits riding a bike on any road where the posted speed limit is above 50 mph. With a posted speed limit of 45 mph, Sparks said, the Hatem Bridge is the only toll facility with a speed limit below 50 mph.

Awww....No fair.

DDOT's Long Bridge Phase II Study Project Update Community Meeting

Scheduled for next week at the L'Enfant Plaza Club Room (oh, a club....)

The purpose of this meeting is to provide the public with an opportunity to express their views on the possible replacement of the Long Bridge (an existing railroad bridge) over the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Long Bridge currently serves freight, intercity passenger (Amtrak) and commuter rail (Virginia Railway Express) providers. The meeting will focus on the project’s history, development of the purpose and need, early development of conceptual alternatives, and the preliminary environmental and socioeconomic resources identified within the study area at this early stage of the project.

You may recall that in 2013 DDOT proposed 10 alternatives for replacing the Long Bridge, four of which included a new bike crossing of the Potomac. Then in 2014, they won a TIGER grant for a NEPA study of the bridge.

 

Replacement Berwyn Heights bridge installation delayed, not to open until April

Last April, the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks in Berwyn Heights was damaged by a Metro contractor with an entire center span knocked down rendering the bridge unusable. According to the May 2015 issue of the Berwyn Heights Bulletin, the bridge was to be closed for 6-8 months while repairs were carried out. But it looks like that isn't going to happen. According to former College Park City Councilman Robert Catlin, the replacement beam was ordered some time ago and was to arrive in October, with installation completed this month. Then that slipped to delivery this month and completion next month (which would be 8 months from May, the most generous way to read the original prediction). But now it appears that the beam will not arrive until March, with construction complete in April. 

Happy Holidays!

Construction to start soon on new Riverdale Bridge over CSX, will include bike facilities and connect to Trolley Trail

Below is a new rendering of the bridge over the CSX tracks that will connect Riverdale Park Station and M square in Riverdale Park.

It looks to me like the bridge has bike lanes, but those might just be wide shoulders. At the very minimum it has wide sidewalks. The west side of the bridge (on the left) will end at a "Village Green" one block from the new section of the PG County Trolley Trail. On the east side it will end at Tuckerman (I think), about 4 blocks from the NE Branch Trail. In the plan below, it is on the right side, with trail near the middle.

The text that goes with the top rendering.

Closure of Parking Lot of Former ERCO Plant Between the Rivertech Court Cul-de-sac and Lafayette Avenue in Riverdale Park

Work will soon begin on the much awaited new CSX crossing at Riverdale Park Station. The bridge construction work is significant and requires the closing of the former ERCO plant parking lot between the Rivertech Court cul-de-sac and Lafayette Avenue. This route has been used for years as a “short cut” from Lafayette Avenue to M-Square. The closure will begin on or about December 14, 2015 and will continue until the new bridge is open – estimated to be in April 2017.

The initial construction activities include the relocation of existing electrical and gas utilities that run parallel to the CSX tracks. Utility relocations are necessary for the construction of the new bridge over the CSX railroad tracks

Virginia Candidates using I-66 tolling/multi-modal as campaign issue

Many candidates in Virginia's General election next week are using VDOT's I-66 plan, which would change I-66 inside the beltway from HOV-2 to HOT-3 lanes, improve transit and enhance the bicycle and pedestrian system. Some examples from Dr. Gridlock are below:

• Oct. 19 posting by Loudoun County Republican Jeanine Martin on the Bull Elephant blog: “Governor McAuliffe and the Democrats propose transforming one HOV-2 lane along I-66 into a $17 toll lane. And the tolls won’t be used for road improvements; commuters would pay for bike paths and subsidizing mass transit. People in Loudoun would be paying for bike paths in Arlington and their Metro.”
• From the campaign Web site of House Del. Dave LaRock (R-Loudoun): “The revenue from this tolling plan isn’t slated to improve I-66 or relieve the massive traffic congestion that Northern Virginia struggles with. Governor McAuliffe’s proposed tolls are going to ‘multimodal transportation’ projects — that means Metro subsidies and bike paths among other things.” The message includes links to Bike Arlington to illustrate “the kind of effort Arlington County goes to to force people onto ‘car diets’ and spend taxpayer money to promote biking!”
• Manassas Mayor Harry J. “Hal” Parrish II (R), candidate for state Senate in the 29th District, has a 30-second ad in which he says: “The Richmond politicians are at it again. They want us to pay $17 just to drive on I-66 inside the Beltway … Elect me, and we’ll put a stop sign on any new toll on a road that you already paid for.”
• House Majority Whip Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) said this in an Oct. 1 statement issued by GOP leaders in the General Assembly: “Asking commuters from Prince William, Manassas, Fairfax and Loudoun to pay such an outrageous amount for the privilege of sitting in the same unmoving lanes of traffic so Arlington can have nice new bike paths is unconscionable. Drivers who use both I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road could be stuck with $9,000 per year in fees. Governor McAuliffe’s plan is a nonstarter.”

But, and this is going to shock you, many of the things these politicians are saying are wrong. 

Martin claims that the tolls won't be used for road improvements and that is mostly true, what is not true is that it would pay for bike lanes and subsidizing mass transit. In the report, toll revenue (about $12 million) would be used to offset operating costs for the HOT lanes ($1-$2 million), but the report only says that the revenue may be used to fund operation costs of transit and bike/ped programs IF there is sufficient revenue and even that is "dependent upon jurisdiction-level constraints on modal application", all of which is likely. But, it's all a bit of a shell game, and even if tolling can pay for the capital and operating costs of the tolling, it's not expected to be sufficient to cover the transit operations as well, let alone the bike/ped, TDM and ICM. 

Approximately $29 million in capital expenditures are required to implement tolling and it has been assumed that toll revenue will, at a minimum, completely offset the cost of operating the tolling system. Approximately $5 million in capital expenditures are necessary to implement the transit program included in the package, with an ongoing $23 million per year operating cost. Later in this section, priorities are offered for bicycle/pedestrian, TDM, and ICM improvements. The full complement of these improvements, included in all packages, is estimated to cost as follows: bicycle and pedestrian, $42 million capital; TDM, $5 million per year operating cost; and ICM, $6 million capital, $1 million per year operating cost....A conservative estimate of $24 million in annual revenue was calculated, determined solely by multiplying the tolls assumed in the model to maintain the LOS C/D level of traffic on I-66 by the number of non-HOV 3+ vehicles forecast to use the facility.  

But the toll revenue would be about half as much, the study concluded, if tolling were only done during peak periods - as is now being proposed.

It's also not entirely true there won't be any road improvements since there will be dynamic merge/junction control, traveler information improvements and a future widening study. Also, this plan dates back to 2012, which means it's not really Governor McAuliffe's.

When LaRock says that money from the tolling isn't slated to relieve traffic congestion he's wrong and ignores the other goals of the project. By paying for tolling, transit, TDM, ICM and bike/ped projects, the complete multi-modal package is expected to reduce congestion as a percentage of VMT (thought total congestion will go up, as there will be more users) when compared to the baseline. In other words, more people will deal with congestion, but each person will have fewer congested miles. 

But despite what Miller says, the tolls will not pay for nice new bike paths in Arlington. Most off those paths are already in the plans, and they will likely be paid for by the same sources they were going to be paid for otherwise. But there will not be a straight payment from toll revenue to Arlington bike paths. People will be tolled and revenue gained (theoretically) and then bike paths will be built. But one does not do the other. In fact, in alternatives without tolling, the same bike/ped projects are still recommended.

In addition, right now no one pays these tolls because no one can. If you want to drive on I-66 inside the beltway in an SOV, you can forget about it. Under the VDOT plan, you'd have the OPTION of paying the toll, or as Dr. Gridlock writes if you don't want to pay them, "You could just keep doing what you’re doing." If you're already "sitting in the same unmoving lanes," you won't have to pay because you must already be an HOV user.

I've probably covered this before, since it's three years old, but just to rehash it, many of the bicycle and pedestrian enhancements in the report come from existing plans in the area and others come from stakeholder inputs or identified needs. The report includes 60 bike/ped projects which include trail improvements to the Mt.Vernon, Custis, Four Mile Run, W&OD, Route 110, Washington Blvd and Arlington Blvd Trails; connector trails; bike facilities added to the Route 27 bridge over Route 110 and the Meade Bridge; bikeshare expansion and parking additions along the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor and in Falls Church; Rosslyn Circle improvements, including a tunnel; bike lanes; and bike parking at Metro Stations. The list is too long to go into, so if curious, you should check it out starting on page 3-76 of the report.

They assigned a benefit for each of these projects and those that rated the highest were (and some others just of interest):

• Widen the Mount Vernon shared-use trail between the Roosevelt Island Bridge over the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Four Mile Run Trail
• Construct a trail to link the sidewalk along the south side of the Roosevelt Bridge directly to the Mount Vernon Trail
• Renovate Custis trail sections with asphalt cracking and washout, and, where feasible, widen the Custis Trail to 12 feet.
• Construct a 10-foot wide sidepath from City of Fairfax to existing Arlington Boulevard trail in Arlington (may include some use of existing frontage roads)
• Improve the Arlington Boulevard trail from Taft Street to Fort Myer Drive and from Pershing to Queen.
• Construct sidepath on west side of Arlington Boulevard from Washington Boulevard to North Fairfax Drive
• Rehabilitate Arlington Boulevard Trail from Glebe Road to Park Drive
• Construct a short segment of Mount Vernon trail between North Randolph Street and the Fairfax line, following an existing sanitary sewer easement near Pimmit Run. Extend the Mount Vernon Trail from its current terminus at Theodore Roosevelt Island using existing trails, bicycle lanes, and proposed bicycle lanes in Arlington.
• Build bicycle/pedestrian crossing of Beltway from George C. Marshall Drive to Tysons Executive Court

The highest priority projects were Capital Bikeshare expansion and bike parking in the R-B Corridor and near select Metro Stations.