TheWashCycle

Met Branch Trail Brookland to Fort Totten section to break ground next month

At the last BAC meeting, DDOT stated that they would break ground on the next section of the Met Branch Trail in June. That's the Brookland to Fort Totten section and it will be finished by this time next year. 

In addition, construction of NoMa Green Park - which will replace the Z-curve at R Street with a straighter trail (which will require temporary trail re-routing during construction) and replacement of all overhead lights between Florida Ave and Franklin St, is expected to begin this summer.

Furthermore, they anticipate awarding a contract to build design the section north of Fort Totten - a section that will go all the way to the Maryland boundary, by the end of the summer. 

But that's not all!

Widening and resurfacing of the Rock Creek Park Trail between P Street and Tilden, including construction of a new segment along Piney Branch and a new bridge south of the Zoo tunnel, is going out to bid soon, with construction expected to begin in Fall 2018. Detour information can be found here. 

DDOT is also finalizing the design of the bike trails around the new Frederick Douglass Bridge and expects to start designing the improvement of the existing Suitland Parkway trail in Fall 2018.

2019 to be a very busy year in DC trails (if the TIP is to be believed)

Last November, DC amended the FY 2017-2022 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and it puts a lot of work of interest to cyclists into 2019. 

One of the most important changes to cyclists is that the bulk of funding for construction of the Metropolitan Branch Trail ($11M) was placed in 2019 signaling that DDOT plans to start construction on L&M Streets and Fort Totten soon. 

Meanwhile the "Safety Improvements Citywide" program, which pays for things like lighting, safety studies, roadway improvements (like at Blair Circle) and such received an addition $918,000 in SPR and local funding. This comes on top of previous increases that more than doubled funding for the program. They also added millions for additional streetlight upgrades citywide, which is nice for those who bike at night. 

Though not a change, DDOT plans to reconstruct C Street NE with a cycletrack in 2019. In the same year they will perform more construction on Pennsylvania Ave SE/Potomac Circle/Barney Circle which includes improving "pedestrian and bicycle access to the Sousa Bridge and along proposed Southeast Boulevard to the 11th Street Bridges."  They also have more than $11M set aside for construction of the South Capital Street Trail, $3.5M for the trail bridge across the Anacostia at the National Arboretum, $14M to replace the bike/ped bridges over Kenilworth Avenue, $27M for improvements to Southern Avenue

In 2018, they have funds set aside to rebuild Virginia Avenue (which they're currently doing) with a new Virginia Avenue Trail on the south side. There's also more than $10M for the Rock Creek Park Trail rehabilitation project, and $19M for the Maryland Avenue road diet. 

The reconstruction of South Capitol Street and a new more bike-friendly Frederick Douglass Bridge, which just started, gets oodles of money over multiple years as does "multimodal" roadway improvements around St. Elizabeths. 

The Florida Avenue Streetscape project is funded in 2020, which is also new. 

Oddly, there's $3.3M in the TIP for construction of the New York Avenue Trail in 2017. I don't think that happened. 

Many of the programs that support cycling in part or in whole, like goDCgo, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Management Program, Safe Routes to School, Roadway Reconstruction, Transportation Alternatives,  and the National Recreational Trails will continue to be funded as before.

There's also $500k in planning money to improve Aspen Street NW from Georgia Avenue NW to 16th Street NW to include new turn lanes and a multi-use trail on the north side of the street to support the Walter Reed redevelopment.

Veirs Mill Corridor Plan includes improved Henson Trail Crossing and bicycle corridor

Montgomery County has been working on the Veirs Mill Corridor plan for over a year and presented the working draft earlier this month. It aims for a more bike and pedestrian friendly corridor with an improved (though not grade separated) Matthew Henson trail crossing, a continuous separated bikeway on Veirs Mill and a combination of bike facilities on intersecting streets. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for April 26th.  

Matthew Henson Trail Crossing

Frequent readers here know that this trail intersection with Veirs Mill was where two cyclists died in two separate crashes within a year. Since then, the state added a HAWK signal at the crossing. The plan calls for making the crossing safer by adding a full traffic signal, relocating the existing high-visibility crosswalk to provide a direct connection across Veirs Mill Road that will reduce crossing distance and install additional lighting. I've seen it elsewhere, but I can't think of any other place in the DC area where a trail crossing gets its own traffic signal. I'd rather have a bridge - which is listed as a long term solution - but this is an improvement. 

Corridor bicycle route

The plan also calls for creating a safe route for cyclists traversing the corridor. In the short term this means creating an interim continuous bicycle network along Veirs Mill Road that provides a combination of facilities, including new sidepaths, neighborhood greenways on parallel streets, contra-flow bike lanes on residential access roads and connections to existing trails.

In some cases cyclists would be on a separated bikeway along Veirs Mill and other on parallel streets using shared roads.  The plan also recommends rebuilding the pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Joseph’s Branch Creek between Valleywood Drive and Moline Road.

In the long term, as they add in BRT, the plan calls for building a sidepath on the north side of Veirs Mill Road that transitions to two-way separated bicycle lanes and a sidewalk at areas with commercial land use; a combination of two-way separated bicycle lanes, sidepaths and sidewalks on the south side of Veirs Mill Road, and bikeways on priority residential streets s (Twinbrook Parkway, Aspen Hill Road, Weiss Street, Parkland Drive, Bayne Street, Havard Street, Colie Drive, Barbara Road, Randolph Road, Bushey Drive, Selfridge Road, Connecticut Avenue, Dalewood Drive, Valleywood Drive, Claridge Road, Parker Avenue, and Newport Mill Road)..

It also recommends that prior to commencing construction of Montrose Parkway East, that planners modify the project to include sidewalks, crosswalks and bikeways; that the county explore new trail connections to the Matthew Henson Trail from the communities to the east, and that the Rock Creek Trail be relocated out of the floodplain for Rock Creek.

Other crossings

In addition to the improvements at Turkey Branch Parkway/Matthew Henson Trail, the plan calls for additional signalized intersections with pedestrian-activated signals at the following locations to provide additional safe crossing opportunities for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users. These intersections are listed in order of priority, following the signal at the Matthew Henson Trail crossing.

• Veirs Mill Road and Valleywood Drive.
• Veirs Mill Road and Norris Drive.
• Veirs Mill Road and Arbutus Avenue.

Introduce pedestrian hybrid beacons at the following unsignalized pedestrian crossings:

• Veirs Mill Road and Pendleton Drive.
• Twinbrook Parkway and Halpine Road
• Twinbrook Parkway and Vandegrift Avenue

Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area expansion

The plan also calls for expanding the Veirs Mill Road and Randolph Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area boundary to include the area between Robindale Drive and the eastern plan boundary; and updating the 2015 Veirs Mill Road – Randolph Road BiPPA Report to consider the priorities identified through this master plan process, including continuous sidewalks, safe crossings, bikeways, improved connections to community uses and improved maintenance of the right-of-way.

Protected Intersections

The plan recommends that the state incorporate protected intersection treatments into the design and construction of street
improvement projects. Protected intersections improve safety by extending the physical barrier of separated bicycle lanes and pedestrian crossings into intersections, reduce the speed of turning vehicles and improve sightlines, resulting in improved safety for all road users.

Trails are part of cuts for Montgomery County budget shortfall

Montgomery County is drawing up a savings plan in response to a budget shortfall of nearly $120 million, and it should be no surprise that this means a cut to capital improvement projects in the Department of Parks and Recreation. And that means trails. 

In January, the County Executive released a recommended FY19 Capital Budget and six-year FY19-24 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) that would require a 10.9% reduction in Parks CIP funding. This results in quite a few cuts, and a few of these impact trails. 

The Mathew Henson-Wheaton Trail Collector has been delayed at a savings of $170,000. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that's a reference to the proposed trail along the Northwest Branch from Wheaton Regional park to the Matthew Henson Trail. 

To save $530,000 several projects are delayed, including bridge replacements along the Sligo Creek Trail.

$30,000 is cut by reducing the time and ability of staff to design, map, construct and build natural trail projects. 

It appears that some other projects will be spared. Some of the standalone projects will continue to receive funding if they are far along or see high use. The North Branch Trail, a project that will pave and move a natural surface trail from Lake Bernard Frank to Muncaster Mill Road, is the highest such priority standalone project. 

The Little Bennett Regional Park Trail Connector is listed as the #7 standalone project priority.

This project develops a facility plan for a hard-surface trail approximately one mile in length and located on the east side of Frederick Road, MD Route 355 in Clarksburg, Maryland.  The trail is planned to connect the existing asphalt trail from Snowden Farm Parkway near Little Bennett Regional Park Maintenance Yard to the south entry of the proposed Day Use Area 

Meanwhile the Magruder Branch Trail Extension is #10 on the priority list

This project extends the existing Magruder Branch Trail located in the Magruder Branch Stream Valley Park from its current terminus at Valley Park Drive northward to the Damascus Town Center.  The existing trail is 3.1 miles in length, and this project extends the trail an additional 0.75 mile.

Georgetown section of C&O canal could get the High Line treatment

The National Park Service and Georgetown leaders have been working on a plan to change the C&O Canal from a sleepy back yard to a front yard show piece. The goal is to restore, revitalize and reimagine the 1 mile of the C&O Canal in Georgetown. 

The project recognizes a lot of needs and components, but most important to cyclists are ideas to widen and rebuild the towpath and create more connections to it. They view it as one path, with 8 sections and 5 gateways. One goal is to connect the end of the towpath at Rock Creek with Mile 0 at the watergate possibly with a boardwalk and trail.

The towpath used to be on the west side of Rock Creek, but was destroyed and can't be easily restored. The existing towpath could be widened from 6' in places to 8' with a 4' overhang cantilevered over the canal.

The design also seeks to utilized the Aqueduct abutment, create better plazas, elevators, etc.... There's also the idea of bicycle parking and service station at Lock 1. 

Where the canal meets Rock Creek, they're also considering a new footbridge. 

That area might be held up by the recent historic designation of the West Heating Plant. The project to develop that was to create a park and trail section.

Not everyone loves the idea.

Some Georgetown residents, though, are more concerned with what the canal might look like in the future than how it’s looked in the past. At the meeting, attendees were asked to comment on the design concepts using sticky notes. Among some of the concerns they attached to designs: “There is no consideration for the residents who live about the water!” and “Too much focus on space for people — too many people — what then happens to serenity.”

Pelegrin pointed to photos of High Line-goers basking on chairs along the walkway, and expressed concern that the canal would face the same fate: “When you open up a space in that fashion, you’re gonna get a lot of people–tourists–a bazillion people. That’s my concern,” she said. Pelegrin, who lives in a building along the canal, expressed interest in preserving “the bucolic and historical nature of it,” but was unenthusiastic about attracting more tourists the the already-bustling neighborhood.

We moved to a tourist neighborhood, but we don't want any tourists or people around.

 

Rock Creek Park Trail, now with fewer stop signs

Matt reports that there has been some signage changes on the Rock Creek Park Trail lately.

NPS appears to have removed the majority of the stop signs on the southern portion of the Rock Creek trail and replaced them with caution signs. The exception is the Virginia Ave crossing. This is positive because it makes clear to drivers they need to yield to pedestrians and cyclists. Having stop signs gives the wrong impression to drivers that they don't have to yield. 

 

Here's the same spot with the old stop sign

 

 

NPS considering rehabilitating the MVT boardwalk below Roosevelt Bridge (and more!)

The comment period for the Cultural Landscape Report/Environmental Assessment and the Assessment of Effect efforts by the National Park Service for Theodore Roosevelt Island closes tomorrow and the scope of the project, as well as at least one specific item mentioned in the presentation materials, makes it relevant to cyclists. 

The scope of the project includes the Mount Vernon Trail (MVT), the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Trail all of which could be improved in the area, but only the MVT is specifically mentioned. In the materials they mention that they want to

Rehabilitate Bridge 31 on Mt. Vernon Trail of the George Washington Memorial Parkway for safer pedestrian/bicycle travel

This is the so-called Trollheim Bridge, the boardwalk that runs from the south side of the TR bridge to just south of the TR Island parking lot. Sometimes described as "The notoriously slippery part of the Mt. Vernon trail that has caused literally thousands of crashes."

This is a slippery and dangerous section - though I'm not sure how to make it safer. It also is starting to show its age so even a rehab would be nice. 

In addition, I can think of a few ways to improve the TR Bridge, and at the top of that list would be finding a way to connect the south span bike/ped lane on the Virginia side to....something, really anything. If for no other reason than to make this sign less sad (it's so depressed that's it's attempting to leap to its death). It's also a goal of the Rosslyn Sector Plan and several other plans as well. 

Work with key stakeholders to create a safe, inviting, accessible pedestrian and bicycle path connection to the downstream sidewalk of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge

In addition, I think it would be great if they created a connection from the north side path down to the island directly by cutting out a piece of the guard rail and putting in stairs. Bikes aren't allowed on the island, but it would be nice for pedestrians. It would obviously need a gate that can be locked. 

The Rock Creek Parkway Trail in front of the Kennedy Center needs a complete rehab and so does the MVT between the Trollheim and the parking lot. 

Though comments end tomorrow, the final report won't be completed until Spring of 2018.

A better Roosevelt Bridge would be nice too, but that's really DDOT's responsibility.

When God closes an unpaved, interim path he opens a paved permanent one

The new Needwood Bike Path in Rockville

It was a tale of two trails yesterday in Montgomery County as one trail was closed for good and another was opened.

As you may have heard, the Georgetown Branch Trail closed for ever on Tuesday (I apologize that I was unable to make the ride on Monday that I scheduled. We had a health issue with one of the kids and I had to stay home. Bummed I did not get to ride the trail one last time, although from the looks of this photo it's only mostly closed). Here are some photos from the final weekend and there's one posted below.

But it seems I wasn't the only one to think that Monday was an opportunity. On Monday the "Friends" of the Capital Crescent Trail held a rally and announced that "it will seek a federal court order to keep the Georgetown Branch open while litigation around the Purple Line continues." There's a hearing scheduled for this afternoon on a restraining order to halt construction and it is a real hail Mary.

The plaintiffs in the long-running Purple Line lawsuit filed a new lawsuit Tuesday based on the federal Highway Act that argues the state and federal government shouldn’t be allowed to spend money on building the Purple Line because they haven’t properly funded Metro as required by the law.

Leon has scheduled a hearing at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in his D.C. courtroom on the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order to prevent any irreversible construction from taking place

Others are upset about the closure too. Upset that the notice from the ribbon cutting to the closure was so short, that the interim route is terrible or that Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) isn't doing enough to keep the trail open longer. It is unfortunate that PLTP isn't talking to the press to explain things

A spokesman for Purple Line Transit Partners, a consortium of private companies that will design, build, operate and maintain the light-rail line, declined to comment on the closure.

But they did comment on the work

Chris Doherty, a spokesman for Purple Line Transit Partners, said Tuesday that crews are installing sediment and erosion control fencing along the trail. Then crews will begin clearing underbrush, such as small shrubs and bamboo, along the route later this week. In about two weeks, tree-cutting crews will begin removing trees along the trail, Doherty said.

though, perhaps that's on the advice of lawyers. I've heard some grumbling, and it was in the FOTCC letter, that the aggressive removal of trees is to weaken the lawsuit against the Purple Line.

The letter also alleges the state is rushing to close the trail and begin construction as part of a “political maneuver meant to defeat the private federal lawsuit by fait accompli.”

It's also reasonable that the project is behind schedule and tree cutting was banned by federal law until after September 1st due to nesting seasons, but now that it isn't blocked they want to get started, because that's how construction moves forward. Like I said, it's unfortunate they aren't talking and now local politicians are getting involved. 

Two Montgomery County Council members also expressed concern about the rapid closure of the trail in a letter sent Thursday to the state transportation department. Council President Roger Berliner and council member Tom Hucker wrote the state and county must do more to ensure alternative routes are safe and questioned whether all of the trail needed to be closed immediately.

On the subject of the detour, Chevy Chase is still signaling that it's willing to work out some kind of official route in the town

Chevy Chase Mayor Mary Flynn said the town has been working with Montgomery County and some surrounding municipalities to map out safe alternative routes for cyclists and pedestrians in an area where some streets lack adequate sidewalks, are too narrow to accommodate bikes and cars, or are slated for different types of construction.

Let's hope they find a good alternative. 

As for the long closure, this was forseen and Montgomery County talked about how to mitigate it. Back in 2014, county staff noted that 

The Purple Line is expected to begin construction in 2015 and to begin service in 2020. This will mean that the Capital Crescent Trail could be out of service for as much as 5 years. The County T&E Committee asked MCDOT to develop a detour plan during their work session on February 24, 2014. Staff supports this request, and furthermore requests that MTA include incentives to minimize disruption to the trail.

And recommended that 

The Purple Line RFP should provide a strong incentive to keeping the trail closure to a minimum and phase trail closures in a logical sequence, consistent with construction phasing/schedules. (MTA)

But I couldn't find any such incentives in the RFP. 

It would be a shame if the trail were closed earlier than needed, or kept closed longer than necessary but there isn't any evidence right now that that's the case (but PLTP silence allows for wild speculation). It would ironic if the tactics of FOTC led PLTP to cut down trees sooner than needed, but such is the wacky world of politics and litigation.

Farther north, Montgomery County opened a brand new trail, Phase I of the Needwood Bike Path, pictured above. This got a lot less press (as in none that I can find) but the trail will provide a critical link between the Rock Creek Trail and the ICC Trail and phase I acts as an extension of the latter for now.

It's not shown on the map above, but if you look at the left end of the green line and go straight down to the little pond, that's the current north end of the Rock Creek Trail (via the West Side Trail). 

So while the town of Chevy Chase is losing the Georgetown Branch, they still have the Rock Creek Park Trail on the east and north sides and they can bike all the way up to Rockville and then along the ICC Trail, which makes them pretty lucky if you ask me. 

Phase II of the Needwood Road Path will start this fall, according to the project website. 

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. 

National Desert Storm Memorial will likely be trail adjacent

The National Desert Storm Memorial appears to be on track for a 2021 opening and though a location hasn't been chosen yet, both stated options are next to trails. 

The National Park Service hosted meetings last month about two proposed locations for the memorial: the Memorial Circle area at George Washington Memorial Parkway on Columbia Island or at the Constitution Avenue terminus area near 23rd Street NW. 

The first location is at the junction between the Mt. Vernon Trail, Memorial Bridge and the route to the Custis Walk alogn Route 110. The 2nd location is right on top of the Rock Creek Parkway Trail.

None of the renderings show it integrated into those spaces, since they weren't even options until this past spring, but it will something for trail users to keep an eye on. It could represent either a threat or an opportunity.