FABB Blog

 

Fairfax Co Parkway Trail still "closed"

FFX Co Pkwy trail at Dulles Toll Rd looking S

We noted on August 22 that due to construction on the Fairfax County Parkway the Parkway trail was closed at the Dulles Toll Road. We sent an email to the NoVa VDOT bicycle coordinator complaining about the closure of the trail, a major throughway for bike commuters in that area. We heard nothing for several days until we were contacted by someone in VDOT who let us know that the bike coordinator was on medical leave. That explained why an earlier message we sent to her on August 3 about the closure of the Parkway trail south of Route 50 went unanswered as well.

It's over two weeks since I sent the original message to VDOT about the problem and today I rode past the site. What did I find? "Sidewalk Closed" signs posted on the approaches to the site, with no detour available. Once again we were told not to worry, the construction would end soon and everything would be OK.

Closed lane for parked trucks but no trail detour

For over two weeks this trail has been "closed." Cyclists have been able to get through, but they've crossed a potentially dangerous construction site with no detour and no safety measures for trail users. At one point a front loader nearly ran into me while I waited to get through. As we mentioned in an earlier post, VDOT has clear guidance about providing access during construction.
During the brief time we were riding along this section we saw 5 other cyclists. We've once again written to VDOT about the problem. What is it going to take for the many non-motorized users of our transportation system to get the respect they deserve?

Labels: fairfax county parkway trail, vdot

posted by Bruce Wright at 1:37 PM permalink