Thursday, October 4, 2018
W&OD Trail Bridge Over Route 29 Meeting
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| Simulation of proposed bridge. |
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will host a community meeting this month to present the final design and aesthetic details for the Washington & Old Dominion Trail Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge over U.S. Route 29 (Lee Highway) in Arlington. The trail bridge is being built as a component of the I-66 Inside the Beltway Eastbound Widening Project. It will separate trail users from motorists at the signalized intersection, enhancing safety for both. This section of the W&OD Trail serves approximately 1,500 trail users on weekdays, and over 2,000 on weekends.
The meeting is set for Thursday, October 11, 2018, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm with the main presentation to start at 7:00 pm. It will be held at Yorktown High School, 5200 Yorktown Boulevard, in Arlington.
Plan now to attend, show support for bicycle infrastructure, and offer your ideas to make the bridge even better.
Labels: route 29, Route 29 bridge, vdot, w&od trail
Thursday, June 7, 2018
NVTA Transportation Funding Recommendations
In just a couple weeks, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) will take action on its inaugural FY2018-2023 Six Year Program. During the public comment period, the Authority staff received more than 1,200 comments on the 60 candidate projects (thanks for speaking up.) They have since worked diligently to incorporate these comments into their project funding recommendations.
Two projects that included new bike facilities made it into the top ten. Fairfax County’s Route 29 Widening Project, Phase II (Union Mill Road to Buckley's Gate Drive) was ranked eighth. Rolling Road Widening (Hunter Village Drive to Old Keene Mill Road) came in at tenth. If you are curious, you can see a list of all of the NVTA staff recommendations on the draft FY 2018-2023 Six Year Program here.
Labels: nvta, rolling road, route 29
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
I-66 Inside the Beltway Meeting on June 5
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Hey, FABB members and friends in the McLean/Tysons and Falls Church area: the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is holding a “Pardon Our Dust” meeting to discuss upcoming construction in your part of the county as part of the I-66 Inside the Beltway project.
For bikers, the most important part of the project is the plan to build a bridge for the Washington & Old Dominion Trail over Route 29 (Lee Highway) as you leave Falls Church and enter Arlington. The upcoming construction also will add an additional travel lane to I-66 on a four-mile stretch of eastbound I-66 between the Dulles Connector Road and Fairfax Drive (Exit 71) and connect two existing ramps at the I-66 and Route 7 interchange to allow direct access from eastbound I-66 to the West Falls Church Metro Station.
Construction is just now getting underway. Please plan to attend and speak up for making the W&OD bridge the best it can be. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Yorktown High School, 5200 Yorktown Boulevard, in Arlington.
Labels: falls church, i-66 inside the beltway, lee highway, route 29, w&od trail
Monday, July 25, 2011
VDOT meeting on Gallows Rd/Route 29 construction
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| VDOT rendering of the project |
After three years of major utility relocation and right of way acquisition, the Virginia Department of Transportation begins construction on the $110 million project to improve the congested Route 29 and Gallows Road intersection in Merrifield.Improvements to the intersection will increase safety, reduce congestion and enhance bicycle and pedestrian access, and include:
- Widening Route 29 from two to three through lanes in each direction between Merrilee Drive and I-495 (about 0.6 miles)
- Widening Gallows Road from two to three through lanes in each direction between Gatehouse Road and Prosperity Avenue (about 0.8 miles)
- On Route 29, a six-foot sidewalk on the westbound side and 5-foot sidewalk on the eastbound side
- On Gallows Road, a 10-foot asphalt shared-use path on the west side, and six-foot sidewalk on the east side
- Dual left-turn lanes on Route 29 at Gallows Road
- Landscaped medians on both approaches
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| Co Trails Plan |
Gallows Road is a major north-south connector for all modes of transportation, and a 10 foot shared-use path isn't sufficient to serve the pedestrian and bike traffic expected in this area. The 5 and 6 foot sidewalks along Route 29 are even worse. Given the late stage of this project, it's not very likely these plans will change. We plan to attend the meeting on Wednesday.
Update July 26—We've learned that wide outside lanes are included on Gallows Road. Bike lanes were proposed but they are not included in the final configuration. Wide outside or "wide curb" lanes work well for many cyclists although most people who are reluctant to ride in traffic would much prefer striped bike lanes. Bike lanes are currently striped on Gallows from the W&OD Trail to the bridge over I-66 just north of Dunn Loring Metro. Later this year bike lanes will be striped from the W&OD Trail north to Tysons.
Labels: gallows road, merrifield, route 29
