14th street deis bac comments

8/2/2019 14th Street DEIS BAC Comments

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District of Columbia BicycleAdvisory Council

Jack Van Dop, Project Manager

Federal Highway Administration-

Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division

21400 Ridgetop Circle

Sterling, VA 20166

The District of Columbia Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC) is a legislatively appointed body thatadvises the Mayor and Council of the District of Columbia concerning bicycling issues. We

welcome the three bicycling-specific alternatives presented at the Federal Highway

Administration’s public meeting on 14th Street Bridge DEIS held on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I Street SW.

The BAC has reviewed the material presented and would like to offer recommendations and

comments in response to the meeting, presentation and proposals. Our specific

recommendations are found at the conclusion of this letter.

Analysis

Having reviewed the proposed alternatives, we believe that while each of the alternatives has

aspects which improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians, each one leaves critical gaps

either in the expansion of bicycle/pedestrian access along the bridge or in making the access to

the bridge from the streets on either side safer and easier to navigate for users.

Specifically:

• Alternative AA-3: This alternative provides much needed signage and the potential for

minor improvements; it doesn't appear to address basic accessibly concerns or the

divided option of the separated bicycle/pedestrian crossings and improvement listed inAlternative AA-1.

• Alternative AA-2: This alternative, the construction of a new bicycle/pedestrian bridge

between the Metro and CSX freight railway bridge would be a welcomed improvement.

Unfortunately, this option alone does not adequately connect to the trail network within

the 14th Street Bridge corridor. Additionally, the cost associated for Alternative AA-2

may be prohibitive.



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• Alternative AA-1 is similar to alternative AA-2, but would rebuild the highway bridge and

provide a new pedestrian/bicycle path. Unfortunately, it too, would suffer the same

problems of providing clear and safe egress to the bridge.

Observations of the Bicycle Advisory Council

The BAC reviewed alternative AA-3, which might initially allow for greater utilization of the

current bridge for recreational bicyclists and pedestrians; specifically those who are not

necessarily as familiar with the area. A lack of wayfinding signage, or maps dedicated to

pedestrians and bicyclists for help with find trails and/or destinations, is a concern expressed by

District residents. However, if alternative AA-3 is chosen, the potential outcome could be an

increase in the total number of bicyclists and pedestrians within the corridor. If no

improvements were made on the 14th Street bridge path, certain areas, most notably at the

District shoreline are hazardous.

The following pictures highlight the problems we observed at the trail/bridge junction.

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the trail leading from EastBasin Drive SW to the 14th Street (Mason)Bridge. The trail is usable but is rapidlydeteriorating. It is also relatively narrow atless than 5 feet.

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows the trail about 500 feetcloser to the bridge where a worn woodenretaining wall is erected to limit erosion ofthe trail. The trail appears to tilt or slopeslightly toward the downhill direction.

This slope ‘guides’ bicyclists in that

direction. At this point, the trail isapproximately 4 feet wide. While notparticularly steep, there is very little roomto pass, a problem for cyclists goingdisparate speeds.



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Figure 3

In figure 3, a highway street light and HOV / directional signage further narrows thetrail. The trail now slopes in the downhilldirection. To ensure their own safety, manybicyclists and pedestrians stand in the areabetween the highway light and sign in orderto avoid being hit by oncoming trail traffic.

Doing so places them dangerously close tosouthbound I-395 traffic.

As the picture illustrates, bicyclists comingfrom Virginia do so at speed. Trail usersmust be vigilant at this point to avoid acollision.

Figure 4

In figure 4, trail users arrive at the bridgebut must quickly move to the left, avoiding

oncoming users and the staircase thatleads to the Potomac River.

Bicyclists have little warning to avoid thestaircase and have little room to avoid theslope to the right of the roadway.

Recommendations of the Bicycle Advisory Council

The BAC recommends that combining Alternative AA1, construction of a separated

bicycle / pedestrian crossing on the George Mason Bridge, and Alternative AA3. Thiscombination of two alternative proposals will result in the creation of an integrated (DC-VA-NPS) and connected bicycle and pedestrian system within the project corridor thatincludes wayfinding signage for commuters, other destination bicyclists, andpedestrians.

Additionally, we recommend the following alternatives which would provide additional benefits tobicyclists and pedestrians.



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Alternatives

District of Columbia:

● The installation of a cycletrack along Ohio Drive SW similar to the cycletrack north of

Pennsylvania Avenue NW at 15th Street. The cycletrack would extend south of

Independence Avenue SW along 15th Street, Ohio Drive to East Basin Drive SW in the

western most lane, until it reaches the bridge.

● Changing the roadway design from a directed median to a T-intersection at the East

Basin Drive and Ohio Drive SW intersection at the entrance to East Potomac Park as

figure 5 shows. The way the intersection is currently constructed makes crossing from

the bridge to go into East Potomac Park complicated, especially with vehicles moving at

higher speeds to merge on to I-395.

Figure 5 (Photo by Google)

Virginia:

● To allow for direct access to the Pentagon, Pentagon City and the Pentagon Metro

Station, planners need to approach the Department of Defense regarding allowing

bicycle traffic to cross the North Jefferson street highway ramp from Boundary Channel

Drive to the south lot of the Pentagon just west of South Eads Street.

We look forward to working with you.

Please contact the BAC facilities chair, Jeanie Osburn, at [email protected].

DCBAC

WEB: http://dcbac.blogspot.com/

TWITTER: @DCBAC

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