TheWashCycle

Met branch Trail Real Estate Report

DCmud, the urban real estate digest of Washington, DC, recently had three posts of direct interest to the Metropolitan Branch Trail. First was one announcing that Greyhound may pull out of its present site and sell its building on First Street NE.

“The property is on the market, Greyhound is interested in selling and consolidating to Union Station,” said Elizabeth Price, President of the NoMa BID.

Greyhound, however, maintains that we should not get our hopes up.  Spokesman Eric Wesley wouldn’t give a timeline or any details about how it would merge into Union Station, and maintained that nothing has been finalized.

Which could explain the Intermodal Transportation Center planning.  The Met Branch plan as it now exists is to run from the railroad tracks above L street (where the stairs are now) along a ramp parallel to L Street to the corner of 1st and L. From there it would run past the Greyhound property along 1st Street. It's now possible that the trail could continue along the tracks over L and K to  that weird triangle between the tracks, K and 1st St NE. (or other possible configurations). At worst this should be a non-issue and at best it could be a real plus.

They also reported on a DC plan for development around the Brookland/CUA Metro Station. The Met Branch is presently planned to run under Michigan, across the "vacant CUA property" just south of that street, then either under or at grade across Monroe and then on road along 8th Street. The small Area Plan is the result of community input and it has the trail crossing Michigan and then connecting to an extended 8th Street that continues from John McCormack Road (see picture below, the blue line west of the tracks).

The draft report has recommended bike improvements that include 1) bike lanes along Monroe and the north section of 12th, 2) the trail and 3) some bike parking. The draft had two concept plans one with the trail going over Michigan and onto 8th (to allow for a deck over the railroad tracks) and the other taking it under Michigan and connecting to an extended, but dead end, 8th.

Finally they had a post on the resumption of Met Branch Trail construction.

In his announcement this morning, Mayor Fenty stated that the District had reached an agreement with PEPCO to donate property adjacent to the CSX railroad lines, land currently worth (they are telling the IRS) $3.3m.

Officials involved with the project project that design work will begin immediately, with construction to start hopefully by year end. With this latest acquisition, the MBT still has numerous issues to work through at the Ft. Totten Metro station, including a land acquisition from WMATA.

One last bit comes from GGW who dug up the plan for the Columbus Circle rebuild. It doesn't show the Bike Station (though it does show the plaza on which it will sit)  but it does show the Met Branch trail along 1st Street north of Mass Ave.

Union Station ITS meeting notes

David Alpert writes:

Dan [from BeyondDC] asked about bike sharing; the DDOT folks assured us that they are working hard on creating a bike sharing facility on the west side of the station.

And to me via email

they said that integrating with the [Met Branch] trail is part of the study as well.

Agreement to Build Phase II of Metropolitan Branch Trail

From a DDOT Press Release

Mayor Adrian Fenty and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced today that Pepco will grant a right of entry agreement for property in the city's Eckington neighborhood.  This agreement will allow DDOT to immediately begin the design for Phase II of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT), a section located between New York Avenue,   NE and Franklin   Street, NE.  Pepco will formally donate the land to the District in the next few months.  The construction will link various independent sections into a three mile stretch of continuous trail. 

"The Metropolitan Branch Trail will connect kids to schools, people to their jobs, provide for a place to recreate as well as act as a transportation corridor which will help to reduce energy consumption in the city," said Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. 

The trail will provide a vital connection to the New York Avenue Metro station in addition to the recently announced bicycle/pedestrian bridge connecting the trail to the Rhode Island Metro station. 

"This land donation furthers Pepco's commitment to the District, its residents and the environment," said Pepco Region President Thomas Graham.  "It's a natural connection.  The land is adjacent to our new substation that is partially powered by solar panels."

The Metropolitan Branch Trail is a planned eight-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail between Union Station and Takoma Park, Md. The new addition to the trail will take users over Florida Avenue, under New York Avenue and over Rhode Island Avenue, avoiding eighteen lanes of heavily traveled roadway. It will connect to the Capital Crescent Trail, the Anacostia Tributaries Trail System and the National Mall, and will be part of the East Coast Greenway. The MBT will be an important recreation and transportation route and will provide direct access to seven of Metro's Red Line stations.

"This is a critical step for construction on one of our most important trail projects.  DDOT is extremely pleased to finally reach this agreement," added DDOT Director Emeka Moneme.

In 2005, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) developed the concept plan for the 7 miles of the trail within District boundaries. Currently, sections of the trail along 2nd Street, NE, at the New York Ave. Metro Station, and along John   McCormack Road have been built. The section from New York Ave. to Franklin Street is scheduled to be completed by summer of 2009.

Construction for Phase II is anticipated to be completed by summer 2009.

Our Long Regional Nightmare is Over

From a DDOT press release

District of Columbia Mayor Fenty and Pepco will sign a right of entry agreement for property in Eckington.  This agreement will allow DDOT to immediately begin the design of the Metropolitan Branch Trail section between New York Avenue, NE and Franklin Street, NE.  Construction will follow and is anticipated to be completed by summer 2009.

There will be a signing ceremony tomorrow morning 10:45am at the PEPCO sub-station at 101 Harry Thomas Way NE. Fenty, Pepco Region President Thomas Graham, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Councilmember Tommy Wells and DDOT Director Emeka Moneme will be in attendance.

Photos please?

Ride the Met Branch Trail May 18th

Learn more here.

May 2008 DC BAC meeting notes

1. Bike Lanes - So far this year, the District has added 1.5 miles of bike lanes (including the ones on Q street shown in this photo from DCist). They expect the pace to pick up as winter is a bad time for adding lanes. They still hope to reach their goal of 14 additional miles this year.

2. Bike Station - DDOT hopes to break ground by June, with a March 2009 opening.

3. Smart Bike - The goal is now to start by the end of May. 7 of 10 stations have been installed, but none of them have power because of issues with PEPCO.

4. Rock Creek Park Trail - The EA should be coming out within the next 2 months. In the meantime, DDOT and NPS are working on spot improvements (repairs, straightening, widening) that could occur sooner.

5. Metropolitan Branch Trail - PEPCO's lawyers need to look at the land deal before signing off on this. This could take a couple of months. [Oh PEPCO, are you trying to be the new CSX?] Meanwhile, DDOT wants a "right of entry" to do design work, but that may not satisfy the FHWA who's paying for this. The longer it takes to get deal done, the more the federal money is placed at risk.

6. Complete streets - The draft plan is being shown around. Tommy Wells is unhappy with it because he wants it to be more aggressive (as I understand it, he'd like DDOT to assume every road should have a cycle track or bike lane and require a compelling reason, and extra work, to remove it instead of the other way around).

7. RTC 2010 Campaign - See the March minutes (previous post) for what this is. A first draft of what DC's proposal will include (additional trails, bike lanes, routes, cycle tracks, signalized intersections, expanded bike share, DDOT staff, training, data collection, etc...) has been worked up by the BAC.

8. Public Works and the Environment Committee testimony -  The BAC presented a scorecard on the first three years of the bike plan. The BAC is pursuing a full time employee to help with various administrative tasks. 

March 2008 DC BAC Meeting Notes

I didn't attend so these are from the minutes

1. Rails to Trails Conservancy 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation -

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation aims to build on the success of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program in SAFETEA-LU. The goal: empowering dozens of communities to each advocate for $50 million in federal funds to make focused investments in infrastructure and programs to shift automobile trips to walking and biking. The campaign aims to double the federal investment in active transportation in the next reauthorization.

Kevin Mills of RTC would like DC to apply to be one of the communities to receive this additional money. There was some discussion as to whether DC should do this by itself or in conjunction with surrounding jurisdictions. Arlington and Alexandria are applying together for example.

2. DDOT is working on 14 miles of proposed bike lanes for 2008, 4 miles done during resurfacing and 10 miles of retrofits.

3. Bike Station - the additional money DDOT was seeking was approved so construction should begin this summer.

4. DDOT has hired a Safe Routes to Schools coordinator. The DC program will begin with 8 pilot schools (one in each ward). Applications were due May 1.

5. Smart Bike - DDOT hoped to launch the program in April. Electrical hook-ups for the racks are the main hold up. DDOT and Clear Channel are working with PEPCO on this.

6. Rock Creek Park Trail - DDOT was to meet with NPS about widening the trail to 10 feet.

7. Anacostia Riverwalk Trail - There is a proposal to put in rumble strips near the boathouse so that cyclists will slow down and not hit a crew carrying a 60 foot boat.

8. Metropolitan Branch Trail - Design of the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Bridge has begun. This should take about a year.

9. Other - The Commerce department's bike parking area will be removed for about 18 months for renovation. The bike registration requirement has been rescinded by the council; police will be informed and educated on this change.

Met Branch Trail Update April 2008

There is a Metropolitan Branch Trail ride scheduled for Sunday May 18, 2008. Assemble at noon at the B&O station in Silver Spring...ride to Union Station (approx. 8 miles).  Lots of stops for discussion along the way.  More information coming. 

L to M Street: DDOT has been given permission to upgrade and maintain the segment between the trail and the WMATA fence.  This could potentially include lighting, benches, trees, landscaping, art.

* Volunteer: If you or a group would like to put together a planting or a landscaping design, let Heather Deutsch at DDOT know (Heather.Deutsch(at)dc(dot)gov).

Meeting with WMATA:  a meeting with WMATA took place to discuss the segments they own near Ft. Totten and between Monroe Streets and Michigan Ave. DDOT will gather more information about ownership and easements and hopes that WMATA will donate these strips of land.

NPS:  DDOT met with the National Park Service who has given them the go-ahead to design the trail over the Ft. Totten Metro tunnel.  This piece (between John McCormack Road and the Ft. Totten Metro Station) is owned by the District, WMATA, and NPS.

Met Branch Trail Identity/Branding

DDOT sends this release.

DC Arts and Humanities, in cooperation with the DDOT, is coordinating a design competition for the artistic identity/branding for the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

Applications showing past work are due on May 16th.

This call is open to all professional artists living in Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland, although preference will be given to artists who reside in the District of Columbia.

Download final_mbt_calltoartist_3.26.pdf

The railroad - since that's the source of the name - is a natural choice for the name, but I hope they go beyond that with something else to tie the neighborhoods together.

Met Branch Trail update - Maryland

From the Silver Springs Trails website

On Feb. 21 Glen Orlin, Deputy Council Staff Director, submitted a memorandum with staff recommendations to the Council Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee supporting the Executive's decision to drop the Met Branch in the new budget.

Stating that though the Phase II preliminary design is done and the trail bridge over Georgia Avenue has been approved by MD SHA, there is no reason to move forward until they can obtain concurrence from CSX.

But then

On Feb. 22 Chuck Kines, bikeways coordinator at M-NCPPC, indicated in an email that M-NCPPC has not yet received any preliminary MetBranch design or any correspondence from DPWT asking for concurrence.

And on February 25, Gary Johnson, MetBranch Project design engineer at DPWT, "told the T&E Committee that the MetBranch was not included in the Executive's proposed new budget primarily because of "budget constraints", although problems getting needed CSX concurrence also played a role in the decision.

There is some good news here. There has been some progress on the MetBranch preliminary design at DPWT over the last two years. Having State Highway concurrence on the trail bridge design is especially noteworthy.

But these somewhat inconsistent accounts beg several questions that must be answered before an informed Capital Budget decision can be made:

1 - Is the MetBranch preliminary design as complete as practical without receiving concurrence from CSX? If not, then why not keep the project in Facilities Design and keep the design of the project on track?
2 - Is CSX concurrence needed for all three phases of the project? The Planning Board and M-NCPPC staff recommend the project be emplemented in phases to spread out costs: Phase 1) S.S. transit center to Georgia Avenue; Phase 2) bridge over Georgia Avenue; Phase 3) Selim Road and tunnel under Burlington Avenue. If CSX concurrence is needed only for the Phase 3), then why put the entire project on hold?

The County Council cannot make an informed budget decision for the place of the MetBranch in the next Capital Budget before these questions are answered. The T&E Committee will have more work sessions on the budget in early March. The final Council decision may come in late March.

Design to Begin for Pedestrian Bridge Connecting Rhode Island Metro Station to Metropolitan Branch Trail

From a DDOT press release:

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced today the start of work on the design of a truss bridge connecting the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station to the Metropolitan Branch Trail and adjacent neighborhoods. The bridge will create a safe passageway for community members who often walk over active railroad tracks.

"Right now, to get to the Beacon House, the children cross the tracks. Once the bridge is built it will make a huge difference in giving access to our volunteers, children, and seniors from and to the metro station," said Rev. Donald E. Robinson, director and founder of the youth program Beacon House. "We normally pick them up in the van, but if they could just walk over a bridge it would help a great deal."

Plans for a pedestrian bridge have been on the books for two decades, but a lack of property ownership and funding had prevented the project from moving forward. As the Metropolitan Branch Trail nears construction the necessity of building the bridge became more crucial.

"This project exemplifies our commitment to safe travel for bicyclists and pedestrians in the District," said DDOT Director Emeka Moneme. "This project will literally bridge the Edgewood and Brentwood communities, including a link to Metro. We look forward to working with the community on this very important connection."

"Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has actively supported the development of the Metropolitan Branch Trail, and this bridge is one more excellent link to enhance the community," said Keith Laughlin, president of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. "Connecting public transportation to trails gives neighborhoods greater access to all the benefits and services their city has to offer."

The truss bridge, being designed by the engineering firm Ammann & Whitney, a subsidiary of Louis Berger Group Holdings, will cross 30 feet over the ground above the active rail line and will span approximately 150 feet. The bridge will connect from the Metro to the trail, the trail will be accessible from the adjacent neighborhoods, and will meet all ADA
requirements.

The Metropolitan Branch trail is a multi-use rail-with-trail that runs from Union Station in the District of Columbia to Silver Spring, Md. Currently, three miles of the planned trail have been completed. As a commuter and recreational trail, the Metropolitan Branch Trail will link people to jobs, schools, stores and Metro.

Now Open: L Street Stairs (part of the Metropolitan Branch Trail)

February 2008 Recreational trails committee notes

These are my notes, not the official minutes...

1) Fort Circle Trail - NPS is working with DDOT to build an 8 foot asphault extension of the Fort Circle Trail through land it owns on three blocks along 42nd St NE from Fort Mahon Park to the Marvin Gaye Park and Trail.

2) South Capitol Street SW - Money was budgeted last year to pay for a trail along South Capitol Street (and Overlook Avenue) from the Frederick Douglas Bridge to Chesapeake Street SW (On the west side of the Anacostia Freeway).  Planning for this is getting started and soon the committee will go to look at this area. DDOT is unsure if the new Anacostia Streetcar line along Firth Sterling - named for the factory pictured above - (work is set to begin this summer and be done in 18 months) will include a trail, but thinks land is being set aside for that purpose. I've been riding out to NRL lately and I can attest to both the need and opportunity for this trail - and it gets us closer to connection to the Wilson Bridge.

3) Met Branch Trail - The stairs at L St NE are finished. Sidewalk work between 2nd and 1st (including under the Railroad Tracks) is ongoing.

A contract has been signed for the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Bike/ped bridge. They have 9 months for the design work to be completed. The bridge will probably have ramps connecting to the trail from both directions. (It hasn't been designed yet, but that is hoped for).

DDOT is close to finalizing a deal for the land from under the New York Avenue Bridge to the far side of the PEPCO site. The land is being donated and DDOT and the owner need to do an appraisal before they're done.

4. CCT - NPS should be able to sign the contract for lighting and call boxes on the Arizona Avenue Bridge next week and work would start a couple of weeks after that. The Repair project is going well. Phase I - to strengthen the slope that's falling is almost done (we think), but they can't procede due to cold weather. Phase II - to mitigate the storm drainage issue that caused the problem in the first place is now being handled by a street project. Phase III - to strengthen the whole slope - hasn't yet been designed.

5. ART - There is supposedly a new .pdf schedule but it doesn't appear to be on DDOT's website. Isuspect there has been some schedule slip. Near the  Navy Yard there are some contaminated soil issues and an argument over who should clean it up. DDOT is looking at removing a lane on Maine Avenue SW from the 14th Street bridges to the Case Bridge and using the extra land to widen the sidewalk/trail and create a buffer with the street.

6. Rock Creek - DDOT is Meeting with NPS next week to discuss this trail project.

Montgomery County Ends Met Branch Trail Funding

From the silver spring trails website

County Executive Ike Leggett has just proposed a new Capital Budget that would leave a huge hole in the Silver Spring trail network. His proposed FY09-14 CIP Budget would:

- Begin "Interim CCT" Phase II design work for the section from Stewart Avenue to the S.S. transit station in FY11.
- Begin Green Trail right-of-way acquisition in FY10 and the final construction in FY11.
- END ANY FUNDING TO DESIGN THE METBRANCH TRAIL.

Work to complete the CCT and the Green Trail depends upon Purple Line transit/trail alignment decisions and design work that will not be completed for another year, so the schedules proposed for the CCT and the Green Trail make sense for now. But that is not the case for the MetBranch Trail. This budget eliminates funding to even complete the ongoing design work on the MetBranch Trail, killing one of the most important trails of the regional trail network. See the MetBranch Trail webpage update.

The Purple Line will be even more hotly debated as the critical decision on the alignment is made this summer or fall. I've started a new blog at http://finishthetrail.blogspot.com. The new "Finish the Trail" blog will follow the CCT in Woodside from a neighborhood perspective. This Silver Spring Trails website will continue to tell the larger story of the three major trails in Silver Spring.

Woodside residents Webb Smedley and Wayne Phyillaier will be leading a hike of the future CCT along the CSX corridor tomorrow at 1pm.

01/08 D.C. BAC Notes

The January D.C. Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting was held on the 9th. The items discussed included

1.  Met Branch Trail update - Much of this was covered in a previous post, but here are some facts I left out. The hotel being built along Florida Avenue will open in April. The building on the triangle across the street from the hotel will open around 2010. DDOT is hoping to have the NY Ave to Franklin Street section built by July 2009 and the Rhode Island Metro Station connector bridge, Bates Road to DC/MD border sections out for design by October of this year. Further north, between Fort Totten and Takoma Park, the trail will first run on street on North Dakota Avenue between Kansas Ave and 3rd St NW (it will be a while before a trail can be built along Blair Road). This on street portion will feature sharrows. It will then go on street on 3rd (which has bike lanes) and turn east on Van Buren under the RR tracks. From there it will go north on a sidepath along Silver Spring Road. Silver Spring Road is scheduled for work soon, so the sidepath is being rolled into that work.

2. BAC Vacancies - There are several as mention in this post. Interested parties should contact the council member in question and send a letter of interest and/or resume to Lyn Stoesen, Chair of the BAC at lynstoesen(at)hotmail(dot)com.

3. Bike Plan Goals - In many aspects the District is behind on its goals.

2007 Goal                                     2007 Status (as of 10/01/07 unless noted otherwise)

40 miles of bike lane                     30 miles (as of end of 2007)

100 miles of signed bike route        57 miles

Met Branch Trail complete              20% complete

Anacostia Riverwalk 66% complete 12% complete

Access improved at 2 bridges         South Capital and Benning Road complete

700 bicycle racks installed             800 installed

Bike Station open                          Bike Station bid under review

The bike racks seems good, until you conseider that over 400 parking meters were removed - cutting the overall gain in half.

4. 15th Street NW Reconfiguration - DDOT is looking to reconfigure 15th Street NW between Massachusetts Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue. It's presently a four lane, one-way northbound street with street parking on both sides. DDOT presented four options:

1. A three lane one-way street with a bike lane on the right and street parking on both sides

2. A three lane one-way street with a two-way cycletrack (see picture of one in Montreal at top) on the right and street parking on the left and between the through traffic and the cycletrack

3. A three lane two-way street (2 north, 1 south) with a bike lane and street parking on both sides

4. A three lane two-way street (1 north, 1 south, 1 turning) with a bike lane and street parking on both sides. 

Here's the DDOT draft report.

In every option but option 1, cyclists get 9 or 10 feet. In option 1 it's 5 feet. I'd modify 1 so that there was a 5 foot bike lane and a four foot "door zone" (marked with a cross hash pavement marking and maybe a bumpy surface to keep cars out) between the bikes and the parking lane - making each of the other lanes one foot narrower. That might make it my favorite.

Others think moving the lanes in 3 and 4 to the outside (like this or this) is the answer.

5. 2008 Calendar -There are several items coming up this year and I've added them to the WABA google calendar on the side (which is open to the public).

6. New ART section to open in Spring - There's no reason you can't ride it now, but that's when the "ribbon cutting" will be.

7. Bike Station - The bid came back high. DDOT decided to pay the higher cost rather than scale it back. Because of the higher cost it has to be reviewed by the FHWA again. DDOT hopes to break ground this year, but it won't open in this Spring.

8. Smart Bike - As stated before; 1) During phase I (before more kisosks are added) It will be free for the first 3 hours, not 30 minutes as previously reported. So you'll pay an annual $40? fee and, unless you're the world's slowest cyclist, pay nothing else. This should help to make up for the limited number of kiosks. In later phases, costs may go up. 2) They're still hoping to start in Spring. PEPCO is holding up the start because they insist on metering each kiosk (they'll draw a smidgen of power) despite the fact that streetlights, bus stops etc...are not metered. 3) They're also working their way through the public space permitting process. 4) They're hoping to give discounts to WABA members and Zipcar/Flexcar users among others

Met Branch Trail Update January 2008

I think I was the only one who didn't go to the January 10th Met Branch Trail Meeting (Someone has to stay home and watch Cashmere Mafia). I did go to the BAC meeting the night before and got some MBT info so I'll try to combine that with what others reported.

Construction of some portions is going on right now! That's pretty exciting. The construction going on now is at the southern end, specifically from Mass Ave NE to L St NE. A sidepath along the west side of 2nd St NE from G St NE to L St NE is being built and will connect with the existing sidepath from G to Mass Ave. Yes, that looks like a sidewalk, but it's a sidepath. It consists of a center portion of concrete or asphalt  with brick sidings and is part of the trail.

At L St, just west of the RR tracks, a set of stairs with a bike trough is mostly finished in conjunction with some sidewalk improvements. [I don't have a photo yet. If you take one, put it in the flickr washcycle pool and let me know.]  This will connect the existing trail along the Metro station to L Street. And would open a very small section from L to M. When a building is constructed on the site of the parking lot there, the stairs will be replaced by a ramp.

Just to the north of the Metro station and south of Florida Avenue a hotel is being built. It plans to connect to the trail with an elevator.

On the triangle between NY Avenue, Florida Avenue and the RR tracks a new office building is being built. In a flurry of pessimism I was sure this would mean a brick wall along the trail. Boy was I wrong. A line of trees will separate the trail from the tracks and a green border will separate the trail from the building. A wide low ramp will allow cyclists to ride up and into - get this - a bike atrium. No parking in some dark room or a back staircase. They're building a giant multi-story atrium lobby - think the Reeves Center or Thurgood Marshall building - with bike parking right in the middle. The picture I saw showed a map of the trail and a giant Met Branch Trail mural on the wall. Pretty awesome. I assume they'll have showers. The trail will have to close at times, but not for the entire two years it will take to build this building. DDOT is working with them to minimize the down time and provide good detours.

North of that and we get to the PEPCO area. As eckington (way better than spotsylvania) writes

1. A contractor, Fort Myer, has been selected for the design-build contract. Once the contract is signed (more on this below) the work will be required to be completed in 12 months. Although some aspects of the trail have been stipulated by DDOT, the firm will be tasked with developing much of the design plan.

2. The contract can be signed upon delivery of funds for this section of the trail from the Federal Highway Administration. FHWA will release these funds as soon as the land from New York Ave to R St is given to the city by its current owner, Pepco.

3a. Pepco has in their possession the forms/documents prepared by DDOT to give this 15 ft-wide easement to the city. There is no time-mandate to spur Pepco to sign. Pepco has also asked DDOT to pay for and perform an appraisal of the land for their tax purposes.

3b.  DDOT must conduct this land appraisal.

Ultimately, the start of this section of the trail is dependant on Pepco. 1 month, 3 months, maybe much longer. Outside efforts to get Pepco to move on this may be needed.

Other notes:

- The easement from New York Avenue to R St will be 15 feet wide (11 ft paved) while sections north of R St may have potentially much wider easement.

- There is the possibility of writing into the contract language that would schedule the construction to work north from New York Avenue, allowing phased openings of trail sections as the 12 months progress.

Bloomindale(for now) has a map showing that the Z curve near R Street is still in the plans. Ugh. Chris Holben told me he had a worked out a solution to this with PEPCO.

DDOT is restarting discussions with the Park Service on the trail near Fort Totten. NPS agrees to allow the trail be built as designed, but not to allow the trail to be improved in key areas like Gallatin Street or Riggs Road.

It seems some momentum for this project is finally building, but we'll see.

Met Branch Trail Meeting in 75 minutes

Sorry this is so late, maybe you can make it.

December 2007 Recreational trails committee notes

News from the Committee (which meets with the BAC's facilities committee) meeting

Bike Lanes. There is a need to get a portfolio of bike lane plans and designs ready for implementation during striping season which probably begins in April. In order to reach the Master Plan goal of 50 miles by 2009, the district needs to get 10 miles installed in 2008. Currently, DDOT has identified 5.2 miles of bike lanes that could be restriped by a contractor and 2.07 miles of bike lanes that could be included in larger resurfacing projects.

Trails. The Master Plan calls for the completion of the Met Branch and Anacostia Trails by the end of this year. Both projects have very small amounts of asphalt on the ground. It was suggested that the benchmarks on trails projects that rely on National Park Service cooperation be reconsidered, given the performance of that agency in trail partnerships.

Rec Trails Discussion

Funding. DDOT provided an update on the available Rec Trails funds:

      Received (called apportioned) FY 2008:   $776,078

      Available in FY 2008:  $2,075,276.47

      Possible lapse at the end of FY 2009: $572,139.47

A general discussion ensued regarding DDOT's restrictions on how the funds are disbursed. DDOT requires a competitive process to award the funds, unless the amounts are very small, perhaps under $5,000. The management of several small grants could be a net loss of productivity for the program.

Capital Space. Jeffrey Hinckle presented the work of the National Capital Planning Commission on open spaces in DC. It is a comprehensive look at all open space regardless of ownership. Six big ideas have emerged from this work. NCPC will be adding some flesh to the big ideas over the next several months. It was recommended that this effort factor in the Urban Canopy initiative as well as more details from the Casey Tree Foundation's research. Ultimately, this work will inform NCPC's Comprehensive Plan element on open spaces and parks.

Met Branch Update. DDOT reported that the work on 2^nd Street, L, M, and K was bundled and will be completed by June. This segment will incorporate temporary stairs to access the trail at L Street. A trough will parallel the stairs for bicyclist to place their wheels on as they climb the stairs.

DDOT also reported that work is not progressing on the segment from New York to Franklin.

Crescent Trail Update. DDOT reported that the 3 stages of rehabilitation in the vicinity of Potomac Avenue have been collapsed into 2 stages - repair of the slope above the trail and repair of the slope beneath the trail. Arlington County is in charge of the work with permission of National Park Service who owns that part of the trail.  Arlington is involved because their water main runs from the Dalecarlia Reservoir underneath that section of the trail. DDOT will be putting in curb and gutter at the street level to address the run-off that is the cause of the erosion that is destroying the trail in that section.

Met Branch Trail History

Richard Layman linked to this old article (Sept of 1989) about the Metropolitan Branch Trail  - which is still a few years away from being done.

Diamond Teague Park

Ballpark and Beyond has a nice post about the Diamond Teague Park through which the Anacastia Riverwalk Trail will someday pass. It's going before the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA)  again. She links to the previous CFA meeting notes which has all the details you could ever want about the project. The idea for the ART is that it will pass through the park on a floating boardwalk. This could be really cool. It will also, I suspect, be impossible to bike. So it appears they're going to route cyclists along the waterfront (Hard to tell from the picture at left how cyclists will get from the "SEFC Park" to the labeled bike path.

The same architecture firm designing the park will also design half street. This street will have no curbs "To allow its use as a purely pedestrian zone 100 days a year". That sounds cool.

The CFA notes from September, by coincidence, have some tidbits about the redesign of Columbus Plaza in front of union Station. Since the 2001 design was approved...

The current submission is updated to incorporate continued design refinement and to include the proposed bicycle station that the Commission approved last year.

The pedestrian and bicycle circulation system has been revised in response to the proposed bicycle station on the west side of Union Station.

Designated bike lanes have been added along Massachusetts Avenue, connecting to the Metropolitan Branch Trail which will have its southern terminus at Union Station.

Bicycle lanes [across the plaza] will be provided with connections to the Metropolitan Branch Trail, designated by special paving.

Bicycle routes would be differentiated with brown-colored concrete.

My favorite part is when one of the commissioners "commented that the design should respond to the intense use of the space by vehicles and pedestrians." And then Gary Burch of Parsons Transportation Group, the transportation consultant firm for the project came back with, "use by bicyclists would also become increasingly important, and the design is intended to accommodate all of these uses."

Bam, in your face CFA.

11/07 D.C. BAC Notes

The November D.C. Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting was held on the 5th. The items discussed included

Bill Nesper, Director of the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Community Program came and talked about why D.C. didn't make it to Silver this year.

Some of LABs recommendations include

Complete the Metropolitan Branch Trail
Increase the number of on street facilities - lanes, sharrows and routes
Meet and increase the yearly bike lanes striping goals
Construct the Bike Station (more on that below)
Implement the Smart Bikes program and expand it to a sustainable level
Re-launch Bike DC
Institute a Bus driver and taxi driver education program
Set-up community rides to unveil new facilities
Adopt and implement a Complete Streets policy
Increase the number of arterial streets with bike lanes

Despite the efforts of the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA), the Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act recently passed.

it mandates 16 bicycle parking spaces at the John A. Wilson Building and requires the mayor to make a study of bike parking at all other government properties. Bike-spot requirements for commercial properties would be upped from 5 percent of the number of auto parking spaces to 10 percent. And most sweepingly, it imposes a minimum number of bike parking spaces for residential buildings with eight or more units.

By all other government properties, they mean ALL D.C. properties: parks, offices, etc...but not federal facilities. The feds are exempt and covered by the GSA. BTW the law is only advisory. For it to be a zoning requirement, it will need the zoning commission to approve it. Something tells me AOBA has even more influence on the zoning commission than they do the city council. (see below for more)
 

So far this year the city has installed 3.05 miles of bike lanes. Their hope is to get to 5 miles despite their claim that there won't be any more installations this year due to winter. Their goal is 10 miles a year - which they've never done.  They also said that it will get harder to get miles added in future years as future lanes will more often require the removal of auto lanes.

With the winter slow down they plan to switch to erecting bike route signs - especially around the baseball stadium.

Some bike lane striping is starting to need maintenance where road construction has removed sections of lanes. If you notice a bike lane in need of repair, you should report it at the same place you report potholes (the Service Request Center) and then forward your request number on to Mike Goodno (Mike.Goodno(at)dc(dot)gov) at DDOT.

The bus/bike lanes downtown are being removed (work has already begun I've been told - confirmation?)

Trails - A Metropolitan Branch contractor has been selected, and the contract could go out as soon as next week. Be on the lookout for a press release. They hope to start work in spring on the new section between New York Avenue and Franklin Street and be done by the fall. For the ART there is concern that the trail section south of the railroad tracks was built in an area popular with rowers and that there could be some bike-boat collisions.

Jeff Peel, co-writer of this blog, was named the manager of the D.C. SmartBike program. SmartBike is busy applying for public land use permits for it's 10 locations. They've designed member cards, are working on a web site and are drawing up a membership agreement. It could be ready by January, but probably won't start until March since winter is a bad time for biking. The start could be tied in with the Cherry Blossom Festival. Each kiosk will have an information area. Among the 10 locations are Foggy Bottom, Gallery Place, Shaw and U Street with the 6 other locations inside the square those four make (I'm waiting to hear where the other locations are).

Good news: the Bike Station construction bids are in. Bad news: the best one was $4 million and the city only has $2.7 million for it. Options are: scale it down again, ask the feds for more money or start over somewhere else. I support the bike station as designed where it is and if the feds will give the extra money I say go for it, but if not....I have an idea of somewhere else it could go.

WABA is working to get the Baseball Stadium bike valet parking contract - if there is one. The Nationals are refusing to pay for the program and so Tommy Wells is working to secure funding for it.

The next meeting - which is open to the public like all of the meetings - is on Jan 9th (not the 2nd).

Update: WABA's clearer statement on the bike parking law

On November 6th, the "Bicycle Commuter and Parking Expansion Act of 2007" was unanimously passed by the DC Council. This bill, which was introduced by Councilmember Tommy Wells, faced significant challenges before passing. But thanks to the widespread support of local cyclists, and negotiations between WABA and the DC Council, the final text of the bill received the approval of all Council members. While some amendments added at the last minute somewhat softened the bill, the overall intent remained unchanged and WABA is pleased with the final language that emerged.       

The bill as passed increases the parking requirement in commercial garages from 5% to 10% of car parking, mandates one bike parking space for every three units in new residential developments (up from one for every four units), makes it easier for tenants to request bike parking in their buildings and requires a detailed study of bike parking and bike access to DC government office buildings.

Aside from the bike parking study, which will be undertaken by the District Department of Transportation, the rest of the bill's provisions now must be included in DC zoning regulations which are currently being reviewed by DC's Office of Planning before taking full effect. WABA will be working closely with the Office of Planning to ensure that any changes to the zoning regulations include the provisions of bill passed by the DC Council. WABA will also be working with the DC Council on scheduling a vote on a bill that would repeal the mandatory bike registration law currently in place.

Close the Gaps

This got a bit of coverage in the MSM. (I couldn't go - I'm stuck in Phoenix. More on that later). From the Times

Members of the nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA) yesterday completed a three-day, 100-mile tour of the D.C.-Baltimore-Annapolis triangle to promote urban bike trails.

D.C. Council member Tommy Wells, Ward 6 Democrat who rode his bike to the event, said the estimated $25 million project is budgeted.

DDOT Director Emeka Moneme congratulated the cyclists on their ride and said he is committed to finishing the trail.
"I plan to ride many miles on that MBT when it's built, and I hope to see you guys out there with me," he said.

She said streets in Baltimore and the District are the hardest to navigate because so many lack bike paths.

I disagree with that. Getting through DC and Baltimore is the easist part because the urban street grid is so conducive to cycling. It's getting through rural areas, where your only option is to get onto a busy, highspeed highway, that's the hardest. Other "news" (not to frequent readers) from the article:

Mr. Moneme said DDOT this autumn will begin building a "futuristic, efficient and well-designed" bike station on the west side of Union Station -- a $2 million, glass-enclosed structure that will feature 150 parking spaces, a maintenance shop and bike rentals.
DDOT also is considering a "smart" rental system of 10 bicycle kiosks located around the city, he said. Each kiosk would measure about 6 feet by 30 feet and would allow registered users to rent bikes at an hourly rate.

That's a slip for the bike station [In February construction was to start by August]. 10 kiosks for a city of 500K+ and a metro area larger than 5 million. Meanwhile Paris (5 times larger city, but only twice as large a metro area) is putting 10,000 bikes at 750 kiosks. OK, so DC is starting small.

Harre Jaffe of the Examiner went on the ride (that's good stuff). Maybe that's why he got carried away.

The keystone of the 3,000-mile trail is D.C.’s Metropolitan Branch Trail, which is designed to connect Silver Spring to Union Station, which leads to trails through the National Mall and across the Potomac River.

It is also the Greenway’s most glaring gap

I want to see the Met Branch as much as anyone (well, not as much as Paul Meijer) but it's not exactly the "keystone" or the "most glaring gap" (personally, I think the bridge over the Patuxent is a bigger gap than the Met Branch, but let's not bicker and argue over who killed who - this is supposed to be a happy occasion).

“Build the damn thing before I die,” Meijer tells me. He’s 85. And healthy. No worries.

I saw Paul biking through Rock Creek not long ago, he could do well at the National Senior Games.

Notes from the 6/07 RTC meeting

At D.C.'s Recreational Trails Committee meeting, many projects were discussed.

Met Branch - As mentioned earlier, the RFP went out recently. Those bids are due by the end of June. Once the contract is awarded it will take 2 months to get the Notice to Proceed issued. The contract will be a 12 month contract (the amount of time they have to build it before incurring fines) but they'll be some accommodation in the contract for bad weather. So, in reality, they'll have longer than 12 months. What this means is the trail will open around September 2008 at the earliest. The present DDOT contract manager for this project is leaving DDOT and a replacement will have to be found and hired, so that may slow things down further.

There are plans to have the outdoor bike map sign installed at 8th and Monroe NE by the time the Close the Gaps ride comes through this week. It's unlikely they'll be cultural or historical markers on the trail since the Cultural office seemed uninterested in doing the work. Art, however, is a possibility as Rails to Trails is working with local schools on mural design and placement.

Choosing a designer for the bridge to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro is underway. The design will take 9 months and construction could begin next summer.

WMATA is ready to build the temporary staircase from the southern end of their section of the trail down to L Street. Work should begin this month (6 months late). It will be a wooden staircase with a bike trough. Once developers start to develop the parking lot there, DDOT will work with them to insure a bikeable connection to L street is included.

Rock Creek Park - This project is about 6 months behind due to problems with Rock Creek Park's management. They have a meeting this week where DDOT will show its ideas for the environmental documents (how wide the trail should be and where it should be located) and they're taking a "take it or leave it" policy (DDOT is paying for this project, not NPS). If Rock Creek should pass, the plan is to go higher up the NPS chain of command.

CCT - DDOT has a Memorandum of Agreement with the Park Service to repair the damaged part of the trail. Due to the DDOT personnel change mentioned above, DDOT is hoping NPS will take over design of this project. DDOT will still pay for the repairs. Repairs going on now are temporary and being paid for by Arlington County (because they depend on the reservoir for part of their water supply).   

Work on the Anacostia Riverwalk and Marvin Gaye Trails is on-going.

MORE has completed a feasibility study on Mountain Bike trails within the Fort Circle Parks.

More on Met Branch RFP

The complete trail should be finished by 2011. DDOT wants work to begin this fall on the latest segment, which will run along Metrorail’s Red Line from New York Avenue to Franklin Street in Northeast. Construction on that section of the trail should last about one year.

Met Branch Trail RFP out

The Request for Proposal is finally out. Eight months after it was supposed to here. Six months after it was supposed to here. But still this is the next big step.

The one mile section of trail will run adjacent to Metrorail’s Red Line from New York Avenue to Franklin Street, NE.  This section of the trail will connect to an existing elevated trail at the New York Avenue/Florida Avenue/Gallaudet University station. 

The one mile section of new trail will provide a much-needed crossing of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue to access the Metrorail station from the Eckington neighborhood. The project includes an asphalt trail, fencing, lighting, emergency call boxes, and landscaping. After a contractor is hired, the design and construction is estimated to last approximately one year.

The press release doesn't say how long it will take to hire a contractor, but assuming it will be less than three months, that puts an opening at next summer?

03/07 & 05/07 D.C. BAC Notes (combined)

I didn't go to the March meeting but I did go to the May one. March notes are the minutes, with my additions in italics:

Anacostia Riverwalk(ART): As previously reported, work on this is underway. I stated it was going from Barney Circle to Benning Road, but a second section is also being built from Barney Circle to the Navy Yard (where it will ostensibly meet up with the Navy Yard Promenade when that opens). This will be mostly on road along Water and M Streets. Officially you'll have to use the detour to get from one to the other because of the railroad tracks that separate the two sections north of Barney Circle. Unofficially, you can walk your bike across the tracks - though that is trespassing.* Eventually DDOT will build a bridge over the tracks because CSX refuses to allow an at-grade crossing. A formal groundbreaking will be held on May 7th.

Smart Bikes (Automated Bike Rental) - [Sorry it seems part of this post was lost here]

*       Near P Street Whole Foods.The front of the store is already at full-capacity for bike racks so they would have to be located nearby.

I'm not sure about these locations. They shouldn't all be at Metro stations. They should be in areas that are destinations and starting points (high population density) and preferably under served by transit. H Street/Atlas District, Adams Morgan, Georgetown (this is a must - maybe even 2) come to mind. Some Metro stations make sense - so that people can use the bikes to extend Metro. So Foggy Bottom would be good as a way of connecting to Georgetown (and allowing student to get around). Gallery Place would be good. Dupont Circle works as a connector station. I certainly hope they'll go with more than 10 locations, or I fear this won't work.

Other Suggestions:

*       Place bike maps at the rental sites.
*       Ask if Clear Channel can include reflectors and lights on the bicycles (make sure they conform to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards).
*       Ask if a technology is available to secure helmets to the racks or bikes.
*       If helmets cannot be affixed to the racks, require helmet use as a part of the contract, or provide education of the benefits of helmet use.

DCist recently had a post asking for Paris-style bike rentals just like this (which was followed by the usual bike/car/ped comment melee) If that isn't enough for you, there is more fighting here.

Ward 8 Representation The Council is desperately looking for a Ward 8 representative. If you can meet the following strict guidelines, contact Jim Sebastian (202 671 2331) about being on the BAC:

1. You are presently alive (or at least mostly alive)
2. You reside in Ward 8
3. You can tell the difference between a bicycle and Shinola
4. You have 12 hours a year to spare

Bike Route Signage: BAC is working to make sure that bike route signage in the district makes sense.
Usually, each large bicycle route sign has one or two sub plates below it. The final destination and interim locations directly off the bike route are placed on the sub plates. Signs are positioned approximately every quarter mile and at all turns on the route. Mileage is given for all destinations. posting maps at certain points along the route that show the whole network was suggested.

Bike Bait (anti-theft idea): Evan McAnney, Ward 3 DC resident presented his idea for implementing a bicycle bait system. After his fifth bike was stolen he searched for a lo-jack type device to deter bicycle thefts. During this search he found out about the DC police bait vehicles. A possible barrier to implementing a similar system for bicycles is that the MPD uses seven officers to monitor the bait vehicle. However, Sacramento police have been successful using a bike bait system with less staff. Publicity from this California campaign has reduced theft by 70%. It seems Mr. McAnney isn't the only one:

[Nicholas McKenna] said he had gotten fed up with the situation and recently placed a GPS tracker on the bike days before it was stolen.McKenna told News4 that he has pictures of the young people who stole his bike. In those pictures, the youngsters are riding around the neighborhood while smoking pot.McKenna said he also has pictures of them riding a motor scooter, which was also reported stolen in that area.

There was no report on what the police did with the information.

Marvin Gaye Park Trail - Work is under way and starting on the east end near the Maryland boundary. Excavation is done, gravel is being pured, paving will begin soon - as will bridge reconstruction and light installation. There's a plan to take the trail under the Railroad tracks - which will be tight - and under a new 295 bridge - which will have more space, so that it can connect to the ART.

Metropolitan Branch Trail - Design/Build should start in the next few weeks (I know, we've heard that before). Hope is to break ground in late 2007. The problem seems to be disagreements between the FHA and D.C.'s contract office (about what I don't know).

Rock Creek Park Trail - DDOT doesn't know how wide the trail being worked on south of P street will be, but it will be wider (NPS appears to be building a retaining wall to provide more room). DDOT is still negotiating trail width in other parts of the park with NPS. DDOT wants 10 feet, NPS wants less. DDOT plans to build an off-street connection between the trail and P Street.

Bike to Work Day - The mayor will be there, so will Tommy Wells (who seems to have had some of the bike advocacy Kool-Aid).

Ward 4 & Metropolitan Branch Trail

Although May 1 is a holiday, Ward 4 will be holding a special election to replace the seat vacated by recently elected Mayor Fenty. As the Metropolitan Branch Trail runs through the Ward, Co-Chair of MBT Coaliton Paul Meijer asked all candidates what they would do to support the trail. Here is what several of the candidates had to say:

Muriel Bowser I am very concerned about the volume of automobile traffic in our neighborhoods here in Ward 4.  In addition to increased public transportation in Ward 4, I feel that the completion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail is a priority.  We must give our residents every opportunity to be less dependent on their autos.  Not only is the Metropolitan Branch Trail an integral part of the solution to the negative effects of vehicular traffic in Ward 4, the Trail also presents an attractive recreational opportunity for the residents of our ward and our city. For too long, I feel, the completion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail has been delayed.  In inquiring about the status of the Trail with the District Department of Transportation, I have learned that the completion date is, at least, four years away.  As your Councilmember, I will closely follow DDOT's progress and will press to see that the completion of the Trail in Ward 4 is in a timely manner.    

Carroll Green wrote: "As I have previously indicated, I am in Favor of the Metropolitan Branch Trail". In addition: Mr. Green took the trouble to come to one of our meetings, spontaneously!    

A. Towns I believe that your organization plans for an eight mile bicycle path is an excellent idea. I believe that anything which will reduce traffic congestion and ultimately pollutants that are released in the atmosphere is advantageous. In addition my platform proposes traffic reduction zones during peak hours inside the city. The program models after the Traffic Congestion Zones in London.   

R.T. Milligan (through his campaign manager Dev Hillman) Mr. Milligan is in full support of the of the MET Trail. Within 100 days of sitting on the council he would like to put into motion a bus tour with all of the heads of DC government including some ANC Folks and some civic associations. During the trip he has a laundry list of issues he would liked to be addressed. We will add the MBT to this list to actually see the land and space that has been allocated for the project in ward 4. At this point he can push the project further ahead. Emeka Moneme seems to have a good head on his shoulder and I see him as an ally in the process. I am going to guess about 2.5 miles of the project our in Ward 4. This project puts DC in the position of being a world class environmentally conscious city and not a megalopolis like New York.

Met Branch Trail Update 4/07