CWL #7 - TR bridge completion

This is the seventh project on my 12-item Christmas wish list for DC biking projects.

#7 Utilizing the bike lane on the south side of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge

Cost:Unknown
Status: Mentioned in the DC Bike plan
Probability: low

The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge from Rosslyn to DC near the Kennedy Center has pedestrian lanes on both the upstream and downstream sides of the bridge. The upstream lane connects the new Kennedy Center Trail from G St and Virginia Ave NW to the Mount Vernon Trail.  [Unfortunately there's no way to go directly to TR Island NP though the trail lane goes directly over it - but that's a different subject]

On the downstream side is another lane that is sadly unusable. Adding a pedestrian lane to a bridge is often difficult and expensive. Even the new Wilson bridge will only have one lane. So to have a lane that's not used is just bad business.

From the DC side it starts where Independance Avenue, Route 50 and I-66 meet and on the Virginia side it stops in the highway medians that make up the intercahge of I-66, Jefferson Davis Highway and George Washington Parkway. Here's a map that shows it. There are at-grade crossings on the DC side, but across very busy streets.

A bridge over Independence Avenue would connect the bridge to West Potomac Park; and a trail and bridge would connect the Virginia side to the Iwo Jima Memorial. See this map. Alternatively, the trail could be connected to the Mt. Vernon trail again without crossing over the GW Parkway.

And while we're at it, it would nice to improve the railings along both sides from the 12 inch high rails to something shoulder high, like what one sees on the 14th Street Bridge.

Comments

[keroicap]

Ah, the TR bridge. A subject near and dear to my heart, since I bike over it each day to work. Of the four bike-accessible Potomac bridges, the TR is like the red-headed stepchild.

I would vote for fixing up the eminently useful upstream walkway for cycling before turning to the currently useless downstream walkway. The walkways are:

1) way too narrow - It's impossible to pass someone if you get stuck behind them, and even passing someone going the other way requires a near stop. Fortunately (for me) the bridge gets very little bike/ped traffic compared to the others.

2) in lousy condition - lots of debris (including the front end of a car one day) and some pretty annoying expansion joints

3) not for the faint of heart - the 12-inch rails you noted on the highway side, and only about a 3-foot rail on the river side.

That said, the Roosevelt has, in my opinion, the most promise out of any of the bridges, thanks to its location. A direct off-road connection to both the Mount Vernon and Custis trails on the Virginia side, and by far the best route downtown on the DC side. Even during rush hour, the cross streets through GW are very bike friendly.

The one thing I like about the downstream walkway is the bike route sign that is (or used to be) facing towards DC. In other words, some poor sap who wanders onto the bridge is actually encouraged to keep going towards Virginia before abruptly arriving at a dead end in the middle of an interchange.

[washcycle]

I just read in the post that they're going to be doing work on the TR. Good call on the river side rails being too low. I completely forgot about that.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/27/AR2005122701108.html?sub=AR