Route 1 widening at Fort Belvoir

The Transportation Planning Board (TPB) was recently asked to amend the long range plan to include the widening of Route 1 from Fort Belvoir to Mt. Vernon Highway. The road will be widened to 6 lanes with a wide median that can accommodate future transit. Currently a 14-foot wide outside lane and a 10-foot shared use path are included in the design. The project is being funded and managed by the Federal Highway Administration. See the project website.

Route 1 widening project extent

Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation testified before the TPB asking that bike lanes be added to the project, by narrowing the travel lanes to 11 feet and creating 4-foot bike lanes. With a design speed of 50 mph, a 14-foot outside lane is not adequate. Even 4-foot bike lanes are not sufficient given the high speed of traffic, but they are better than 14-foot wide outside lanes. At a minimum Allen asked that the outside lane width be increased to 15 feet.

Several of the TPB members supported Allen's comments, including DC Councilman Mendelson and Hunter Mill District Supervisor Hudgins. The FHWA rep was asked to respond to their concerns at the January 23 TPB meeting. We'll be asking cyclists to send comments to the TPB in support of bike lanes in this project.

Here's Allen's statement. He modified the statement after the meeting, noting that the median is 32 feet wide and the 10-ftoo wide sidepath will not meander:

Virginia Bicycling Federation
Statement to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board
by Allen Muchnick, VBF board member, December 19, 2012I’m Allen Muchnick with the Virginia Bicycling Federation, and I’m speaking in reference to Item 15 on today’s TPB agenda, a request by the Federal Highway Administration to amend the TIP to include funding for widening US Route 1 through Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County.

Sadly, this proposed highway widening project illustrates a serious shortcoming of the TPB’s Complete Streets Policy and a failure of both of the Federal Highway Administration and the Virginia Department of Transportation to adhere to their own long-established bicycle accommodation policies.

This 3.4-mile segment of US Route 1 is the planned route of four, nationally significant, long-distance bicycling routes, three of which run from Maine to Florida; namely, AASHTOs US Bicycle Route 1, the East Coast Greenway, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, and the Adventure Cycling Association’s Atlantic Coast Bicycle Touring Route. As the Commonwealth of Virginia’s only north- south bicycling route (and even as the sole north-south bicycling route through the huge Fort Belvoir army base), this project should adequately accommodate experienced long-distance bicyclists who prefer to travel on the roadway which is considerably faster, much better designed and maintained, and arguably safer than the meandering shared-use path which will also be included in this project.

Since the mid 1990s, VDOT planning studies for the Route 1 corridor through Fairfax and Prince William Counties have consistently specified 15-foot wide curb lanes to accommodate bicycling, and 15-foot wide curb lanes for bicycling were specified in VDOT’s 2003 Route 1 Location Study and in the three draft Environmental Assessments which the FHWA endorsed in 2003. While 15-foot curb lanes are--at best-- a minimal bicycling accommodation on a roadway with 50 MPH design speed, the space could be striped as 4-foot bike lanes adjacent to 11-foot travel lanes to facilitate motorist overtaking and the comfort and safety of roadway bicyclists.

Unfortunately, in designing the current project, the FHWA has narrowed the long-planned wide curb lanes to 14 feet. While non-cyclists may consider this 12-inch narrowing to be a minor, those lost inches have a big impact on a bicyclist sharing a travel lane with 50 MPH traffic. It’s illogical to consider a 12- foot travel lane to be a minimal accommodation for motor vehicles, yet maintain that, by adding only two more feet, a bicyclist, who tracks at least 3 feet wide and deserves at least 3 feet of safe passing clearance, can safely share that space laterally with 50 MPH traffic. For decades, both FHWA and VDOT have issued policies and guidance for accommodating bicyclists on high-speed roadways. As early as 1990, VDOT’s bicycle accommodation policy called for routinely providing appropriate bicycling accommodations on US Bicycle Route segments, and in 1994 FHWA published guidance that a 15-foot wide curb lane is a bare minimum bicycling accommodation on a 50 MPH roadway.

Providing 15-foot curb lanes in this project does not require a wider roadway, although the proposed 27- foot landscaped median provides ample space for doing so. Instead, 15-foot curb lanes can be achieved simply by shaving 6 inches from the inside and middle travel lanes. We ask the TPB to require FHWA to provide at least 15-foot curb lanes for bicycling as a condition for adding this project to the TIP.

Important meetings today

Bicycle Master Plan Meeting - North county - Learn about the proposed bicycle master plan recommendations at a public meeting at the Reston Regional Library starting at 6:30 p.m. This is one of two public meetings that will give cyclists an opportunity to learn about the plan and provide valuable feedback before the plan is finalized. The South county meeting is tomorrow in Annandale.

For more information on the project see the Bicycle Master Plan website.

Route 1 Public Hearing - On the proposed widening of Route 1. The meeting starts at 6pm at Hayfield Secondary School, 7630 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315. According to Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation: "This segment of US Route 1 is a desired alignment for four long-distance bicycle routes: US Bike Route 1, the Adventure Cycling Association's Atlantic Coast Route, the East Coast Greenway, and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail."

"Therefore, first-rate accommodations for ALL types of bicyclists--including experienced, long-distance roadway cyclists--are critically needed in this project. While a 10-foot sidepath and 14-foot curb lanes are both currently proposed for this project, the proposed on-road bicycling space adjacent to 50+ MPH traffic is inadequate."

"Please submit a written comment asking for 15-foot curb lanes, each ideally striped as an 11-foot travel lane beside a 4-foot wide bike lane (to the left of a 2-foot wide concrete gutter)." Written comments should be sent to Jack.VanDop@dot.gov by June 29, 2012.

Public meeting on bike facilities on Route 1

Route 1 profile showing wide curb lanes and paved trail

Federal Highway Administration is studying the widening of Route 1 from Telegraph Road to Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway. Current plans include wide outside lanes for use by bicyclists. There is opposition to the project that will impact Woodlawn National Historic Site.

Often bicycle facilities are one of the first options to be cut from a widening project to reduce the overall width. See the proposed road profile (large pdf). All project documents on the FHWA website, including a summary of comments from the 2010 public scoping meeting that includes several references to the need for better bicycling facilities in the corridor.

A public meeting on the project is planned for Tuesday, June 5, at Hayfield Secondary School, 7630 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315, from 6-8pm. Cyclists need to attend the meeting and speak out for safe, convenient bike facilities as part of the Route 1 project. See a Patch article about the public meeting.

See the MtVernon Patch article Mount Vernon-Area Bicyclists Could Have an Easier Commute

"Route 1 as it is now is just not adequate for bicyclists," Belle View resident Mark Murphy said. "The curb lanes are narrow and traffic is heavy and fast. There are frontage roads along some parts of Richmond Highway, but they don't run consistently."

"In my opinion, Route 1 should have striped bike lanes, but someone in VDOT did not want to promote bicycling on that high-speed roadway, and the 15 feet of space could readily be reallocated at a future time into an 11-foot travel lane plus a 4-foot bike lane," Allen Muchnick, Virginia Bicycling Federation board member.

There is a 10 foot paved trail proposed for one side of the road but it does nothing for cyclists taking short trips along the opposite side of the road. Cyclists taking longer trips generally prefer an on-road route.

According to Allen Muchnick of VBF, "Route 1 is of particular importance for bicycling nationally as a desired alignment for four long-distance bicycling routes: US Bicycle Route 1, the Adventure Cycling Association's Atlantic Coast Route, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, and the East Coast Greenway. Thus, providing first-class bicycling accommodations for all types of bicyclists is particularly important for this project."

See other coverage of Route 1 topics on the FABB blog.

Patch article about Route 1 corridor

Transportation and Transit Studies Under Way for Route 1 Corridor is the title of a Huntington-Belle Haven Patch article by Rachel Leonard. It's the first of a three-part series on the future of the Route 1 corridor. The article gives a good overview of the challenges faced by cyclists:

Cyclists Weigh In

Adam Froelig, transportation liaison for the Huntington Community Association, likens cycling on Route 1 to “taking our lives in our own hands.”

“I would not cycle to Target,” Froelig said. “I would be more apt to cycle to the Target at Potomac Yards, which is four miles away, than the one at Beacon Hill, which is one-and-a-half miles away, just because bicycle accommodation is better going throughout Alexandria.”

Froelig’s transportation wish list includes bike lanes, turn lanes, speeds between 35 and 45 mph, timed signals, wide sidewalks and Metro.

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling member Mark Murphy of Huntington said new developments have made Route 1 more accessible from Alexandria, but heading south on Route 1 past Huntington is difficult.

“The lights and the traffic are very unfriendly,” he said. “It can be dangerous to cross some of the intersections at Route 1 because drivers just aren’t looking for bikers.”

Cyclists are also interested in improved access from Route 1 to the Huntington Metro station. Murphy sees an opportunity to build better cycling amenities as Route 1 is redeveloped.

“It’s a now-or-never situation, I think, where they can keep cyclists and pedestrians in mind when they’re designing or redesigning Route 1,” he said. “They have a chance to make some improvements that would last a long time. It would be a lot harder to go in later and put something in after the fact.”

The county is currently formulating the Fairfax Countywide Bicycle Transportation Plan and has held multiple information sessions to gather input from cyclists. Bob Patten, a senior planner with Toole Design Group, the consultancy working with the county, said he hopes to have a draft plan ready to submit to the county’s Bicycle Advisory Committee in April.

Feedback from a Nov. 17 information session in Mount Vernon included comments that cycling the corridor is especially difficult during rush hours, that a lack of an alternative to Route 1 between Huntley Meadows Park and the neighborhoods south and west of Little Hunting Creek is a major barrier, that a trail along Cameron Run between Telegraph Road and Route 1 should be built, and that safety improvements are needed for cyclists coming and going from Wilson Bridge.

Cyclists turn out for Mt. Vernon area bike plan meeting

Bob Patten (left) taking notes on local bike conditions.

About 30-35 cyclists attended the Fairfax Co. 
Bicycle Master Plan meeting for the greater Mt. Vernon area last night. Representatives from VDOT, Fairfax Co., and the Board of Supervisors attended as did members of FABB.

After cyclists studied and commented on detailed maps of the area, Bob Patten of Toole Design gave an overview of the master planning process. He also described several types of bicycle facilities such as cycletracks, buffered bike lanes, shared lane markings (sharrows), and others.

Bob stated that the plan will result in a map showing specific facilities proposed for roads in the county. There will also be policy recommendations to ensure that county policies treat bicycling as an integral part of the transportation system. These not only include bike route facilities but also bike parking requirements, opportunities for bicycle safety education at all levels, improved enforcement, and encouragement of bicycling by using such measures as transportation demand management incentives.

Participants then gathered around the maps to mark  where they would like to ride and to identify barriers to their travel. The Huntington and Franconia-Springfield Metro stations are major destinations.

Several natural and manmade barriers make cycling in this area a challenge. Route 1 is the biggest challenge. Few cyclists choose to ride with 45 mph traffic and there are almost no side paths along the road. Many of the surrounding neighborhood streets don't connect, especially on the south side.

Just north of Route 1, Huntley Meadows Park and Fort Belvoir form another barrier. For a 2 mile stretch just north of Mt. Vernon Estate, Little Hunting Creek is a major barrier between several residential neighborhoods, forcing cyclists to use either the Mt. Vernon Trail or Route 1.

There are several major attractions in the area including Mt. Vernon Estate, Mason Neck State Park and Natural Wildlife Refuge, Pohick Bay Regional Park, Huntley Meadows Park, and Fort Hunt National Park. U.S. Bike Route 1, the East Coast Greenway, and the Adventure Cycling Atlantic Coast route all pass through this area. The area could be a major cycling destination if there were good bicycle routes connecting major attractions. It's going to take the work of everyone to make this happen.

Route 1 widening includes bike facilities

Funding is now available for widening of Route 1. A 10-foot side path and wide outside lanes are included in the project:

Virginia has secured a $180 million grant from the Defense Department's Office of Economic Adjustment to widen Route 1 in the area of Fort Belvoir to six lanes between Telegraph Road and Mount Vernon Highway. The 3.5-mile widening could begin as early as 2013 and take up to three years to complete.

"Widening Route 1 is critical to ensuring a viable transportation network in the Fort Belvoir area," said Governor McDonnell. "Our nation's wounded warriors, veterans and their families deserve to have reliable and safe access to Fort Belvoir's new Community Hospital. Moreover, every day, commuters are stuck in long traffic queues on Route 1 that has only worsened with the additional traffic generated by BRAC changes bringing more defense personnel to Fort Belvoir. This widening will improve the quality of life for thousands of commuters and visitors."

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County submitted joint grant applications earlier this year requesting funding to accommodate the increased traffic generated by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital which will generate 574,000 trips annually. VDOT estimates the widening will cost $180 million, including $53 million to acquire right of way, $20 million to relocate utilities, $10 million for environmental mitigation and $97 million for construction.

The portion of Route 1 serving Fort Belvoir is only two lanes in each direction, carries 56,000 vehicles a day and has one of the highest highway crash rates in northern Virginia. Between 2006 and 2008 there were 294 crashes on the 3.4-mile section between Telegraph Road and Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, including 13 injuries and one fatality. In 2011 two more fatalities occurred. In addition, Route 1 in this area lacks pedestrian and bicycle access and crosswalks at intersections.

Allen Muchnick of Virginia Bicycling Federation sent the following letter to FHA requesting that the 14-foot outside lanes planned for the Route 1 widening be modified to allow striping of 4-foot bike lanes instead:

Mr. Jack Van Dop
Environmental Specialist
Federal Highway Administration
Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division
21400 Ridgetop Circle
Sterling, VA 20166

Dear Mr. Van Dop:

I'm writing to comment on the proposed design for the above-referenced highway widening project, as described in your agency's brochure for the October 19, 2011 public meeting. Although the official public comment period ended yesterday (10/31/11), I only became aware of this project this afternoon after seeing Governor McDonnell's news release about the $180 million Department of Defense funding award. Thus, I hope you will include this comment as part of the official record of your October 19, 2011 public meeting.

This 3.4-mile segment of US Route 1--between Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and Telegraph Road--is a vital link for local, regional, and long-distance bicycle travel and could serve as a key link in the East Coast Greenway, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, and/or U.S. Bicycle Route One. Because of its importance for long-distance bicycling, it's critical that this project include exemplary accommodations for all types of bicyclists, including skilled, faster, and longer-distance bicyclists.

The "Current Proposed 148-foot Typical Section" illustrated in the meeting brochure seems amply wide to accommodate all needed pedestrian and bicycle facilities as well as a dedicated transitway in the median, in addition to six roadway travel lanes. However, in view of the high (50+ MPH) motor vehicle speeds on this roadway, the 14-foot wide "Oversized Outside Lane[s] to Accommodate Bicycles" should be designed and striped as dedicated bike lanes and continued on the *left* side of *all* right-turning lanes at the approaches to *all* intersections. To best execute these bike lanes, the middle and inside travel lanes could be striped 6 to 12 inches narrower than illustrated in the meeting brochure, to provide an 11-foot wide outside travel lane plus a 4-foot wide bike lane (to the left of the concrete gutter pans) in lieu of the 14-foot wide "oversized outside lane" illustrated in the meeting brochure.

Thank you for considering this comment. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need more information, and please include my email address and/or other contact information in future project announcements.

Sincerely,


Allen Muchnick, board member
Virginia Bicycling Federation

While the widening project will provide bike facilities, it will make the road more dangerous for pedestrians and some bicyclists. The wide road and speeding traffic, in a busy commercial area, are a deadly mix. The speed limit should be lowered and much better bicycle and pedestrian accommodations are needed in this corridor.