meb

With today's northbound bridge closing announcement of all Potomac bridges into DC (even Chain Bridge) of vehicle traffic, I checked with Metro and found the 13 and 38B busses which normally cross the Potomac are not running due street closings, Metrorail is likely to preclude cyclists both ways, so what options may exist on that day to get to DC (morning) or the Capital Crescent Trail (late afternoon) from Arlington?

I spoke with the Park Police to see if one could bring a bike over on the 19th (not a high price bike) and lock it to a bike rack and walk the two miles on the 20th, but they said they would view a bike left overnight as a suspicious threat.

I suppose I could drive my car around the American Legion Bridge to get to Montgomery County, but I'm expecting traffic jams in the evening. Maybe I might get my small folder's frame repaired and into a duffle bag and walk, but I don't trust a repaired frame bike away from mass transit as a backup.

Any ideas?

JimF22003

There must be some way. There's supposed to be a bike valet service at the Jefferson Memorial (and one other place I forget) on inauguration day. Presumably you'd need to be able to ride your bike to get there. Some of the bridges will be reserved for "pedestrians." Maybe that will include bikes?

dpara

You can ride a bike or walk into DC on the 20th from the VA side. I think driving around to the MD side would be nightmarish. I wish you good luck.

cc_rider

WABA says they will be publishing a list or map of bike routes open on inauguration day.
https://www.waba.org/events/inauguralbikevalet.php

Metro has already announced no bikes on the 20th.

meb

The Jefferson Memorial site was selected before the surprise announcement on the bridge closings. Those bridges are not normally closed on July 4th to pedestrians and cyclists. The 14th St. Bridge which is proximate the Jefferson Memorial is closed to northbound vehicle, pedestrian, and cycling traffic. Except those comming in via Georgetown, the Jefferson Memorial site will be pretty vacant.

Thursday's Washington Times lead headline was Northern Virginia Virtually cutoff from DC on Inauguration Day: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...es-to-nowhere/
AAA says the massive bridge closing decision will gridlock the entire region.

Roosevelt Bridge and Key Bridge are closed to pedestrian traffic, only Memorial Bridge is clearly open to pedestrian traffic. With only the 13A &13B busses dropping off people proximate Memorial Bridge and those busses off that day, why would they have pedestrian traffic there anyway?

Chain Bridge is supposed to be open to Mass Transit Busses only-not charter Busses-there are no scheduled mass transit busses that use Chain Bridge. There was some talk of using it for pedestrian traffic, but what the pedestrians going to do, walk 3 miles to Georgetown to catch bus?

Maybe if one can find a cab, one could put a bike in the trunk since cabs can cross the Key and 14th Street Bridges, but who knows if one can find a cab that day or what Inaugural Special fare may be in effect.

If someone from northern Virginia roller blades, that may be better than cycling that day.
Congressional staffers living in Virginia are bringing in mattresses and staying in offices to avoid the bridge problems!

meb

I was wanting to bike not walk. I'm not walking 24 miles round trip either.

meb

Secret Service has already published the areas bikes are banned-other than the bridges they are rather minimal. Only the security perimeter around the Capital and White House and about a 1-2 block corridor either side of the Pennsylvania Ave. parade route. A more extensive road closure zone exists, but you could still walk your bikes around those areas.

In my case, I was going to Montgomery County late in the day and there are no bike closures there-I just need to get a bike across the river or take a car accross what may be a gridlocked American Legion Bridge.

FastFreddy

It looks like the powers that be blinked.

Washington Post article.

"...People will now be able to walk, bike, run or Segway across the Key, 14th Street and Roosevelt bridges, provided they keep to sidewalks and walk/bike paths...."

Interesting that they used the brand name, Segway, but not Trek, etc.

meb

Wonder if we had allies lobbying from the Segway crowd that prompted the express Segway access to the bridges in the rescinded pedestrian/cycling/Segway bridge closing announcement.

I was debating whether to give up or gamble on fixing a small cracked frame folder to take across Memorial in a backpack. Funny thing is one of the local cycling groups was promoting the bike to Inaugural approach with a statement made just a few hours prior the Secret Service announcement of the bridge closings, that 14th Roosevelt, Key, and Memorial Bridges were open to cycling on Inauguration.

I'm not that strong on inline skates to travel the distances I would have needed. I've got to believe American Legion Bridge is going to be jammed in the 5-8pm time I might have been trying to drive to Montgomery County.

Looks like the two least practical bridges-Chain and Memorial are pedestrian only, but if all 5 bridges were open, 14th, Roosevelt, and Key would probably have combined for over 95% of the cycling and pedestrian traffic anyway.

cc_rider

I don't know where the Post is getting their information from, but VDOT has announced their restrictions for the 20th.

https://www.vsp.state.va.us/downloads...s_01-10-09.pdf

Chain, Key and Memorial Bridges are open. No bikes or pedestrians on 14th Street and Roosevelt Bridges.

meb

Those links from the post were based on the 1/9 revision letting bikes, pedestrians, and Segways on the 14th St. bridges, but on 1/9, the plans were to exclude bikes and Segways from Chain and Memorial. The underlining of "on" has me wondering if they are referring to the interstate lanes or if the express inclusion of Segways on 14th St. makes me wonder if VDOT is making 14th St. a Segway only bridge.

Corrine Geller is the person that made the 1/9 announcement, no name signed the 1/10 announcement.

Gotta wonder too about an announcement from VDOT related to whether they even have jurisdiction on some of those bridges as Memorial Bridge connects the DC mainland to Columbia Island which is DC and the bike paths on Roosevelt and Memorial start in National Park Service areas.

CC-since you are from Falls Church, what is the accessibility of Chain Bridge on the VA side by bike (I'm in the Crystal City portion of Arlington)?
On the DC side it dumps into the canal towpath and the Little Falls Trail, either of which connect to the Capital Crescent Trail.

JimF22003

If I ride in, I'll be coming in on the Custis or 4-mile run trails to the Mt Vernon trail. I wonder how much of a zoo those are going to be?

cc_rider

I ride across Chain Bridge fairly often. From Falls Church I take Williamsburg and North Glebe. From Crystal City, go past the cemetery and Iwo Jima, and take the route 50 service road to 10th Street. Switch to Fairfax Drive then Quincy to Military to Chain Bridge.
On the MD side take the C&O for less than a mile south and you'll reach the Capital Crescent.

If traffic is light you could stay on Military to get down the hill to CB. I usually take Randolph to 41st and walk down the other hill.

meb

Obviously a lot will depend upon the temp and precipitation.

If all the bridges are open from Key to 14th, I'd expect Custis to be more crowded just because of a larger population there.

Wouldn't expect a crowd on 4 mile run-very few walkers would go that way, probably a modest number of cyclist.

There might also be a crowd flying into Reagan on that morning that elect to walk the Mt. Vernon trail to avoid the Metro crowds or resort that way after they can't board Metro since the trains are full from stations further south and or start walking if there aren't enough cabs available. Reagan's and Crystal City's parking lots will probably fill up with people going to the innaugural looking to use that parking and walk the less than 4 miles.

Bob N.

I wonder if any part of Clara Barton will be closed, like between Chain Bridge and Georgetown.

meb

They've announced Clara Barton will be open running a 2 way Saturday schedule.

Gotta expect Clara Barton or MacAurther near Foxhaul will be gridlocked.

meb

Looking out toward Gravely Point, it bike and pedestrian traffic appears almost nonexistent on the Mt. Vernon Trail.
Along the trail beside 27 past the Pentagon, I could see a single pedestrian.