Today the Arlington County Board approved the award of the construction contract
for the Four Mile Run Trail project. This project will connect the W&OD Trail's start in Shirlington with the Four Mile Run Trail's terminus just across I-395 (see the illustration from the bike map above). The new trail segment will run beside Four Mile Run and go under I-395.
Construction should
commence at the end of September. Once construction is complete, trail users will be able remain on the trail rather than detouring on busy streets in Shirlington and Park Fairfax in Alexandria, which also would shave off minutes from trail commutes.
Additionally, with the trail segment completed, one will be able to stay on a trail from Mount Vernon to Purcellville via the Mt. Vernon, Four Mile Run, and W&OD Trails for a grand total of about 60 miles. George Washington would be proud.
Paul DeMaio, BikeArlington
1. I can't understand why a map cannot be placed where 4 Mile Run hits Shirlington Road to direct legions of confused trail users as to the detour. It seems that every time I'm there, I'm answering questions.
2. This is ancillary, but a lot of the trail-road intersections on 4-Mile are annoying. Waits, while on the trail, to get across the road are long, and you have to manually press the button, even at peak times, so you're guaranteed a wait of at least one light cycle. I saw that a cyclist was hit this week at the George Mason crossing. Not surprising.
Posted by: LB | August 23, 2007 at 10:26 AM
The current street detour through Shirlington and Park Fairfax is hardly "busy"; the primary advantage of the new route is the reduction in distance and time. The new direct trail route will be about 0.8 miles shorter, and trail users will no longer be delayed at at least three signalized intersections or have to climb up to the pedestrian overpass of I-395.
It's sad, however, that Arlington County took NINE years to approve the construction contract to build its "number one priority trail project", after this project was supposedly fully designed and funded in 1998. With luck, the new trail may open by spring 2009.
Posted by: Allen Muchnick | August 23, 2007 at 02:04 AM