TEA 21 grant letter

[Bruce Dwyer]

Please provide me any comments you may have on this draft letter in support
of the Eisenhower Valley project.  Also, please send you own letter, or
better yet, a letter from an organization with a letterhead if you belong to
one. Also attached is a copy of a petition that we can all try to get
signature on.  Copies will be available tonight. We will discuss this
tonight

January 12, 2000

Mr. Robert O. Cassada
Programming and Scheduling Division
Virginia Department of Transportation
1401 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219

Dear Mr. Cassada:
The Alexandria Bicycle Committee requests your favorable consideration of
the grant application submitted by the City of Alexandria for funding
assistance for the Eisenhower Valley Greenway Project.  Comprised of city
residents interested in promoting bicycling for transportation and
recreation, the Bicycle Committee was formed in 1992 as a subcommittee of
the Park and Recreation Commission to develop a Bicycle Transportation and
Multi-use Trail Master Plan for the city.  The volunteer members of the
committee worked very hard on the Plan that was adopted by the City Council
in May 1998.   Committee members take great pride in the plan that was
developed and prepared largely with citizen volunteer effort.
The Committee recognized the Eisenhower Valley as an important bicycle route
for both commuting and recreational uses.  Since the plan was adopted almost
two years ago, the importance of the Eisenhower bicycle transportation
corridor has become even more important as the Wilson Bridge project has
evolved.  The Committee had representatives on the Wilson Bridge Stakeholder
Panels that were convened last year for the purpose of getting citizen views
and consensus on design considerations for the Route 1 and Telegraph Road
interchanges.  These stakeholder panels made strong recommendations on
specifics for bicycle and pedestrian accommodation at these interchanges
that have been approved.  Both of these interchanges will connect to the
Eisenhower Valley project to provide important bicycle transportation
linkages for both Alexandria and Fairfax County.  The City is currently
considering a proposal for the location of a new building to house the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office. The workforce will be 7,000 and the community
is concerned about the number of vehicle trips this will generate.
Transportation studies estimate that 300 of the workers will commute to work
by bicycle.  This Eisenhower Valley project will be an important attraction
to maximize the number of bicyclists who will commute to work in the Valley.
There currently are excellent bicycle route connections within Alexandria
and to Arlington and the District of Columbia to the north. Fairfax County
to the south is accessible along the Mount Vernon bicycle trail and the
Eisenhower Avenue Connector to the Beltway.  Access to the west is also
excellent along the City’s Holmes Run Trail.
In developing the Master Plan, the Committee’s first criteria for selecting
projects is SAFETY. The current Eisenhower trail is in a deteriorating
condition and in need of upgrade to AASHTO standards. The underpass under
Eisenhower Avenue will eliminate a difficult road crossing where vehicles
are frequently exceeding the posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour.  With
the new Eisenhower Connector to the Beltway and new development, vehicular
traffic has increased significantly and will continue to increase with
additional development planned in the area.  There must be a safe off-road
bicycle route though this area for the future.  The eastern portion of the
trail was lost last year for a five-year construction project on the
sanitation plant.  This closing has forced cycles to use a very dangerous
section of Duke Street.  The City, the Bicycle Committee, and the Washington
Area Bicyclist Association have all received many calls of concern about the
future of a safe route for along this well used bicycle transportation
corridor.
Thank you for your consideration of our views.  If I can be of any
assistance with additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me
at 703-549-3263 or ouibike at worldnet.att.net.

Respectfully,



Chairman
Alexandria Bicycle Committee

cc: Sandra Whitmore
 Director, Department of Parks and Recreation
 City of Alexandria




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