Fwd: WW Bridge Bike and Walk

[Allen Muchnick]

It's an outrage that the bicycle and pedestrian path
across the Potomac River on the new Woodrow Wilson
Bridge will NOT be completed and open to the public
until about 18 months AFTER the second of two bridge
spans is opened to motor vehicle traffic.

Why did the project team for the $2.5 billion WW
Bridge  reconstruction ask the localities to fund
bridge dedication ceremonies estimated to cost less
than $50,000?

Why can't the bridge painting be staged from the two
surplus bridge lanes which won't be opened to traffic,
rather than the bikeway?

Why isn't Maryland completing at least an interim path
connection on the east side of the river until LATE
2009?  It seems that the Maryland State Highway
Administration is the biggest problem.

As I suggested earlier, we should complain to the
governors of Virginia and Maryland and USDOT Secretary
Mary Peters.  In addition, Congressmen Moran and Hoyer
should be asked to intervene NOW.

Allen Muchnick
Virginia Bicycling Federation
Arlington VA
allenmuchnick at yahoo.com
703-271-0895


> Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:31:24 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Jerry King <jjkingconsulting at yahoo.com>
> Subject: WW Bridge Bike and Walk
> To: BikeWalk Alexandria
> <bsc at bicycle.alexandria.va.us>
> 
>     At last nights WW Bridge Neighborhood Task Force
> Meeting I asked the mayor the reason for the
> cancellation of the bike and walk prior to the
> opening of the north span of the bridge.  It was a
> joint decision of the mayor and the Prince Georges
> County Executive that the cost was too high in a
> time of tight budgets.  They estimated the cost to
> be 40 to 50 thousand dollars for this event.  
>     That being said I asked if the ped/bike trail
> could be open even though it was a dead end in
> Maryland (not complete).  The bridge project folks
> stated that the trail is  being used to stage the
> painters for the bridge and would not be open until
> Jan 09.  The portion of the trail on the Maryland
> side is expected to be complete in late 09.  Sorry
> for the disappointing news.
>     
> Jerry King
> WWBNTF Member



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