Wiehle Station Construction and Pedestrian and Bicycle Access

Most days I ride from my home near South Lakes High School to the W&OD Trail. One route I use regularly is along the Wiehle Ave. trail between Sunrise Valley Dr. and the W&OD trail. With the construction that has been ongoing for the past year around the Wiehle - Reston East Metro station, that route has been a challenge to say the least.

The good news is that the trail along Wiehle Ave. has remained open during construction thanks to temporary access provided by Comstock Partners, the firm building the massive parking garage and planned office and residential buildings on the north side of the station. The route is far from perfect, with large trucks entering and exiting the work site, and the large, ominous crane moving overhead, but at least it's open.

The bad news is that construction at the Wiehle Ave/Sunset Hills Road intersection has closed the most heavily used crosswalk, forcing pedestrians and bicyclists to use a circuitous detour. Construction is planned on the northwest corner of the intersection.

Trail users headed north on the Wiehle trail must cross Wiehle Ave to the east, dodging motorists who rarely yield when turning right from Sunset Hills Road. Pedestrians and bicyclists face similar obstacles when crossing Sunset Hills Road to the north and then re-crossing Wiehle Ave to the west.

The crosswalk was closed for nearly two weeks with no apparent work being done on the intersection. When the contractor was asked about the situation, his response was that he can't drop everything to close the crosswalk when the subcontractor shows up. In the meantime, hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists are inconvenienced and put into dangerous situations.

Most people, including the many construction workers from the Comstock site, use the crosswalk that is "closed," often dangerously walking in the street. Plus, people who park in the Reston North Park & Ride lot don't have a safe way to cross Sunset Hills or Wiehle, since there is construction at both ends of that lot. Many people who park there catch a Pentagon bus that passes through the lot both coming and going, but some of them cross the street to catch other buses.

Fairfax County and VDOT and their contractors need to do a much better job of providing temporary access for pedestrians and bicyclists during construction proects. All too often contractors will put up a "Sidewalk Closed" sign with no thought regarding alternative routes for trail and sidewalk users. There should be a requirement that whenever a trail or sidewalk is closed, a safe, well-signed detour is provided. The detour does not have to be perfect, but it needs to be safe.

VDOT or Fairfax County almost never completely close a road. When a road is closed, a detour is provided. The same should be true for trails and sidewalks, especially around locations with heavy pedestrian and bike traffic. If we want people to take more local trips by walking or biking, they need convenient, safe routes.

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If you encounter blocked sidewalks or trails I suggest calling the VDOT Hot line  at 800-367-7623 or using their Online Report Form. For a Fairfax County trail or sidewalk use the Report a Walkway Problem form or call the Bike Program at 703-324-2453.

This leads to the question: Who maintains our trails and sidewalks? Fairfax County recently released the Bike Fairfax Interactive Map. The map shows bicycle routes depicted on the printed Fairfax County Bicycle Route Map (available at local bike shops or Supervisor Hudgins' office). Major trails are shown on the route map, but many more trails and sidewalks can be shown by turning on the "Fairfax Trail Buddy" map layer. If you click on most trails, you can find out who maintains the trail. There appears to be no information about sidewalks. It's safe to assume that most sidewalks are in the VDOT right of way and are maintained by them.