News

Alexandria plans pedestrian safety upgrades near four schools

By James Cullum
Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School at 1501 Cameron Street (via Jefferson-Houston/Facebook)

Alexandria is considering six pedestrian safety improvements near four schools in Alexandria.

The project would remove up to 14 parking spaces for curb extensions and improved pedestrian crossings near Patrick Henry K-8 School, Samuel Tucker Elementary School, Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 School, and Mount Vernon Community School. The traffic calming measures will be discussed at the city’s Traffic and Parking Board meeting on Monday, July 28.

The project includes the following:

  • Remove one parking space at the Taney Avenue and N. Jordan Street intersection near Patrick Henry K-8 School
  • Remove one parking space on Cameron Station Boulevard near Samuel Tucker Elementary School
  • Remove two parking spaces at the West and Princess intersection near Jefferson-House PreK-8 School
  • Remove two parking spaces at the intersection of Groves and Commonwealth Avenue near Mount Vernon Community School
  • Remove four parking spaces at the Mt. Ida and Commonwealth Avenue intersection near Mount Vernon Community School
  • Remove four parking spaces at the Uhler and Commonwealth Avenue intersection near Mount Vernon Community School.

The city received grant funding for the project from the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside Program in 2023. Below is a gallery of renderings at the proposed locations.

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A more comprehensive breakdown of the projects by school is below.

Patrick Henry Elementary School — Taney Avenue and North Jordan Street intersection

  • The intersection has high-visibility crosswalks with long crossing distances: 50 feet across North Jordan Avenue and 70 feet across Taney Avenue. The wide curb radii allow high-speed turning movements, creating potential conflicts between turning vehicles and crossing pedestrians.
  • Proposed improvements for this location include concrete curb extensions, shorter crossing distances, and updated ADA ramps. The curb extensions would create pads for boarding and alighting at both North Jordan Street bus stops. The northbound bus stop is moved closer to the intersection. The proposed curb extensions for this intersection reduce the crossing distance by 45 feet.
  • New high-visibility crosswalks provide a perpendicular crossing from updated ADA curb ramps. One total parking space will be removed at this location. The relocated bus stop creates three new parking spaces north of the intersection. The curb extensions will result in the removal of three parking spaces on Taney Avenue and one parking space on North Jordan Street south of the intersection.

Samuel Tucker Elementary School — Cameron Station Boulevard mid-block crossing

  • There are no crosswalks along Cameron Station Boulevard between South Pickett Street and the Harold Secord Street school entrance (1,200 feet). Parking is allowed on the north side of the boulevard, but not on the south side near the school. An ADA ramp exists west of the bus loop entrance, but it does not connect to any crosswalks or curb ramps.
  • Proposed improvements will create a new crossing near the bus loop at Samuel Tucker Elementary School. A curb extension will be built along the north side of the street with an updated ADA ramp. A new ramp will replace the unused one on the south side. A high-visibility crosswalk will connect the two. Parking is prohibited along the north section of Cameron Station Boulevard due to a fire hydrant and curb extension installation. One space will be removed to reduce impacts on existing trees.

Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 School  — N. West and Princess Street intersection

  • The intersection has four high-visibility crosswalks. As part of a previous project, painted curb extensions were installed here. Proposed improvements for this intersection include replacing the painted curb extensions with concrete ones, straightening the crosswalks, and updating the ADA ramps.
  • As many as two total parking spaces may be removed at this location. Two parking spaces may be removed on North West Street and one on Princess Street. One parking space may be added on North West Street.

Mount Vernon Community School — Multiple locations

  • Currently, there is no crossing at Commonwealth and Groves Avenues. Proposed improvements will create one crossing on the north side of the intersection. Curb extensions will be built on either side of the crossing, featuring a high-visibility crosswalk and new ADA ramps. The existing median separating Commonwealth Avenue will be extended, creating a pedestrian refuge. Two parking spaces will be removed on the southbound travel lane of Commonwealth Avenue to create visibility and allow space for the curb extensions.
  • There is no crosswalk across Commonwealth Avenue at the Uhler Avenue intersection. Proposed improvements will add a crossing to the northern side of the intersection. They will feature high-visibility crosswalk markings, updated ADA ramps, and new curb extensions. Up to four parking spaces may be removed at this location, three on the northbound side of Commonwealth Avenue and one on the southbound side.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.