The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, on Thursday (July 9) unanimously approved a $15 million allocation toward the Duke Street Transitway Project.
With the allocation, NVTA has funded $102 million for the $102.5 million project, which will add more than four miles of bus rapid transit lanes along Duke Street between the King Street-Old Town Metro station and the city’s border with Fairfax County near the former Landmark Mall site. The project has been in the works for years and is in the design phase. The estimated completion date for the new lanes is Dec. 31, 2029.
“Right now, taking the bus on Duke Street is slower and less reliable than driving, but the corridor still has the highest ridership in the City,” the city said. “A more efficient, reliable and comfortable bus service – with safe connections – will make it a more attractive option. Otherwise, congestion will continue to get worse.”
The NVTA’s board, which includes Mayor Alyia Gaskins as a member, approved the $15 million allocation in its $776 million fiscal year 2026-2031 Six Year Program without discussion.
The latest funds will support the second phase of the Bus Rapid Transit project through improvements near the Duke Street and Van Dorn Street intersection close to the Landmark Mall redevelopment site. Proposed improvements include reconstructing interchange ramps east of Van Dorn Street, installing a missing sidewalk segment on Duke Street under the Van Dorn Street overpass and providing a dedicated transit lane and new signal from westbound Duke Street to Van Dorn Street.
NVTA adopts its six-year program every two years, allocating regional tax revenues to multimodal transportation projects. While the six-year plan provides funding for 21 projects throughout Northern Virginia, the authority did not fund Alexandria’s $21.86 million request for pedestrian and bicycle improvements at Eisenhower Avenue and S. Van Dorn Street.
