On This Day in Alexandria History — “On March 18, 1784, Revolutionary War hero Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Steuben, better known as Gen. Baron Von Steuben, passed through Alexandria after visiting with his former commander, General George Washington at Mount Vernon. The Prussian-born military genius was Washington’s chief of staff during the final years of the war and a brilliant scholar on tactics and discipline. He was also the author of the military drill manual for the United States that remained in effect until the War of 1812.” [Historic Alexandria]

Traffic Signal Upgrades Continue — “Our team continues installing adaptive signal control technology to help traffic flow more efficiently. The work locations for the week of March 16 are Van Dorn/Braddock and Van Dorn/Eastbound Duke.” [Alexandria T&ES/X]

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On March 17, 1856, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation authorizing the Alexandria Steam Ferry Company. The ferry company was permitted to operate across the Potomac, carrying passengers from Alexandria to Washington, D.C. and Maryland and back.” [Historic Alexandria]

SmartScan Vehicle Starts Roadway Data Collection — “Beginning Tuesday, March 17, residents may notice City vehicles equipped with cameras and sensors driving along Alexandria streets as part of a pilot program to help the City better understand roadway conditions in real time and support proactive decision making on road safety and maintenance.” [City of Alexandria]