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Alexandria asks NVTA for nearly $37M to fund transportation projects

By James Cullum
Traffic backup heading eastbound along Duke Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria is seeking more than $36 million to fund two transportation projects as part of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority‘s six-year program.

The total funding amount in NVTA’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2031 Six Year Program is $1.265 billion. Alexandria’s share includes $15 million for bus rapid transit improvements in the second phase of the Duke Street Transitway, and $21.86 million for pedestrian and bicycle improvements at Eisenhower Avenue and S. Van Dorn Street. NVTA adopts its six-year program every two years, allocating regional tax revenues to multimodal transportation projects.

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News

New Alexandria bus route with service to downtown D.C. launches this month

By Katie Taranto
A Metrobus rides in the snow (via Metro Forward/Facebook)

A new Metrobus route in Alexandria will offer transfer-free service to downtown D.C. starting later this month.

The new A29 bus will begin service on Sunday, Dec. 14, with rides offered every 24 minutes in the morning and afternoon via the I-395 Express Lanes, including during rush hours. Morning service will operate north to Metro Center, with afternoon service running south toward Van Dorn Street.

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News

Q&A: ACHS interim principal discusses 16-hour days, campus transitions, and supporting 4,000+ students

By James Cullum
ACHS Interim Principal Lance Harrell speaks at Alexandria City High School's 25th anniversary celebration of the film Remember The Titans, Sept. 19, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Lance Harrell has a big job, overseeing Alexandria City High School, the largest high school in Virginia.

Harrell says he’s working 10- to 16-hour days, with the longest days being Fridays, when there are football games. “I think the biggest change is just the added hours that I’ve been working,” Harrell told ALXnow in an interview on Wednesday.

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News

Amid school board safety concerns over student transport, DASH says it doesn’t ‘expressly prohibit’ hiring sex offenders

By James Cullum
A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

UPDATE (Sept. 24, 2025): Following this reporting, DASH has placed both registered sex offenders on administrative leave. The transit agency said it is now assessing “the rigor of our recruitment standards” and confirmed that one of the employees is a bus driver, contradicting its initial statement Tuesday that no drivers were on the registry. DASH places 2 registered sex offenders on leave following ALXnow reporting

Following a discussion on the Alexandria School Board’s safety concerns about the proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses, ALXnow investigated the transit agency’s background check policies and discovered that it does not “expressly prohibit” sex offenders from employment.

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News

Alexandria City Council, School Board to discuss DASH transition, collective bargaining, and more during joint meeting

By James Cullum
School buses preparing at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City Council and School Board have several big-picture items up for discussion early next month.

On Monday, August 4, the Joint City Council/School Board Subcommittee will discuss a proposal to put Alexandria City High School kids on DASH buses starting in fall 2026, collective bargaining with ACPS staff, and the school system’s Long-Range Educational Facilities Plan.

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News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum
NVTA BRT Action Plan - Potential Network (via NVTA)

Welcome to Friday’s weekly roundup of our top stories.

With ALXnow, it’s easy to catch up on the latest news in Alexandria. This week, we focused on coverage of our local, state, and federal governments. We also reported a lot of crime, including a homicide in the city’s West End.

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Opinion

Poll: Do you support using DASH instead of school buses to transport Alexandria high school students?

By Vernon Miles
A DASH bus on King Street in Old Town Alexandria

At a City Council meeting last week, City Council member Abdel Elnoubi and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley introduced a proposal that could change the way Alexandria City High School students get to school.

Elnoubi and Bagley, with the unanimous backing of the City Council, asked staff to explore the utilization of the DASH bus network to transport for high school students, eliminating the need for school buses at the high school level.

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News

Alexandria could ditch school buses for high school students and switch to DASH

By Vernon Miles
A DASH bus on King Street near Alexandria City High School, Jan. 6, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City High School (ACHS) students’ days of taking the school division’s yellow school buses to and from school may be numbered.

A memo from new City Council member Abdel Elnoubi and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley asks city staff to explore the feasibility of transitioning transportation of high school students to the city’s DASH bus network.

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News

Alexandria to pursue $3.5 million in grant funding for significant bus stop improvements

By Vernon Miles
Bus stop with bus bulb and curb cut in front of the stop (image via City of Alexandria)

Alexandria is seeking $3.5 million in state funding for a new feature that could improve bus stops across the city.

Hillary Orr, deputy director of the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, said in a letter to the Transportation Commission that the city is proposing to apply for a grant from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) improvement program and the Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP).

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ACPS pushes back on intercampus high school transportation controversy

By Vernon Miles
School buses preparing at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

After an editorial from Alexandria City High School student newspaper Theogony said students walk between classes because buses are not available, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) leadership has responded that bus availability isn’t an issue and it could be cracking down soon on students walking between campuses.

Theogony reported that roughly 1,600 students travel between the King Street and Minnie Howard campuses of Alexandria City High School every day and hundreds of students say they’re unable to rely on bus transportation for that trip. Those students walk the 0.6 mile distance between campuses across the busy and dangerous Quaker-King-Braddock intersection.

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