Alexandria is seeking community feedback on a series of changes to South Pickett Street in the West End, including new pedestrian safety measures and protected bike lanes.
The project would cover S. Pickett Street from Duke Street down to Edsall Road. That route along the West End Village shopping center, Hillwood Condominiums, and ends near Samuel Tucker Elementary School.
“Today, South Pickett Street serves fast-moving vehicular traffic, has very few pedestrian crossings despite a robust crossing demand, and has no bicycle facilities,” a city report said. “This corridor has gradually been redeveloping into a higher-density neighborhood conducive to non-automobile travel, but the existing street design is challenging and hostile for people walking, biking, and taking transit.”
The road, currently four lanes, could be cut to two lanes for car traffic, one center-running turn lane, and a protected bike lane on each side of the street.
The report said “no significant differences in traffic operations” was expected based on a traffic analysis.
Other proposed changes include:
- Dedicated center turning lane
- Posted speed limit reduction to 25 mph
- New pedestrian crossings at key locations
- Traffic calming measures
- Upgrades to pedestrian ramps
- Lead Pedestrian Intervals and no turn on red restrictions at signalized intersections
Feedback can be submitted online until May 5. A virtual community meeting on the project is scheduled for Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The meeting ID is 968 5930 1979 and the passcode is 968 5930 1979.
Following community feedback, the city said recommendations will be sent to the Traffic and Parking Board later this spring or this summer.
Image via Google Maps
You might want to get your prescriptions transferred, because CVS store and pharmacy at 3120 Duke Street in the city’s Taylor Run neighborhood is closing.
A note posted by management states that the store will be closing on Thursday, May 23. The CVS is across the street from the Alexandria Commons Shopping Center.
There are two other CVS stores on Duke Street — at 1680 Duke Street in Old Town and at 5101 Duke Street in the West End.
Happy Monday morning, Alexandria!
Today’s weather: Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms, partly sunny skies, and a high around 83. There’s a 43% chance of precipitation. Monday night will see scattered showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m., with a low temperature of around 55. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation.
You need to know
The family of the 23-year-old motorcyclist who was killed last week after crashing into a DASH bus has raised $6,500 for his funeral expenses.
The family of Kaden Olsen says that the former Marine died doing what he loved, and that the funds will be used to transport him to his final resting place.
The bus driver was not charged.
It was quite a week in Alexandria.
It seems that nearly all of Monday’s news was overshadowed by the eclipse. Hundreds of bespectacled residents turned out at Ben Brenaman Park to witness the cosmic event.
Out top story this week was on the four-year-old autistic student at Jefferson-Houston Elementary School who walked away from the school and was found barefoot in a tunnel near the King Street Metro station. The head of school and academic principal were subsequently placed on administrative leave, and the child’s mother told us that she was thankful for her daughter’s safe return, but that she won’t be returning her to Jefferson-Houston.
On Tuesday, we also reported about a new seven-story residential development proposal in the Landmark area. A developer filed a permit to redevelop 6101 and 6125 Stevenson Avenue, which is currently an office building and parking lot, into a seven-story residential apartment building with 270 units, a 340-space parking garage and amenity space.
City Council has a full docket at their meeting this Saturday, and will vote on raising fees for ambulances, stormwater utilities and late car tax payments. Council will also consider the proposed residential redevelopment of the Vulcan Materials site in the West End.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Jefferson-Houston Elementary School administrators put on leave after autistic 4-year-old walked away from school (14934 views)
- Notes: City cancels eclipse viewing party in Old Town, but there’s another party at Ben Brenman Park (12016 views)
- JUST IN: 23-year-old Alexandria motorcyclist identified after fatal crash on Duke Street (9870 views)
- Motorcyclist dies after crash with DASH bus on Duke Street (6063 views)
- New seven-story residential development pitched for Landmark neighborhood (4766 views)
- Amazon Fresh in the Potomac Yard Shopping Center is still happening (4676 views)
- Police: Man released after getting stuck in harness on Seminary Road Bridge over I-395 (4258 views)
- Alexandria man charged with forcible sodomy and attempted rape in Old Town (3519 views)
- Del Ray bar Hops N Shine wants live outdoor music 10+ hours a day (3201 views)
- Alexandria’s Planet Fitness evacuated after emailed bomb threat (2930 views)
Have a safe weekend!
The Alexandria Police Department has identified the motorcyclist who died after crashing into a DASH bus on Tuesday night as 23-year-old city resident Kaden Olson.
The DASH bus driver was alone on the bus at the time of the crash, and announced it via dispatch at 5:07 p.m. He reported that the motorcyclist was speeding past the bus as it was turning onto N. Ripley Street.
The bus driver reported via dispatch that the motorcyclist was not moving. Minutes later, Olson was declared dead at the scene. Traffic was shut down in both directions of Duke Street and N. Ripley Street while APD investigated the crash.
The bus driver was not charged.
Traffic reopened at 10:40 p.m., police said.
According to APD:
The preliminary investigation of the APD Crash Investigation Unit has determined the DASH bus was traveling eastbound on Duke Street and making a left turn onto northbound N. Ripley Street when the motorcycle traveling westbound on Duke Street broadsided the bus.
Duke Street was closed in the area as the investigation proceeded and the scene was cleared, and streets were reopened near 10:40 p.m. The bus driver was not charged.
APD is asking for the community’s support in the investigation. If you have photos or videos from the incident, please use the links below to the community evidence portal by uploading materials there.
https://alexandriapdva.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/busmotorcyclecrash
If you witnessed this incident of have information that could support the investigation, please call APD Detective Wesley Vitale at 703-746-6178 or [email protected].
A motorcyclist is dead after crashing into a DASH Bus early this evening on Duke Street in Alexandria’s Landmark area.
A DASH bus driver announced via dispatch that the crash occurred at 5:07 p.m. He reported that the motorcyclist was speeding past the bus as it was turning onto N. Ripley Street.
The bus driver reported via dispatch that the motorcyclist was not moving. Minutes later, the motorcyclist was declared dead at the scene.
Duke Street from Paxton to South Walker Streets has been closed for several hours as the Alexandria Police Department’s crash reconstruction unit is investigating the incident.
The identity of the motorcyclist has not been released.
Traffic alert: Both directions of Duke at Paxton & Duke at Walker are shut down due to a fatal crash involving a motorcyclist and a bus. No injuries reported related to the bus. Investigators will be on-scene for several hours.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 9, 2024
⚠️Service Alert: Due to police activity, both directions of Duke St from Paxton to S. Walker are currently shut down. Bus Lines 30 & 32 are on detour and Line 35 is experiencing delays. For more information, visit https://t.co/9QRbAJaPLE⚠️
— DASH Bus (@DASHBus) April 10, 2024
What a busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top story was all about money, with a $1 million Powerball ticket getting sold in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.
On Monday we reported that an Alexandria resident was charged after a loaded gun was allegedly found in his carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The incident marked the third time last month that a firearm was confiscated from luggage at the airport.
Also Monday, Mayor Justin Wilson said in his monthly newsletter that the March 27 death of the Potomac Yard arena deal would likely mean a period of stagnation for that area of the city. Landowner JBG Smith, however, softened its stance after initially releasing a scathing opinion on the situation, and told the Washington Business Journal on Wednesday that it now envisions Potomac Yard as a tech corridor anchored by the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.
In a Thursday poll, ALXnow asked whether Alexandria is better off without the Potomac Yard arena. The poll got more than 1,300 responses, with 65% voting “Yes,” 26% voting “No” and nearly 10% voting “I don’t know.”
Got a good spot to see the eclipse on Monday? Our second-most-read story this week showcases an eclipse viewing party being hosted by the city in Old Town.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Powerball ticket worth $1 million sold in Mount Vernon (7387 views)
- City of Alexandria hosting eclipse viewing party in Old Town (7375 views)
- Notes: Pizza and cocktail bar opening this week in Old Town (5997 views)
- Sign ordinance update tackling longstanding sign complaints from Alexandria businesses (5400 views)
- In wake of Potomac Yard arena implosion, Alexandria mayor says area will stay the same for ‘quite some time’ (5398 views)
- Alexandria gets federal grant for Duke Street transitway (4171 views)
- No arrest after woman stabbed in neck in Alexandria’s West End (3522 views)
- CIM Group sells apartment complex next to old Landmark Mall property for $225 million (3149 views)
Have a safe weekend!
Alexandria’s bus rapid transit (BRT) ambitions for Duke Street are getting a federal boost.
The Federal Transit Administration announced that Alexandria will receive $550,000 in grant funding for transit-oriented development planning on the Duke Street corridor.
Last year, the City of Alexandria voted to move forward with dedicated bus lanes on portions of Duke Street, part of an effort to make the material roadway more transit-friendly.
According to the grant:
The city of Alexandria will receive funding to plan for TOD along the proposed Duke Street Bus Rapid Transit corridor. The planned BRT corridor will provide transit access along an approximate 3.7-mile stretch of Duke Street, connect two ends of the City from the planned West End (former Landmark Mall) mixed-use development to the King Street Metrorail Station and Alexandria Union Station, which will connect Duke Street to regional transit and commuter rail.
The project is estimated to cost a total $87 million. Construction is scheduled to start sometime in 2026.
Alexandria's been awarded $550k to plan for transit-oriented development along Duke Street, following the approval of Duke Street in Motion's BRT line
A great example of how transit and housing go hand-in-handhttps://t.co/6XncfuC0Ms
— Alex Goyette (@Alex_Goyette) April 2, 2024
Holland Lane isn’t one of the longest or most-used streets in Alexandria, but it’s a major connection between the Old Town and Carlyle neighborhoods that may be getting a slight overhaul soon.
The City of Alexandria is currently gathering community feedback on plans that include, among other things, a bike lane on Holland Lane.
The street, which runs from Eisenhower Avenue up to the Whole Foods on Duke Street, is four lanes for most of its length and five at the Duke Street intersection.
The street is in a highly dense area where a City presentation said up to 29% of drivers speed past the 25 mph limit by 5 mph or more. The City said there have been 13 crashes on Holland Lane since 2018 and six of those involved people walking, all of which resulted in injury.
There are four options presented for the project, but other than the no-build option, all of them involve installing bike lanes on one or both sides of the street.
Detailed design for the project is scheduled for summer-fall this year with implementation sometime next year.
On March 25, 2021, Floyd Neal and a co-conspirator robbed the Walgreens Pharmacy at 4515 Duke Street at gunpoint, stealing between $7,000 to $10,000 from a safe, according to an indictment.
Neal, a 32-year-old D.C. resident, pleaded guilty to the Alexandria robbery and a string of pharmacy robberies across Maryland and Virginia in 2021. Between Feb. 14 and April 1, Neal and other robbers hit four locations across Virginia and Maryland, from Henrico, Virginia to Beltsville, Maryland.
Neal pleaded guilty to three counts of interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting. He also pleaded guilty to using, carrying and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, according to a release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to the release:
On March 25, 2021, Neal and a co-conspirator traveled from the District to a pharmacy in Alexandria, Virginia. They entered the store wearing yellow construction vests and posed as customers by grabbing beer. Then the co-conspirator shouted “Give me all the money. Oh, you think I’m playing,” as he reached toward his waistband to indicate that he had a firearm. The men ordered two employees into the store’s office before taking between $7,000 to $10,000 from the safe. The men fled in a 2005 silver sedan.
Sentencing for Neal is scheduled for June 21 and he faces a maximum of life in prison for using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, as well as 20 years in prison for each robbery.
Image via Google Maps
