In a City Council meeting earlier this week, City Council member Kirk McPike reported that portions of the Holmes Run Trail won’t be fixed until 2026 — eight years after they were damaged by a storm.
In 2022, Mayor Justin Wilson said it was frustrating that some of the final pieces of the recovery wouldn’t be finished until 2024. The new timeline places final repairs two years later.
The damage to the trail is separated into four sites. One of those, the bridge at 4600 Duke Street, has already been repaired.
Two other sites, the bridge at the Morgan Street cul-de-sac and the trail at North Ripley Street, are still on track to be completed by this fall.
The main delay is for Site 1: Holmes Run Trail at Dora Kelly Park
“Due to a lot of design and procurement issues, it is not slated to be complete until early 2026,” McPike reported.
The project has experienced multiple delays with blame regularly put on ‘delay in supply chain issues.’
According to the project website, damage that appears superficial has created significant erosion problems.
While some of the damage may appear superficial, the 2018 and 2019 flood events completely undermined the trail base and caused significant erosion around the trail. The flooding also undermined the structural integrity of the two bridges. The City will need to study how the flood impacted Holmes Run and determine how the trail, bridges, and slopes should be modified/stabilized to minimize potential damage from future flood events.
A 16-year-old Alexandria kid charged with allegedly shooting a man in September has been denied bond.
The suspect was charged in October with aggravated malicious wounding and two counts of robbery for the Sept. 22 incident in the 5500 block of Holmes Run Parkway. The shooting left a 21-year-old man paralyzed from a severed spinal cord after being shot in the neck, according to court records.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said in court that police allegedly found a .22 caliber pistol and ammunition hidden in the suspect’s closet. They also said that the victim had been buying drugs when he was shot and that bullet fired at the victim is lodged in his neck and can’t be extricated.
Judge James C. Clark denied bond for the suspect and said that he is a danger to the community. Clark also accepted social media photos into evidence of the suspect holding multiple handguns.
“There seems to be a certain amount of pride that the suspect has by possessing guns, drugs and money,” Clark said. “He is absolutely a danger to the community.”
The shooting occurred at around 9:30 a.m. and the nearby Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School and William Ramsay Elementary School were both put in “secure the building” in response to the nearby police activity.
The incident is the first charge against the suspect in Alexandria. His next court appearance is on Jan. 4.
(Updated 10 p.m.) The Alexandria Police Department is investigating two reports of gunshots over the weekend in the Seminary Valley neighborhood.
No injuries were reported from both incidents. The first occurred on Friday night (Dec. 8) at around 10:15 p.m. when an APD officer reported shots fired in the 5300 block of Taney Avenue. The officer chased two suspects on foot, but both eluded her by running through a neighborhood of townhomes, according to scanner traffic.
On Sunday at around 7 p.m., six-to-seven gunshots were reported just a few blocks away in the 500 block of N. Pickett Street. Police searched the area for about 30 minutes and no arrest was made, according to scanner traffic.
Anyone with information on either incident can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Notification: Moderate police presence in the 5300 block of Taney Avenue due to an illegal discharge of a weapon. APD is investigating and seeking potential suspects involved. pic.twitter.com/NQ1O3Txr0l
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) December 9, 2023
A small but dedicated team of volunteers spent last Saturday clearing trash from Holmes Run near the Charles Beatley Library.
The City of Alexandria celebrated twelve volunteers who helped in the “first annual National Stormwater Day” cleanup.
“Twelve volunteers donated their time to help pick up trash from a portion of Holmes Run behind Charles Beatley Library,” the release said. “A total of 13 bags were collected, weighing approximately 65-100 pounds.”
The release said most of what was recovered from the creek was glass and plastic.
“The bags were filled with a variety of items, most commonly glass and plastic bottles,” the release said. “The most interesting item picked was a metal folding chair.”
More stream cleanup events are planned throughout 2024.
Anyone noticing that the water in Holmes Run looks different today: you’re not crazy: it’s because of a nearby water main break.
Alexandria Transportation & Environmental Services said though a water main break this morning (Thursday) at the 1100 block of Anderson Street has been cleared up, water in Holmes Run may “remain cloudy for the remainder of the day.”
A water main break occurred overnight at the 1100 block of Anderson Street. Virginia American Water went onsite and repairs have been completed. Due to the location of the water main break, the water in Holmes Run may remain cloudy for the remainder of the day. pic.twitter.com/Y2fLiizxdi
— Alexandria Transportation & Environmental Services (@AlexandriaVATES) November 9, 2023
Alexandria’s seen multiple water main breaks in recent weeks owing to the decreasing temperatures.
Water main breaks can be reported online through an automated process.
If you know of a main break or other water emergency, you can report it on our website or from your MyWater account. This feature is fully automated and will guide you through a quick and easy process to submit the water emergency: https://t.co/0fiB70fSVT pic.twitter.com/hYGx6C6PUW
— Virginia American Water (@vaamwater) November 8, 2023
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested by the Alexandria Police Department on charges related to an armed robbery and shooting in September that left one victim hospitalized.
On Sept. 22, a male victim, age 21, was seriously injured in an armed robbery on the 5500 block of Holmes Run Parkway. The Alexandria Police Department (APD) said the victim was left in serious but stable condition after being shot in the robbery — scanner traffic at the time indicated the man was shot in the shoulder and the back of the neck.
Earlier this week, APD announced:
On October 7, 2023, the Alexandria Police Department arrested a 16-year-old juvenile male in connection with this incident. The juvenile was charged with aggravated malicious wounding and two counts of robbery.
This investigation remains active.
Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact Detective Brandon Smith via phone at 703 746 6159, email at [email protected], call the non-emergency line at 703 746 4444 or upload digital media via the evidence page: here. Tips can be anonymous.
The 2022 assault of a 38-year-old man in the West End is being considered a murder after the victim died earlier this year, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
Maurio Bailey was assaulted in the 5400 block of N. Morgan Street on Nov. 28, 2022, and died on Jan. 2, 2023. The incident occurred at an apartment complex near Holmes Run.
“The Medical Examiner’s Office recently determined the cause of death, as a death stemming from physical injuries,” APD said in a release on June 30.
APD is now asking witnesses to come forward by contacting Detective Matthew Kramarik at 703-746-6650 or [email protected]. Witnesses can also call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
News Release:: APD Investigates Physical Assault Turned Homicide
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a physical assault from November 2022 that turned into a homicide in early January.
Read more: https://t.co/1y3CL05IiJ
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) June 30, 2023
Image via Google Maps
Five years after extensive flooding severely damaged parts of the Holmes Run Trail, a staff report to the City Council this week indicated that repairs could take even longer than expected.
Parts of the trail have been inaccessible since the flooding in 2018. Earlier reports estimated the trail would be repaired by this spring, then by late fiscal year 2024, but the newest Capital Projects Status Report (item 10) indicated a new estimated substantial completion as the second quarter of fiscal year 2025.
“Obviously, this has been out for a long long time and we’ve certainly heard a fair amount of frustration for how long this project is taking,” said Mayor Justin Wilson. “I note, it would appear on the report, we’re pushing out substantial completion a little bit farther.”
Terry Suehr, director of project implementation, laid the blame for the delay in supply chain issues.
“There were multiple sites we were dealing with on Holmes Run,” Suehr said, “the one that was on the quickest path was 4600 Duke Street, that had the replacement of the pedestrian bridge. Due to supply chain issues, what is normally a couple months for procurement had turned into several months. So we have applied that same knowledge to our schedule on the others, anticipating that we’re going to have the same challenges.”
Suehr said the city is pushing the contractor to accomplish as much of the work at 4600 Duke Street as possible so that the bridge can be installed as soon as its ready.
Meanwhile, Suehr said the city is finishing the design for other sites on Holmes Run and the hope is, by August, the city will award a construction contract.
“I know there is a lot going on to prepare for these projects, but folks who look at the site don’t see anything happening. If you could do the design on-site,” Wilson joked, “maybe sit there with a computer, that could be helpful. Folks want to see things moving.”
City Council member Sarah Bagley said if 2025 is the likely date for trail completion, the city needs to do more in the meantime to update signage and improve the detours along the trail.
“If we’re going to prolong this, need to keep up with signage and make detour as safe and accessible as possible,” Bagley said.
Alexandria Police are investigating two early evening robberies in residential areas near Holmes Run last Thursday (Nov. 10) and Saturday (Nov. 12).
On Thursday at around 5 p.m., a 24-year-old man told police that he was hit by a male suspect and robbed of cash in the 5300 block of Holmes Run Parkway. The victim told police that he was taking a walk when he was attacked. He did not go to the hospital.
Two days later, on Saturday, at around 6 p.m., a 26-year-old man was robbed by two men in the 5300 block of Taney Avenue — less than a mile away.
The victim was walking home when he was hit with an unknown object by a male suspect, and robbed of cash and personal objects. He also did not go to the hospital.
Police said that the incidents are not related. No other information on the suspects was provided by police, and the incidents are under investigation.
Anyone with information on either of these incidents can contact the Alexandria Police Department’s non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
The Holmes Run Trail has been incomplete and partially inaccessible since floods in 2018 and 2019 badly damaged it, and in a recent update Mayor Justin Wilson said some of the final pieces of that recovery might not be finished until the summer or fall of 2024.
That’s not to say there isn’t progress being made on trail recovery, with other phases completed earlier this year and a bridge replacement planned for later this winter.
In a community newsletter released this morning, Wilson said the next big improvement will be the restoration of the Holmes Run Trail Bridge at 4600 Duke Street.
With pandemic delays behind us and budget available, the City is now working to bring this trail back to our residents. The work has been divided into a few phases. The first phase of work is the restoration of the Holmes Run Trail Bridge at 4600 Duke Street. The demolition of the current bridge was completed a year ago, and the stabilization of the bank completed earlier this year. The full replacement is now anticipated to occur this fall into winter.
Other, more extensive recovery work, however, is still in the design phase.
“The more extensive phase of work involves the trail restoration at Dora Kelly Park, the trail restoration at the Morgan Street cul-de-sac and the trail restoration at North Ripley Street,” Wilson wrote. “The design work is under way and is expected to be complete early next year.”
If the design is completed in early 2023, Wilson said construction would start in summer/fall 2023 and is expected to take a year; completed in summer/fall of 2024.
“It has been frustrating to have the trail unavailable for so long,” Wilson wrote, “but we’re working to build a more resilient trail to benefit our community for generations to come!”