Holmes Run | ALXnow

Holmes Run Trail trail repair could be pushed back to 2025

Published April 27, 2023 at 1:15PM

Detour for Holmes Run trail (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

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.

News

Police investigate early evening assaults and robberies near Holmes Run

By James Cullum

Published November 18, 2022 at 9:30AM

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.

News

Mayor: Full recovery for damaged Holmes Run Trail set for late 2024

By Vernon Miles

Published November 1, 2022 at 9:50AM

A trail entrance to Dora Kelley Nature Park after flood damage in 2018 (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

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.

News

Alexandria opens up about progress on Holmes Run Trail fix and Mount Vernon Trail widening

By Vernon Miles

Published October 18, 2022 at 11:00AM

A trail over Holmes Run closed in 2020 after flooding damaged the trail system (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

In an update (page 7) prepared for a Transportation Commission meeting tomorrow night, staff outlined some of the progress made in the Complete Streets program along with a look at what’s ahead for some of the city’s most popular trails.

One of the biggest items is progress on the long-awaited Holmes Run Trail Repairs. Portions of the trail have been closed since flooding in 2019 destroyed much of the creek-adjacent infrastructure. The report for the Transportation Commission outlined what’s ahead for those repairs. Parts of that trail, the report said, could be completed by next spring.

News

City of Alexandria awarded $10M for two transportation projects

By Brandi Bottalico

Published July 19, 2022 at 10:45AM

S. Van Dorn Street bridge (photo via Google Maps)

Two projects in Alexandria will receive $5 million apiece from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA).

The NVTA awarded the amounts as part of its six-year budget adopted on Thursday (July 14). The two projects are: to make S. Van Dorn Street and its bridge more transit and pedestrian-friendly for the West End Transitway, and replacement of a fair-weather crossing on the Holmes Run Trail, just behind William Ramsay Elementary School (5700 Sanger Avenue).

News

Alexandria looks to improve Van Dorn Street bridge and Holmes Run Trail crossing

By Vernon Miles

Published November 17, 2021 at 9:50AM

S. Van Dorn Street bridge (photo via Google Maps)

The city’s hopes to extend the Route 1 Metroway a few blocks north have been dashed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), and now city staff is looking at other transportation projects (page 50) around town that could use state funding.

At a Transportation Commission meeting, city staff is proposing two alternative projects for NVTA funding: improvements to the Van Dorn Street bridge and replacement of a Holmes Run Trail bridge.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published September 24, 2021 at 3:35PM

Police outside the McDonalds where a shooting occurred, staff photo by James Cullum

What a busy week in Alexandria.

Our top story this week was on a juvenile who was shot outside the McDonald’s at the Bradlee Shopping Center on Tuesday, Sept. 21. There have also been a number of concerning incidents at Alexandria City Public Schools, including a juvenile who was arrested for trespassing and assault and battery at Alexandria City High School.

News

City looks to state funding for Holmes Run Trail improvement and West End Transitway

By Vernon Miles

Published September 24, 2021 at 11:00AM

A trail over Holmes Run is still closed after last year's flooding damaged the trail system (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The City of Alexandria is sending a funding request to the state that could help create a better Holmes Run Trail Bridge and push the West End Transitway into its next phase.

At an upcoming City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 28, the Council is scheduled to review (item 14) a submission to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) for regional transportation funding in FY 2026 to FY 2027. The request is for funding from the NVTA’s 70% Program, which aims to reduce congestion and increase quality of life with projects of regional significance.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published September 3, 2021 at 3:35PM

Alexandria was spared from significant flooding this week after remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the East Coast. The only flooding found was on lower King Street in Old Town, where businesses laid sandbags at windows and doorways.

“We’re open inside, but if you want to eat you’re probably going to have to come barefoot,” a hostess at Mai Thai told ALXnow on Wednesday.

News

Man arrested after brief chase leads to hit-and-run near Holmes Run

By James Cullum

Published September 1, 2021 at 1:00PM

A 19-year-old Prince William County man was arrested after a brief chase near the 5200 block of Taney Avenue in the West End.

The incident occurred on Monday, August 9. An Alexandria Police officer was at a stationary traffic post in the 4800 block of Taney Avenue, when he tried to stop a black Ford sedan, according to a search warrant affidavit.

News

Two years after massive flooding, city moves forward with Holmes Run trail restoration

By Vernon Miles

Published July 22, 2021 at 10:45AM

A trail over Holmes Run closed in 2020 after flooding damaged the trail system (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Two years after historic floods wiped out swaths of the Holmes Run Trail, Alexandria is hosting a community meeting next week to provide an update on long-term repair efforts.

Parts of the trail in Dora Kelley Park have been inaccessible since flooding in 2018, but much of the rest of the trail has been in a state of disrepair since floods in 2019 undermined the structural integrity of two of the bridges and three stretches of trail.