(Updated 4:10 p.m.) Fewer crashes, reduced traffic volumes and more bike riders —  a new report shows that the Seminary Road Diet is working.

The information comes from a Post-Project Implementation Evaluation by the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. The evaluation shows has been a 41% reduction in crashes along the one-mile stretch of Seminary Road between North Howard Street and Quaker Lane since the road diet went into effect in 2019, according to a report released Tuesday (Nov. 1) by the city’s Department of Transportation & Environmental services.

That’s not all: there have been zero crashes involving serious injury or death, and traffic does not appear to have diverted to neighborhood streets.

Morning peak traffic has increased by 15%, although average peak travel times decreased between 11% and 17%.

The Seminary Road Diet — reducing the four through lanes of the roadway to two and adding bike lanes and a turn lane in the center — was one of the most controversial issues of 2019.

Mayor Justin Wilson said that he’s read the report, and says that the change did what it was designed to do.

“I’m pleased, but not surprised,” Wilson said. “Based on my conversations with many residents in the Seminary corridor, including many who initially opposed the change, the new Seminary has improved the quality of life for walkers, bikers and drivers alike.”

It took the city two-and-a-half years to compile the data for the Seminary Road Project Evaluation Report. The delay in reporting was attributed to needing traffic patterns to return to pre-Covid levels before determining the impact of the road diet.

The report found that traffic volumes during peak travel times decreased between 11% and 17%. Extreme speeding is also down, with the percentage of people driving faster than 35 miles per hour on the roadway now at 7% of drivers.

The Post-Project Implementation Evaluation determined:

• Average annual crashes on Seminary Road decreased by 41%
• Non-severe injury crashes decreased by 14%
• There were an average of .8 fatal or severe crashes per year from 2015 to 2019, and zero from 2020 to 2022
• Property damage-only crashes decreased by 8%
• Extreme speeding is down, with the percentage of people driving faster than 35 miles per hour decreased from 11% to 7%

The Seminary Road Project Evaluation Report is now available. Findings include traffic volumes decreasing during most peak periods and overall crashes decreasing by 41%. To view the complete report, visit https://t.co/H6Mv0V58bx pic.twitter.com/NOyvQ1VtbL

— Alexandria Transportation & Environmental Services (@AlexandriaVATES) November 1, 2022

Things are about to slow down in school zones.

The Alexandria School Board on Thursday (October 6) unanimously approved a resolution requesting a reduction from 25 miles per hour to 15 mph in school zones.

“We are really making our students and our community safe,” said Board Member Abdel Elnoubi, who wrote the resolution. “We’re helping save lives here.”

The resolution now goes to City Council for approval.

The following school zones have 25 mph speed limits:

• N. Beauregard Street — Outside the John Adams Elementary School, William Ramsay Elementary School and Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School zones
• Braddock Road from N. Beauregard Street to Quaker Lane — Outside Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus school zone
• Seminary Road (Kenmore Avenue to N. Pickett Street) — In the Francis C. Hammond Middle School zone
• King Street — Alexandria City High School’s school zone

City Council will also review a plan to install Alexandria’s first speed cameras in school zones later this month.

The conversation over a speed limit reduction and cameras installation began after a nine-year-old girl was hit by a car and seriously injured just outside Jefferson-Houston Elementary School in March.

The south-facing exit from I-395 onto Seminary Road has been for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) only since 2019, but solo drivers will have an option to take the exit ramp for a toll starting early next month.

The ramp off the express lanes currently has an HOV-3+ restriction, meaning the cars must have at least three occupants. Transurban, which operates the express lanes, said it is the only ramp along the corridor closed to toll-paying customers.

The shift to a toll option is scheduled to take effect on Friday, Sept. 9

“Converting the ramp will offer vehicles who are traveling with fewer than three people the option to pay a toll to exit to Seminary Road from the northbound 395 Express Lanes, or to enter the southbound Lanes from Seminary Road,” Transurban and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said in a release. “Dynamic message signs currently installed on Seminary Road will display real-time toll prices to destinations available from the ramp beginning September 9.”

Vehicles with an E-ZPass set to “HOV ON”, along with buses and motorcycles, will continue to have toll-free access to the ramp.

Work on adding toll signage and road markings will require temporary traffic shifts starting today through Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Photo via Google Maps

Parts of Seminary Road were shut down last night and early this morning after what police are investigating as a single-vehicle crash following a possible road rage incident near Inova Alexandria Hospital.

Police said there were gunshots reported during the road rage incident. Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett told ALXnow that the car that crashed was reportedly the victim of the road rage incident and swerved off the road to avoid gunshots.

“Seminary Road from Howard to Jordan Streets is temporarily closed,” police said. “This is due to a single-vehicle car crash stemming from a possible road rage incident in which shots were fired.”

Police said there were no injuries as a result of the shooting, but minor injuries were sustained in the crash.

Seminary Road from Howard to Jordan Streets was closed last night but reopened early this morning.

Notification:: Seminary Road from Howard to Jordan Streets is temporarily closed. This is due to a single-vehicle car crash stemming from a possible road rage incident in which shots were fired. No injuries as a result of shots fired. Minor injuries sustained in the car crash. pic.twitter.com/ZfOA9cBVs6

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) June 1, 2022

Image via Google Maps

A three-car crash has temporarily shut down part of Seminary Road near the intersection with N. Beauregard Street.

Alexandria Police said in a release that the crash has shut down westbound traffic on Seminary Road after Mark Center Avenue, between N. Beauregard Street and I-395.

Injuries from the crash are non-life-threatening, according to police

Notification:: There is a temporary road closure on the westbound side of Seminary Road after Mark Center Avenue. This is due to a three-car crash. Injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening. pic.twitter.com/w5LT4y67VO

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) May 11, 2022

Image via Google Maps

Multiple cars, including at least one police vehicle, were involved in a crash this morning that resulted in multiple injuries.

The crash occurred sometime before 6 a.m. this morning at the intersection of Beauregard Street and Seminary Road.

Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett confirmed to ALXnow that a police vehicle was involved in the crash. Bassett said three cars were involved in the crash. There were at least two serious but non-life threatening injuries, and at least two people were taken to the hospital.

The street remained closed as of 9 a.m. as police continued their investigation.

Notification:: The intersection of Seminary Road and Beauregard Street is temporarily closed due to a multi-car collision. Serious injuries were reported. APD is on scene. Updates will be made when available. pic.twitter.com/tiN6PpBjAw

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 18, 2022

Image via Google Maps

Pump the brakes if you’re cruising down Seminary Road, the City of Alexandria has dropped the speed limit on the arterial road from 35 mph to 25.

The move comes after years of efforts by the city to redesign the road, which included reducing travel lanes to add more pedestrian and bicycle space, which have at times sparked intense backlash. In a press release, the city said the goal is to reduce speed on the street to limit the severity and frequency of crashes. The change will impact Seminary Road between I-395 and the City limits.

“This section of Seminary Road has the highest number of injury crashes per mile per year, compared to similar streets in Alexandria,” the city said. “Between January 2016 and June 2021, there were 239 reportable crashes on this section of Seminary Road. Of those crashes, two were fatal, eight involved severe injury and 59 involved non-life-threatening injuries. A third person was killed on Seminary Road at Fairbanks Avenue in September 2021.”

The recommendation for the reduced speed limit came from the Traffic and Parking Board. The new speed limit signs were installed this week, the city said.

“The likelihood of a person being killed or seriously injured when struck at 35 miles per hour is significantly higher than if that person is struck at 25 miles per hour,” the city said. “After the speed limit was reduced on Quaker Lane and on Seminary Road east of I-395, both speeds and average annual number of crashes declined.”

Keep this in mind when driving along Seminary Road! https://t.co/mBco0sTACT

— Alexandria T&ES (@AlexandriaVATES) December 15, 2021

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is hosting a meeting next week to discuss plans to add the option of non-HOV vehicles to access the Seminary Road ramp to I-395, but with a toll.

The ramp would still provide free access to the express lanes for vehicles with three or more occupants but would open up access to vehicles with fewer than three occupants who pay a toll.

The meeting will be virtual and is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 6, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“This south-facing reversible ramp at I-395 and Seminary Road falls within the limits of and provides access to the 395 Express Lanes,” VDOT said on its website. “Currently, this ramp operates as an HOV-only ramp, providing access to the 395 Express Lanes at all times for carpools and buses. VDOT’s private operator of the 395 Express Lanes, Transurban, is proposing to convert this ramp from an HOV-only ramp to an express lanes ramp.”

The plan has been in the works for a while, with meetings in 2019 before the project was delayed by the pandemic. The city website said in November, VDOT informed the city that they were planning to move forward with the project once again.

“The south-facing ramp, opened in early 2016, was planned to remain restricted high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) and transit traffic traveling north in the morning and south in the evening, even after completion of the I-395 Express Lanes,” the city said.

Give feedback on plans to convert the 395 Express Lanes/Seminary Road High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)-only ramp to a High Occupancy Toll (HOT) ramp in Alexandria! Attend a virtual public information meeting Mon 12/6 at 6:30PM. More info: https://t.co/f4EKm2exCL @VAExpressLanes

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) December 2, 2021

Two Maryland juveniles have been arrested and face several charges after leading Virginia State Police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash at the I-395 and Seminary Road interchange on Wednesday afternoon (October 27).

According to a release put out by the Virginia State Police, the chase started at around 2:30 p.m. after an Infiniti was clocked doing 89 mph in a 55 mph zone and displaying a fake temporary registration tag.

“The trooper activated his emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop for speeding, but the driver of the Infiniti refused to stop,” the Virginia State Police said. “Instead, it cut across all four lanes of travel in an attempt to elude the trooper. A pursuit was initiated.”

The release said the Infiniti exited Interstate 395 at Duke Street and continued west toward Beauregard Street, then returned to northbound I-395 where it changed lanes while allegedly going at 115 mph. During one lane change at Seminary Road, the drivers lost control of the car and it struck a Honda Civic and a Jersey wall.

The driver of the Honda, a 29-year-old man from Fredericksburg, was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries from the crash. the drivers of the Infiniti were arrested and also taken to a hospital.

“The 17-year-old male driver from Capitol Heights, Maryland and the 17-year-old male passenger from Prince George, Maryland were taken into custody,” the release said. “Two loaded handguns and prescription narcotics were recovered at the scene. Both juveniles were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.”

The driver of the Infiniti has been charged with reckless driving, improper registration, one felony count of eluding police, failure to maintain control, and a series of felony possession charges. The passenger is also facing felony firearm possession charges along with narcotics charges.

Part of the incident was captured on a traffic camera video and shared by public safety watchdog Dave Statter.

NEW: @VSPPIO chase on I-395N from Duke St. ended a few minutes ago in a crash & possible fire at Seminary Rd. Speeds reported to be in excess of 100 mph. @WTOPtraffic @WTOP @ARLnowDOTcom #police #LawEnforcement #traffic #vatraffic pic.twitter.com/SinIbI5fQo

— Dave Statter (@STATter911) October 27, 2021

The incident followed another pursuit a few days earlier where both driver and passenger died in a crash. The pursuit started with speeding and a claim from a dispatcher that the vehicle was stolen, which later turned out to be false. Whether or not Virginia State Police should have broad authorization to engage in pursuits has been an issue of some debate.

Photo via Dave Statter/Twitter

The Alexandria Housing Development Corporation is planning to head to city review by the end of the year for a new project that will add 31 affordable housing units to the Seminary Hill neighborhood at 4547, 4555, and 4575 Seminary Road.

“The Applicant, the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation (AHDC) is seeking to consolidate three lots into one and build a condominium project that includes 31 affordable for-sale townhouse-condo units that target average median incomes (AMI) at or below 80% and 8 rental and for-sale multi-family units,” AHDC said in an application.

Three of the multi-family units will be 4-bedroom housing units operated by Sheltered Homes of Alexandria, which will help expand the number of intellectually disabled adults currently served at the group home at 4547 Seminary Road. The remaining five multi-family units will be for sale at 80% AMI or below.

Each of the townhouse units will have 2 parking spaces in an attached garage, the application said. The multi-family units will have access to 19 surface parking spaces, with 12 spaces for residents and seven for visitors.

“The applicant firmly believes that this project serves many goals of the city, but most importantly, by increasing affordable homeownership opportunities for residents with low and moderate incomes, it serves the goals of the city’s Housing Master Plan,” the AHDC application said. “Particularly, the project furthers the city’s goal of creating economic diversity among city residents resulting in strong, resilient neighborhoods…”

The project is scheduled to be reviewed at the Planning Commission on Dec. 7.