Parking changes will be coming to Russell Road near Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School after action by the Traffic and Parking Board Monday.
The Traffic and Parking Board voted 5-2 to remove 20 parking spaces in several blocks of Russell Road. Board Member Dane Lauritzen made the motion to recommend more parking space removals than city staff had proposed. Staff’s proposal would have resulted in a net loss of two parking spaces.
A contentious proposal to remove on-street parking between the 400 and 800 blocks of Russell Road is heading to Alexandria’s Traffic and Parking Board tonight (Monday).
The recommendations would remove on-street parking in the area around Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School (600 Russell Road) and create “painted curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalk markings, and improved ADA curb ramps at six intersections on Russell Road, and a new pedestrian crossing at West Chapman Street.”
Amid parking challenges for residents and visitors in Old Town, the Traffic and Parking Board approved additional parking spaces yesterday (Monday).
The changes respond to concerns from several businesses about parking availability east of Washington Street in Old Town. One of the major factors was the City Hall and Market Square renovation project, which temporarily closed the 180-space Market Square Garage in early 2026 and requires construction staging areas on surrounding streets.
After an 11-hour public hearing with more than 100 speakers Saturday (May 16), a divided City Council upheld the Traffic and Parking Board’s decision to redesign a 0.8-mile section of Braddock Road in Alexandria’s Rosemont and Del Ray neighborhoods.
The 4-3 decision means city staff will continue designing the project into 2027. In 2028, parking will be removed on Braddock Road between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road to make way for new bike lanes. Braddock Road will also be reduced from two lanes to one in each direction between West Street and Mount Vernon Avenue, creating two-way bicycle lanes on one side and a commercial delivery loading zone on the other.
The appeal of the Traffic and Parking Board’s February decision on the Braddock Road redesign in the Rosemont and Del Ray neighborhoods is heading to City Council Saturday (May 16).
Four petitions against the redesign came from residents living along the Braddock Road corridor, as well as Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Community Praise Church on W. Braddock Road. Appellants are hoping City Council will overturn the board’s decision, which would remove parking on Braddock Road between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road to add new bike lanes. According to a city memo, appellants are concerned that the loss of parking will affect access to homes and places of worship.
A new Traffic and Parking Board member appointed by Alexandria City Council had testified on behalf of a citizens association on the Braddock Road changes the board approved in February.
Rosemarie Spano was appointed by City Council as a citizen member of the board on April 14. Spano replaces former Chair Ann Tucker, who had served on the board for 10 years and had her last meeting in March. Spano told ALXnow her term starts in May.
Speed limits on Edsall Road and S. Pickett Street in the West End will be reduced from 35 to 25 mph in April.
The reduction will apply to the full length of Edsall Road from S. Pickett Street to the city limits, and Yoakum Parkway between Stevenson Avenue and Edsall Road.
Alexandria City Council will consider the appeal of the Traffic and Parking Board’s decision to remove parking and reconfigure a portion of Braddock Road for bike lanes.
City spokesperson Ebony Fleming told ALXnow the appeal consideration is tentatively scheduled for City Council’s May 16 public hearing. The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. in the Council Chamber at Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Drive).
Two appeals on the Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board’s approved Braddock Road changes to accommodate bike lanes are heading to City Council.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Pastor Kate Costa said the church is submitting an appeal Monday, March 9 after getting signatures from church members over the weekend. The appeal concerns the board’s Feb. 24 decision to remove on-street parking on Braddock Road, including an accessible parking space in front of the church.
After a meeting that stretched into the early morning hours today (Tuesday), the Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board approved a proposed redesign of the Braddock Road corridor that would remove parking, construct new bike lanes and install other safety improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The board approved the full staff recommendations for Braddock Road between West Street and Russell Road in the Rosemont and Del Ray neighborhoods, prompting the project to continue forward in the design phase.
Some residents have pushed back on proposed lane changes and parking removals on Braddock Road ahead of the Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board’s review on Monday.
The changes are being proposed on the major route between West Street near the Braddock Road Metro and Russell Road in the Del Ray and Rosemont neighborhoods. The city has worked on the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements project since last year as a response to concerns from Alex311, the 2023 Safe Routes to School walk audit at George Washington Middle School and the Virginia Department of Transportation.
