transportation planning | ALXnow

Metro announces replacement shuttles for upcoming shutdowns

Published June 16, 2022 at 9:50AM

A Metro train headed toward the Van Dorn Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

While DASH won’t be able to cover the service gap from the upcoming Metro closures, WMATA announced some new measures yesterday that will attempt to replace Alexandria’s upcoming loss of Metro service.

There are two Metro shutdowns coming to Alexandria that will, together, eliminate or reduce Metro service in Alexandria from September to next May. The first is a shutdown of all stations south of the new Potomac Yard Metro station. The Potomac Yard closure is expected to last from Sept. 10 to Oct. 22. The Potomac Yard closure overlaps with the start of work on the Yellow Line Bridge from Sept. 10 to May. During the much longer Yellow Line Bridge closure, riders will have to take the Blue Line to Rosslyn to cross over into D.C.

News

Old Town pay-by-phone parking cost could increase in effort to push drivers to garages

By Vernon Miles

Published June 10, 2022 at 2:45PM | Updated June 10, 2022 at 5:06PM

A parking meter in Old Town Alexandria on King Street

(Updated 5 p.m.) Next week, the City Council will review a set of new parking rates (Item 19) for Old Town that aim to push drivers off the street and into the city’s underutilized garages.

The new ordinance would expand the area of Old Town where drivers who don’t have residential or guest permits must pay by phone to park. The current rate in those zones is currently $1.75 per hour, but the new ordinance would allow the Director of Transportation and Environmental Services to set a rate of up to $5 per hour.

News

Street repaving heads to Potomac Yard, Arlandria and North Ridge

By Vernon Miles

Published June 9, 2022 at 1:00PM

Lynhaven Drive (image via Google Maps)

If you’ve been grumbling about potholes in Alexandria’s northern neighborhoods, there’s good news: relief is on the way.

The City of Alexandria released the lineup for upcoming street repaving and the list of prioritized streets is a whose-who of northern Alexandria residential avenues.

Opinion

Poll: Is increased car travel time on Duke Street an acceptable trade for better transit?

By Vernon Miles

Published June 3, 2022 at 10:00AM | Updated June 3, 2022 at 10:51AM

Duke Street near Landmark and Cameron Run (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Updated 10:45 p.m. — The question should read “increased car travel time” rather than reduced.

Alexandria is in the process of planning an overhaul to Duke Street, and while part of the project goal is improved transit

News

City of Alexandria lays out Metro replacement plans for fall shutdown

By Vernon Miles

Published May 18, 2022 at 10:00AM

A Metro train headed toward the Van Dorn Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

To those grumbling about the sudden Yellow Line delays because of the lapsed certifications: hold onto your butts, it’s going to get worse this fall.

The City of Alexandria is preparing for a Yellow Line shutdown in Alexandria later this year due to bridge and tunnel rehabilitation and bringing the Potomac Yard Metro station into the system.

News

DASH changes for Potomac Yard Metro create concerns for Old Town North residents

By Vernon Miles

Published April 21, 2022 at 2:30PM

DASH is making some changes to the bus network in Old Town, including one change that has residents concerned.

At a meeting of the Transportation Commission yesterday, DASH Director of Planning & Marketing Martin Barna outlined plans to adjust DASH service in coordination with the opening of the Potomac Yard Metro station. Among those changes is one Barna said has proven contentious to residents along the affected route.

News

DASH implements new boarding and stroller changes

By Vernon Miles

Published April 18, 2022 at 11:00AM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Starting today (Monday), Alexandria’s DASH bus network is going through some changes to how riders board buses and how strollers can be used.

While passengers before could only enter buses through the front doors, DASH is changing its policy for riders to be able to use either door.

News

Alexandria City Council feels the need for speed… limit reductions

By Vernon Miles

Published March 15, 2022 at 2:30PM

At a meeting on Saturday, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that will allow City Manager James Parajon to reduce speed limits in Alexandria as low as 15 miles per hour.

The ordinance, unanimously approved by the City Council, allows the City Manager to “reduce posted speed limits to less than 25 miles per hour, but not less than 15 miles per hour on any city street located in a business or residence district.”

News

Alexandria sees 10-year downward trend in car crashes

By Vernon Miles

Published March 14, 2022 at 11:00AM

Nestled away in a budget presentation for the Transportation Commission, a report on ten years of crash data shows that crashes in Alexandria are overall on the decline.

The report includes data collected from 2011 to 2020, with a note that the COVID-19 pandemic likely impacted crash data from the final year of the study. But even pre-2020, the total number of car crashes in Alexandria had been fairly consistently declining year after year.

News

Alexandria leaders plan around upcoming Yellow Line shutdown

By Vernon Miles

Published March 9, 2022 at 2:30PM

Construction work at Potomac Yard Metro station, photo via City of Alexandria

The WMATA monkey’s paw curls once more, and the planned opening of the Potomac Yard Metro station will coincide with a pair of shutdowns along the Yellow Line.

The first — and long-expected — shutdown will last from Sept. 10 to Oct. 22 as WMATA ties the new Potomac Yard Metro station in with the rest of the system. The shutdown will close all rail service south of Washington National Airport.

News

Regional leaders start eyeing financing and operational questions for new Alexandria-Tysons bus-rapid transit

By Vernon Miles

Published March 2, 2022 at 11:00AM

Envision Route 7 BRT concept, photo via NVTC

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is starting to look at financing for an extensive transportation project connecting Alexandria and Tysons.

The Envision Route 7 BRT project aims to bring a high-capacity transit service running from Tysons to Mark center in Alexandria, with stops at Seven Corners, Falls Church and the East Falls Church Metro station. The project is currently undergoing a mobility study looking over traffic operations and impact, with a particular eye toward the Falls Church segment.