Among the changes the city is making to its mobility plan, Alexandria is starting to lay the groundwork for autonomous vehicles on city streets.
There are currently serious concerns about the safety of self-driving cars, with specific concerns about the ability of these cars to reliably avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists. But at the technology advances, city staff are still including plans for self-driving cars on Alexandria streets as a future possibility worth planning for.
The 100 block of King Street has been closed to cars for over a year, and now the city is looking to make the change permanent.
At an upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, the Planning Commission is docketed to review a proposal by city staff to permanently turn the 100 block of King Street between Lee Street and Union Street into a pedestrian zone.
If you ever feel bad about getting on the bus in Alexandria and realizing too late you’re on the wrong one, don’t fret. Apparently some of the people who run the city’s bus system do the same thing.
The new DASH bus network launched on Sept. 5, but city leaders and transit administrators met last week to celebrate.
GW Parkway to go on road diet next month — “The restriping program will alter lane configurations in an effort to make the Parkway safer for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. The NPS will restripe the road between the City of Alexandria and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate to create just one southbound lane instead of two, a turning lane and two northbound lanes between Stratford Lane (near Mount Vernon Estate) and Tulane Drive (just south of Belle View).” [Alexandria Living]
Couple donate Edward R. Murrow World War II microphone to National Press Club — “Casey Murrow’s father, broadcaster Edwin R. Murrow, used this microphone for his legendary radio broadcasts from London rooftops to describe live Germany air raids during World War II.” [Gazette]
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.
The city’s DASH bus network recently went fare-free, and the city is looking for more funding from the state to help it stay that way.
An item at the upcoming Tuesday, Sept. 14, City Council meeting includes an application to the Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) to help finance the city’s free bus ridership program.
You might have already noticed if it’s on a street near you, but this week the City of Alexandria has resumed its seasonal resurfacing work throughout Old Town.
Repaving work started on Monday this week as part of a seasonal program. This week and next, repairs and curb improvements are underway on Union Street from Pendleton to Franklin streets and Duke Street from South Union to South Patrick streets.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is looking at making some improvements to Little River Turnpike, one of the main arterial roads between Alexandria and Fairfax County.
Little River Turnpike (Route 236) runs through the Lincolnia neighborhood of Fairfax County, turning into Duke Street when it crosses into the West End. A study of crashes on the street from 2015-2019 showed that many of the crashes were clustered around the border between Fairfax County and Alexandria, where Little River Turnpike crosses I-395.
Alexandria is getting ready to go fare-free this fall, and at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) on July 1 the architects of that plan shared some of the challenges ahead.
Josh Baker, general manager of DASH, said a fare-free bus system had been brought up before, but transit authorities started looking at an emergency pandemic-program as a way to test what the program could look like on a larger, more permanent scale.
As Alexandria works through the first stages of its Duke Street transit overhaul, city staff are laying out expectations for what’s being considered for the corridor.
In a public meeting last week, staff presented early plans for a transit-focused overhaul of Duke Street and fielded both questions and some early concerns from residents.
A new Duke Street overhaul that aims to make the street more transit-friendly is starting its community outreach phrase.
The Duke Street in Motion plan aims to create a corridor of more reliable and frequent bus service along Duke Street between the King Street Metro station and Landmark Mall — where developers is in the early phases of redeveloping the site into a mixed-use corridor and hospital.
