The proposed Potomac Yard arena could hold up to 20,000 people and those attendees have to get to the arena somehow.

A presentation prepared by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), City of Alexandria and Monumental Sports & Entertainment provided a glimpse at plans to handle that traffic.

The presentation noted that 300 events are planned each year, 40 of which will coincide with weekday rush hour. Of those, 50% are expected to get there by driving or through rideshare, while 50% are expected to get there via transit, bike or walking.

The peak need, the presentation said, is handling 2,800 extra cars.

For car traffic, the presentation said the plan is to:

• Maximize Route 1 and Glebe Road throughput and efficiency
• Minimize traffic through local streets
• Create dedicated rideshare zones on and off-site
• Ensure parking is on-site and protect nearby neighborhoods

The 2,800 new peak car trips account for around 6% of weekday volume on the road. The presentation said improvements planned for Route 1 include:

• Expanded turning lanes to reduce backup
• Dedicated through lanes for commuters
• Dedicated turn lanes separating game day traffic from commuters and locals
• Coordinated signals at intersections to move arena traffic off Route 1 and into the site
• Dedicated parking on-site with queuing off Route 1

Meanwhile, the plan said satellite parking sites at the Huntington and Eisenhower Metro garages to the south and Crystal City or Pentagon City to the north will take some of the traffic, with attendees then taking Metro on that “last mile” to the arena.

The presentation said dedicated rideshare zones and queues are part of the plan for the site, similar to how that drop-off is separated at airports.

One of the biggest lingering questions has been how the Potomac Yard Metro Station — which General Manager Randy Clarke said cannot handle arena capacity — would hold up as one of the central pillars of the transportation plan.

The presentation outlined plans to add capacity to the station, with:

• A widened bridge
• Additional escalators
• Added fare gates to cut down on ‘pinch points’ at the station

Lastly, the plan said that eventually Water Taxi access could be added out in the Potomac River and a new Virginia Railway Express station could be built nearby to reduce the burden on the Metro station.

Plans to narrow the George Washington Parkway and widen the Mount Vernon Trail cleared another hurdle this week.

The changes could be coming to the Mount Vernon Trail just south of Alexandria. The National Park Service issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for an Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluating the impacts of the proposed changes, according to a release.

From where the trail leaves Old Town down to the eponymous Mount Vernon it will be widened from 8 or 9 feet wide to 10 or 12 feet wide in some areas. Four trail bridges will also be replaced.

According to the release:

The EA analyzed several alternatives, including a no-action alternative and multiple action alternatives for improvements. After a period of public review and carefully considering the public comments received, the NPS selected a specific alternative that will not significantly affect the environment and encompasses a series of vital enhancements:

• Upgraded pedestrian and cycling paths to improve user safety and enjoyment.
• Enhanced road safety features, such as improved signage and lane adjustments to ensure smoother traffic flow and reduce accidents.
• Maintenance upgrades to preserve the historic and scenic integrity of the parkway and trail, including repairs to existing infrastructure and scenic overlooks.

For the road diet, the plan is to bring the parkway down to one southbound travel lane and one northbound travel lane for much of the route with a striped median or center turn lane.

Design work and planning is scheduled to start later this year.

Officials planning the $2 billion arena at Potomac Yard say that there will be multiple ways to park around and access the site, from accessing parking garages in nearby Crystal City and at Metro stations, with fans getting carted around in shuttles running up and down Potomac Avenue.

Transportation issues were the most frequently mentioned in a roundtable discussion on Monday with local business owners and representatives at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray. The dozen or so business leaders otherwise expressed support for the project.

“The biggest thing I’m hearing from business owners and residents is the transportation and traffic needs,” Pork Barrel owner Bill Blackburn said. “That seems to be the overriding concern for folks.”

Working hand-in-hand, officials from Monumental Sports and site owner JBG Smith said that data from a transportation impact study will be released in weeks, not months. The 70-acre development is sandwiched between Richmond Highway to the west and the George Washington Memorial Parkway to the east. It is also next door to the brand new Potomac Yard Metro station, which will have to be upgraded to accommodate arena-size traffic.

“We have to make sure that the transportation plan that comes out of this works to make sure that your business is continuing to thrive, whether they’re in Del Ray, or Old Town, or at the arena district or in Crystal City, we want to make sure that everyone sort of understands how this is going to impact them and get all the data,” said Evan Regan-Levine, executive vice president at JBG Smith.

The meeting followed news that an authority to finance the deal was introduced into the Virginia General Assembly on Friday, and that Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration outlined $200 million for transportation improvements for the area. Mayor Justin Wilson said last month that the entertainment district will have minimal parking to discourage visitors from driving to the area.

“Who wouldn’t want some of the best athletes in the world visiting Alexandria and eating at my restaurant?” said Jamond Quander, owner of 1799 Prime Steak & Seafood in Old Town. “I think Alexandria is enough of a destination, is well known enough, that events at the new arena won’t hurt, but only improve my business. The question is how are they going to handle the transportation impact?”

Regan-Levine said that there are going to be multiple ways to access the proposed entertainment district.

“Look, there are a lot of different ways you’re gonna be able to access this,” he said. “And some of that might mean parking at something off-site. So, do I park at a Metro garage that’s not used at night and take the Metro a couple of stops in, and whether that’s Eisenhower or Huntington (stations), or also even in National Landing in Crystal City… The idea would be let’s open up and let’s run some shuttle buses down Potomac Avenue so we take some of those cars off the local grid.”

Jordan Silberman, Monumental’s executive vice president and general manager, said that solving the transportation issue is the most important piece in this puzzle.

“We want to make sure that as we invite everybody into, into our building (the arena), that people in the neighborhood feel good about it,” Silberman said. “It’s gonna make sure that we’re enforcing parking across Route 1 and the Mount Vernon neighborhood and Del Rey and making sure that people are not parking here and walking across the street into the neighborhood and affecting people’s lives.”

Monumental Sports wants the first phase of the project to be completed in 2029. According to Monumental:

The proposed sports and entertainment district in Potomac Yard would stimulate growth and job creation in the region through a new campus featuring the global corporate headquarters for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, an industry-leading arena for both the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards, a state-of-the-art Monumental Sports Network media studio, a Wizards practice facility, a performing arts venue, and an expanded esports facility, in addition to new retail, restaurants, hotels, housing and community gathering spaces.

Alexandria will conduct a virtual public meeting on transportation and traffic management on Feb. 1.

Alexandria is urging the state to fund an e-bike rebate program.

The Virginia Mercury first reported that a city report looked into using grant funding and developer contributions to pay into an e-bike rebate program as early as this coming summer.

As part of the legislative package, the city is requesting that the state legislature fund a state-wide e-bike rebate program.

According to the city’s legislative package:

The City supports State investment in clean energy and energy efficiency, including funding for a State E-Bike rebate program and funding for the existing state electric vehicle rebate program to complement the federal rebate program.

Last year, five states — Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Vermont and Washington — announced e-bike incentive programs. In Colorado, the program offered a $500 tax credit to those who purchased an e-bike. Minnesota offered a point-of-sale rebate covering $1,500 of an e-bike purchase, or 50-75%.

The goal of the programs is to encourage people to use e-bikes rather than cars and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. E-bikes are faster and less physically demanding than traditional bicycles and, as this reporter’s colleagues can attest, less likely to leave the rider ostracized by showing up at a newsroom drenched in sweat.

Photo via Helbiz/Twitter

Among all the hubbub about the Potomac Yard arena, there’s been one looming question: how would people travel to and from the new facility?

Transportation has been the key item of concern for both public critics of the project and many civic leaders. While Mayor Justin Wilson said the development will minimize parking to reduce the amount of people taking cars to the site, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said the newly built Metro cannot handle the levels of arena traffic proposed in this development.

At a Town Hall hosted by the Del Ray Citizens’ Association (DRCA), city leaders spoke to both lingering questions and potential solutions being considered for the Potomac Yard arena’s transportation problems.

Stephanie Landrum, President and CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, said the city is working with Kimley Horn to create a transportation plan addressing:

• How do we manage traffic during games and events, different from people coming to and from office or house?
• How do we protect neighborhoods immediately adjacent where people will be traveling through?
• How do we improve Route 1 multimodal improvements already in place with bus rapid transit?
• How do we increase access to transit?

Landrum said the city is also looking into the viability of adding water taxi connectivity to Four Mile Run — though USGS data shows Four Mile Run is typically only around four feet deep.

“We’re looking at bigger ideas, like adding water taxi connectivity on Four Mile Run and how to best connect VRE and Amtrak to our Metro system,” Landrum said.

Katie Waynick, DRCA President, said the water taxi is an interesting consideration.

“Thanks for throwing out the water taxi,” Waynick said. “That was really exciting to see, [it’s] Gondola 2.0. It’s exciting to see different versions of transportation being looked at.”

State Sen. Adam Ebbin said that funding for Metro is a prerequisite for any discussion of the new Potomac Yard arena. Ebbin said he would be examining the transportation plans carefully before making a decision on whether or not to support the arena in the General Assembly.

A map of the area in the slide show includes potential transportation improvements being considered along Route 1, including:

• Added turn lanes at multiple intersections to improve site access
• Additional lanes on Slater’s Lane between Route 1 and Powhatan Street, with an intersection reconfiguration at Slater’s Lane and Route 1
• Complete streets implementation, traffic calming, and resident parking protections in nearby neighborhoods

Earlier today, the City of Alexandria announced a full public engagement schedule to run through the end of March, with a meeting specifically on transportation concerns and traffic management on Thursday, Feb. 1.

The impact that the proposed Washington Wizards/Capitals arena at Potomac Yard will have on local businesses will be discussed in a virtual town hall meeting this week.

Stephanie Landrum, CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP), will speak about the ramifications in a Zoom meeting at noon on Thursday (Jan. 21).

Reception of the news that the multi-billion dollar arena and entertainment district is coming to Potomac Yard has been tepid at best. While an AEDP report states that the development will result in 30,000 new jobs, the city is contending with a number of challenges before the deal can be sealed.

Last week, a group of residents from the Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard rallied in protest outside the Potomac Yard Metro station — next door to the proposed development. Concerns ranged from the project’s transportation and financial impacts to parking and quality of life.

“An entertainment district is projected to generate roughly 2.5 times the economic output of what would otherwise be built based on current development plans,” according to an AEDP impact analysis.

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke also said that the newly opened Potomac Yard Metro station can’t handle arena-size crowds and will need an upgrade. In an effort to encourage alternative transportation to events at the proposed district, Mayor Justin Wilson says there will be minimal parking at the completed site, prompting some concern that neighboring communities will be affected by spillover parking.

Landrum recently said that the fate of the Target store at 3101 Richmond Highway in Potomac Yard is undetermined,  but that it is one of the most frequent questions she gets regarding the development.

(Updated 1/9) A set of Complete Streets changes for Mount Vernon Avenue through Arlandria is headed through city review starting later this spring.

The City of Alexandria released a set of ‘preferred alternatives’ for changes to several Mount Vernon intersections. One of the biggest changes will be to the intersection with Glebe Road.

The staff report says the angle of the current intersection encourages drivers to take fast turns and multiple people have been killed walking on those intersections.

The preferred alternative is a roundabout with an odd, elongated shape meant to suit the intersection better.

The roundabout aims to reduce vehicle speeds and reduce the opportunity for crashes, with large pedestrian refuge areas installed at every crossing.

North of the Glebe Road intersection, twelve parking spaces would be removed at the intersection with Russell Road to make way for curb extensions and green space, with a bus shelter on the east side of Mount Vernon Avenue.

Smaller curb extensions would also be installed at the intersections of Four Miles Road and Executive Avenue with Mount Vernon Avenue.

The proposals were scheduled to go to the Traffic and Parking Board for a public hearing on Monday, Jan. 22, but the city said in a release that the consideration was deferred to an unspecified date this spring.

If Metrobus service is cut back, as WMATA has threatened, several Alexandria lines could be on the chopping block.

General Manager Randy Clarke warned that bus service cuts and job cuts are imminent if the transit agency doesn’t close its $750 million budget gap, adding that he said it’s time for a regional tax to permanently fund WMATA.

Under the drastic cuts proposed by Clarke, all stations would close at 10 p.m., train frequency would drop, and ten stations would be shut down. Among the stations being considered for a shutdown is Alexandria’s new Potomac Yard station, which is also the centerpiece of transit plans for the new Monumental arena.

Clarke also released a list of bus routes, nearly half the Metrobus lines, that would be cut or have reduced service. Many of those routes in Alexandria go through the West End to connect to the Pentagon

The Metrobus lines in Alexandria that would be cut include:

• Route 8W runs through the West End to the Pentagon
• Routes 17B, 17G, 17K and 17M, also running through West End to the Pentagon
• Routes 18G, 18J, 18P, which go through Springfield, up into Alexandria’s West End, and finish at the Pentagon
• Route 21C from Landmark to the Pentagon
• Route 22A through Parkfairfax and the Bradlee Shopping Center up to the Pentagon
• Route 22F from Northern Virginia Community College up to the Pentagon
• Route 28F from S. George Mason Drive up to the Pentagon
• Route 29G from Annandale, through the West End, up to the Pentagon
• Route MW1 from the Braddock Road Metro station to Pentagon City
• Route NH2 from the King Street Metro station to National Harbor

Other routes in Alexandria could see reduced service, including:

• Route 7A from the Van Dorn Metro station up to the Pentagon Metro station
• Route 28A from the King Street Metro station to Tysons
• Route 29K from the King Street Metro station to George Mason University
• Route 29N from the King Street Metro station to the City of Fairfax

State Sen. Adam Ebbin previously said that Metro funding is a ‘prerequisite‘ for Potomac Yard plans and Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s budget proposal includes the possibility for Metro to receive increased local funding.

What makes a good bus stop?

Though Alexandrians probably shouldn’t expect Arlington’s $1 million bus stop, the city is looking for feedback on what kind of amenities should be included on the new West End Transitway.

The West End Transitway is a proposed bus rapid transit system that will run from the Van Dorn Metro station, past the new Landmark development and Mark Center, up to Shirlington.

According to the city website:

The West End Transitway will connect major transit facilities – Van Dorn Metrorail Station, a new transit hub at the former Landmark Mall site, Mark Center Transit Center, a new Southern Towers transit hub, Shirlington Transit Center, and the Pentagon Transit Center – and several neighborhoods along the corridor – Van Dorn/Landmark, a redeveloped Landmark Mall, and Beauregard. This is one of three BRT corridors planned for the City, including the existing Metroway line.

A survey by the city shared a concept for a bus station on the new West End Transitway and asked residents what they do or don’t like about their current bus stops.

The survey also asks bus riders to rank their priorities for new station amenities, including:

• Smart lighting that gets brighter when a person is at the station
• Trees to shade the area
• Solar power to reduce energy use
• Free WiFi
• Interactive screens
• Charging stations for e-bikes or scooters nearby
• Highly visible station names
• Charging ports for phones or other devices

The city’s website said design for the West End Transitway will run through mid-2024, with construction lasting from early 2025 to mid-2027. The first phase of the West End Transitway should begin operating in 2027.

Currently, in Alexandria, drivers have to yield to pedestrians, but a new state-level change has given Alexandria the authority to tell drivers to stop.

According to a memo from Hillary Orr, deputy director of Transportation and Environmental Services, a change to City Code requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians crossing the street is heading to City Council in December.

“In December, City Council will consider a change to City Code requiring motorists to stop for pedestrians crossing or attempting to cross the street,” Orr said. “Currently, City Code requires motorists to yield to pedestrians, which was consistent with State Code.”

But Orr said the state legislature granted more authority to localities to install signs requiring drivers to fully stop at crosswalks. Currently, drivers only have to yield to pedestrians. While the difference between “stop” and “yield” may be technical, Orr said the new language will allow Alexandria to do more to enforce crosswalk infractions.

According to Orr:

In the 2023 legislative session, SB 1069 provided authority to named localities, including Alexandria, to install signs requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians who are crossing or attempting to cross the street. Additionally, the Vision Zero Action Plan identifies the strategy 2A.4 to ‘pursue and support state legislation to require drivers to stop, rather than yield, for pedestrians in the crosswalk.’ Therefore, staff is proposing an update to Section 10-3-924(D) to mirror state legislative language. The proposed change is both consistent with Vision Zero goals and increases the legal standing to enforce crosswalk infractions.

The proposed change is scheduled for review at the Transportation Commission meeting tomorrow (Wednesday).