transportation planning | ALXnow

Report: Progress Made On Improving Alexandria’s Pedestrian/Cyclist Infrastructure

Published July 28, 2020 at 4:45PM

A trail near the Braddock Road Metro Station in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

The update on the Transportation Master Plan Pedestrian and Bicycle Chapter wasn’t planned to coincide with a sudden uptick in bicycle ridership and walking around the city, but it could help explain why many Alexandrians exploring their local pedestrian/bike infrastructure might find it different than they remember.

An update prepared for the canceled June 17 Transportation Commission meeting shined some light on the progress the city has made since it a chapter specifically about that infrastructure was added to the city’s Transportation Master Plan in 2016. The primary goals the city laid out at the time were to improve safety, engineering, encouragement and education of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Alexandria. The move corresponded with a push towards Vision Zero — a project that aims to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2028.

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New Scooter Company Helbiz Rolls Into Alexandria and Arlington

By Vernon Miles

Published July 28, 2020 at 3:30PM

After a launch delayed by the pandemic, mobility company Helbiz has started putting scooters onto Arlington and Alexandria streets.

The company announced yesterday that it would immediately move forward with bringing 100 new scooters to locations in Arlington and 200 to Alexandria. Like other scooter companies, like Lime or Bird, Helbiz scooters are unlocked by scanning a code in an app, riding with cost determined by distance, and parking.

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Alexandria VRE Improvements Headed to City Review

By Vernon Miles

Published July 28, 2020 at 10:30AM

The Amtrak and VRE station (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A series of new improvements to Alexandria’s Union Station — a Virginia Railway Express stop — proposed late last year are moving forward toward city approval.

The plan is to create new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access with a grade-separated pedestrian tunnel and elevator access. The expansion will also allow the station to take two trains at any given time, with one at each platform. The change is part of a regional effort to reduce the system’s bottleneck around the D.C. area.

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Resurfacing on West End of King Street to Start Next Week

By Vernon Miles

Published July 24, 2020 at 3:30PM

It’s been a bumpy ride for drivers on the West End traveling along King Street, but that should change after next week.

The City of Alexandria is planning to start resurfacing King Street between S. 28th Street and S. 25th Street, a portion of the street passing Array at West Alex and the busy intersection with S. Walter Reed Drive.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published July 14, 2020 at 9:00AM

Longtime Bishop Ireton Teacher Dies — “It is with sadness but also with great faith in our Lord that we share that Mr. Ron Umbeck, a beloved faculty member at Bishop Ireton for more than 50 years, passed away earlier this evening. He is now at peace in Heaven and we are sure that he met St. Peter with a math book, a crossword puzzle, an It’s Academic prep sheet and a Bishop Ireton pin. He loved this school, but more importantly, he loved his students and his Bishop Ireton family.” [Facebook]

Mayor Talks About Coronavirus on PBS — “My thanks to ⁦@AlexandriaVAGov⁩ Mayor ⁦@justindotnet⁩ for spending time with us to talk #Virginia re-opening, concerns about virus spread, and how he’s balancing the two. Our report, produced by ⁦@courtneyknorris, on ⁦@NewsHour⁩ tonight…” [Twitter]

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Outdoor Dining Needs Put Old Town Walking District Back on the Menu

By Vernon Miles

Published May 15, 2020 at 3:15PM

An earlier plan to close a portion of King Street for pedestrian-and-bike-access-only could be making a comeback as restaurants look for ways to do outdoor dining as a social distancing measure.

In a virtual town hall, Mayor Justin Wilson addressed questions about the possibility of closing streets to promote pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The prospect has gained ground in New York City, San Francisco, and other urban localities. There has been pressure from some advocates in D.C. for the city to do the same.

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City: Mount Vernon Avenue Road Repaving Done by Summer

By James Cullum

Published April 13, 2020 at 4:30PM

“I would have to say we’re pretty much on schedule,” Mary Winston, the capital improvement paving manager for the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, told the Del Ray Citizens Association in an online meeting last week.

The improvements are expected the be completed on 1.5 miles of the roadway this summer.

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Mayor Announces Nearly 40 Streets Chosen for Repaving This Year

By Vernon Miles

Published March 3, 2020 at 11:45AM

Construction workers repave a street in Old Town Alexandria (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Long-running efforts to address the condition of Alexandria’s roads will continue this summer with a new set of local roadways set for repavings.

Roads were prioritized for repaving based on the Pavement Condition Inventory, according to a newsletter put out by Mayor Justin Wilson. The study done last year showed roads throughout the city score poorly, particularly the side streets through neighborhoods.

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New Transit Plan Could Send King Street Trolley Down to Eisenhower

By Vernon Miles

Published March 2, 2020 at 2:00PM

The King Street Trolley (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

The King Street Trolley runs from the King Street Metro down to the waterfront, but a section of the new Transit Vision Plan could extend that path down to the Eisenhower Metro station.

“The 2030 and 2022 Vision Plan Networks include the King Street Trolley with a potential extension from the King Street Metro to the Eisenhower Metro Station via the Carlyle and Eisenhower East districts,” the plan said. “This could provide a frequent connection directly between the large and dense activity center around Eisenhower Avenue Metro and Old Town.”

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City Threatens to Go ‘Back to Market’ Over Southern Access at Potomac Yard Metro

By Vernon Miles

Published February 26, 2020 at 11:45AM | Updated February 26, 2020 at 12:05PM

After months of stalled discussions over the cost of adding southern access to the Potomac Yard Metro station, Mayor Justin Wilson said the city could start the process of financing it over again.

The Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Work Group “expressed a great amount of frustration at the amount of time we have spent working with WMATA and their contractor to come to an agreement on a potential change order for improved southwest access,” Wilson said at the City Council meeting last night (Tuesday). “The message that was crystal clear from PYMIG was to set a date to have pencils down regardless of where we’re at and pursue going back to market to bid out the improved southwest access.”

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Traffic Calming Changes Planned for Monticello Boulevard

By James Cullum

Published February 25, 2020 at 10:30AM

A section of Monticello Blvd., future home of speed tables (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A number of traffic calming changes will eventually be coming to Monticello Blvd in the Alexandria’s North Ridge neighborhood.

The city is in the final stages of design on the project, which will bring changes to the roadway near George Mason Elementary School. The project will potentially include speed cushions and a speed monitoring sign.