Red Light Turn Restrictions Proposed On Alexandria's Duke Street

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As part of a larger effort to transform transportation along the Duke Street corridor, the City of Alexandria is proposing new red light right turn restrictions.

No-turn-on-red restrictions are proposed at Duke Street and North Ripley Street, Duke Street and South Reynolds Street, Duke Street and North Paxton Street, Duke Street and South Pickett Street, and Duke Street and the Shoppes of Foxchase entrance. The restrictions are already in effect at Duke Street and North Pickett Street/Cameron Station Boulevard as well as Duke Street and Jordan Street.

The proposed restrictions would be joined by leading pedestrian intervals to give pedestrians a head start to cross intersections. Left-turn arrows would be added at select locations as well as turn-calming measures for drivers making left turns.

The proposal will have a public hearing with the Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board on Jan. 22. If approved, construction could happen in summer 2024.

No-turn-on-red restrictions are one of the city's strategies for its Vision Zero goal, which seeks to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries from crashes by 2028. On Duke Street, the city says there have been over 150 crashes on Duke Street between Jordan Street and Ripley Street since 2017. More than one-third of these crashes caused a fatality or injury. All 14 crashes involving pedestrians involved injuries or fatalities.

The city is also advancing projects in the Duke Street corridor to improve transportation and reduce congestion. One of these major efforts is Duke Street in Motion, which involves transit improvements in the corridor. Over the summer, Alexandria City Council endorsed a Bus Rapid Transit plan for Duke Street to move to design.

Other projects include a pilot program to address cut-through traffic around Duke Street, a plan to redesign the Duke Street and West Taylor Run intersection, traffic signal optimization and more.