After Delays, King Street Metro Work To Begin In Mid-November

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The City of Alexandria and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will begin construction on the area around the King Street Metro on Sunday, Nov. 18. Construction had been set to begin on Sept. 9 but had been delayed. Metro trains will run normally, as the work will happen in the existing metered parking lot and bus area.

While construction of the interim bus bays began in August, all other work was pushed back to November. The city expects construction impacts in two phases through late 2020. The first phase, estimated to last around 17 months, will include relocating bus bays to surrounding streets. Locations for kiss & ride, car share and shuttles will also be closed. During the second phase, new bus bays will reopen, but kiss & ride, carshare and shuttle areas won't be open.

During the project, drivers should plan for more traffic congestion along Diagonal Road, especially during peak travel times.

The project will replace the existing short-term parking lot with an safer pedestrian walking area, add three additional bus bays and create designated areas for kiss and ride, shuttles, bicycle parking, ride sharing and taxi. Metered parking at the station is being removed.

Here's a guide to the impacts of the work for various transportation methods:

• Buses: Bus bays will be temporarily relocated to Diagonal Road, Daingerfield Road, Cameron Street and King Street. Work to build these temporary bays began in August and affects some on-street parking. Wayfinding signs will direct bus riders to their temporary bay; customers should factor in extra travel time. The bus bays will be moved back to the station after the first phase of construction is finished.
• Pedestrians: A temporary pedestrian path will run from the main entrance of the station to the mid-block crosswalk and the bus waiting area at Diagonal Road through the construction area. An additional pedestrian path will be parallel to the Metrorail tracks, near the station, between the main entrance and King Street. During the first phase, pedestrians using the Carlyle pedestrian tunnel will be required to cross Diagonal Road at Duke Street and again at the mid-block crossing.
• Parking: Along with the existing Metro parking lot closing, there will be no on-street parking on the north side of Diagonal Road, along portions of Daingerfield Road, and on King Street adjacent to King Street Gardens to accommodate temporary bus bays and layovers. Drivers can find parking options in Old Town here.
• Bicycles: Bicycle parking remains open at the station. The Capital Bikeshare stations on Diagonal Road and Commonwealth Avenue will remain open during the project.
• Kiss & Ride: There will be no kiss & ride or shuttles during construction. Alternatives are the Braddock Road or Eisenhower Avenue Stations.
• Shuttles: All local shuttle services must use the Eisenhower Avenue or Braddock Road Metro stations.
• Taxis: Taxi pick up and drop off will be temporarily relocated to the north side of Cameron Street east of the north entrance to the King Street-Old Town Metrorail station entrance at Commonwealth Avenue. Taxis may use the zone in front of the Embassy Suites Hotel or Alexandria Union Station as well.
• MetroAccess van: The MetroAccess van will utilize the same area as taxis on the north side of Cameron Street.

The latest projection calls for phase 1 to be complete and the new bus bays to be open in spring 2020. Other work could finish by winter 2020.

The other major impact during the project is the separate summer 2019 shutdown of six Blue and Yellow Line stations. Braddock Road, King Street, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn Street, and Franconia-Springfield will be closed from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2019 as Metro repairs outdoor platforms.

For the latest on the construction outside the station, visit the King Street-Old Town Metro Access Improvement Project website.

Images via City of Alexandria