Duke Street Transit Design Concepts Being Presented, Feedback Sought

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As the City of Alexandria prepares to develop a design recommendation for the Duke Street in Motion project, community feedback is being sought in October.

Duke Street in Motion is a transit-focused project centered around a Bus Rapid Transit system for Duke Street between West End Alexandria and the King Street Metro in Old Town Alexandria. According to the city, the project will aim to balance the need of all Duke Street users, as thousands use the Duke Street corridor each day.

Bus Rapid Transit differs from regular bus service, as it provides methods like dedicated bus lanes, transit signal priority and queue jumps to get riders to their destinations faster. There is already a Bus Rapid Transit system in Metroway, which connects the Pentagon City Metro and Braddock Road Metro through dedicated bus lanes and mixed-use lanes.

In Alexandria, a Bus Rapid Transit system on Duke Street would connect Old Town and the King Street Metro with West End and the future Inova Alexandria Hospital at the redeveloped Landmark Mall site. The city is also planning a West End Transitway to connect the area's major transit hubs, including the Van Dorn Street Metro, the new Landmark Mall site transit hub, Mark Center Transit Center, new Southern Towers transit hub, Shirlington Transit Center, and the Pentagon Transit Center.

Jen Monaco, the project manager for Duke Street in Motion, said in a presentation Bus Rapid Transit is about making bus service "act more like rail service," which is often faster, more reliable and more comfortable for riders. According to a city presentation, it takes half the time by car than by bus to get from West End to the King Street Metro during peak travel times.

"BRT and related improvements on Duke Street can have a big impact on helping to achieve a range of community priorities, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to improving air quality and making Alexandria a more equitable city," said Monaco in the presentation. "This project provides better transportation choices for everyone, including several areas of low=income and traditionally disadvantaged populations along the Duke Street corridor who are more likely to take transit."

In 2021, the city held an initial community input phase to gather feedback on an overall vision and goals for the Duke Street in Motion project. According to a project presentation, 88 percent of people who provided feedback in this phase want to see reduced traffic, 55 percent want safety improvements and 47 percent would consider riding the bus more often with improvements.

The second community input phase this October will present street design concepts and gather feedback as the city selects a final design recommendation. In spring 2023, the city will share the design recommendation and gather more input.

The city is seeking feedback on busway design options for different segments of Duke Street. Some of the design options include center running lanes, curb running lanes, a bi-directional lane, and mixed traffic lanes for buses. The project segments include the West End to Jordan Street, Jordan Street to Wheeler Avenue, Wheeler Avenue to Roth Street and Roth Street to the King Street Metro. Residents can view busway design concepts on the Duke Street in Motion project web page.

Upcoming meetings are being planned by project segment:

• Segment 3 (Roth Street to King Street Metro Station): Wednesday, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Bishop Ireton High School Auditorium, 201 Cambridge Road, Alexandria, VA 22314
• Segment 2 (Jordan Street to Roth Street): Monday, Oct. 17, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Bishop Ireton High School Auditorium, 201 Cambridge Road, Alexandria, VA 22314
• Segment 1 (West End Alexandria to Jordan Street): Thursday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Patrick Henry Rec Center, 4653 Taney Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304
• Corridor-wide Open House (no presentation at this meeting, visit any time): Wednesday, Oct. 26, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Patrick Henry Rec Center, 4653 Taney Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304

Upcoming pop-up events to learn about the project include:

• Oct. 14, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Mark Apartments, 100 S. Reynolds Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
• Oct. 15, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Speedy Laundromat, 235 S. Van Dorn Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
• Oct. 16, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Angel Park, 201 W. Taylor Run Parkway, Alexandria, VA 22314
• Oct. 16, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Witter Field, 2660 Witter Drive, Alexandria, VA 22314