Major Changes Coming To King Street Metro Station

King Street Metro Station will undergo major renovations to improve pedestrian safety and create designated areas for different forms of transportation. The City of Alexandria and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will begin construction this spring, bringing disruptions to traffic and transportation services. Train services will run regularly with no impact expected.

The city and WMATA have not yet named a specific date for the start of construction.

Approved by the Alexandria City Council in 2012, the project aims to accommodate increases in service for Metrobus, DASH, private shuttle bus, Bikeshare and ridesharing services like as Uber and Lyft and replace the existing short-term parking lot with an improved pedestrian walking area. The improvements include:

• Safer walking paths through the parking lot to the station
• Three additional bus bays
• Improved traffic flow
• Designated areas for kiss and ride, shuttles, bicycle parking, ride sharing and taxi
• Improved lighting, landscaping and visual appeal

The project will be done in two phases with an anticipated completion date in 2020. The first phase begins this spring and will last 12 months. During this time, the parking lot and bus loading area will be closed, and congestion could be heightened on Diagonal Road, especially during the busier travel times. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Here's what the construction means for different transportation services:

• Bus loading areas will move to Diagonal Road, Daingerfield Road, Cameron Street and King Street with signs directing customers. DASH will have service changes starting April 1 ahead of construction.
• There will be no kiss and ride or shuttles during construction. Alternatives are Braddock Road or Eisenhower Avenue Stations.
• Taxi pick up and drop off will be temporarily relocated to the north side of Cameron Street east of the station's north entrance. Taxis may also use the zone in front of Embassy Suites Hotel or Alexandria Union Station.
• 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.
• Bicycle parking remains open. The Capital Bikeshare stations on Diagonal Road and Commonwealth Avenue will be open.

Image via Patrick Smith/Getty Images