City Council pushes for $50 million in safety upgrades

During a recent city council meeting, officials discussed several key transportation projects aimed at enhancing safety and infrastructure in Alexandria. Among the highlighted initiatives was the Duke Street project, which focuses on redesigning two high-crash intersections at Duke Street and South Patrick, as well as South Henry Street. This project, which has been in the works for a couple of years, was initially submitted for funding last year but did not receive the necessary grant. City staff are now including it in their Smart Scale package, which aims to secure funding for critical transportation improvements.

The Duke Street project emerged from a grant provided by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and involved extensive community engagement throughout 2022. The redesign aligns with the city’s Vision Zero initiative, which seeks to eliminate fatalities and severe crashes by addressing the most dangerous locations in the city.

Additionally, the council discussed a separate initiative concerning the Shirlington Circle area. City staff are recommending that the council endorse an application from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to implement improvements identified in a 2020 feasibility study conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). These improvements include signalizing and realigning the Quaker Lane and Gunston Road intersections, with the aim of increasing safety in the area. The community had previously participated in the study, and a letter of support from the Park Fairfax was included in the meeting packet.

City staff are requesting authorization from the council to submit up to $50 million in Smart Scale applications and to allow the city manager to execute all necessary documents related to these projects. The council members expressed gratitude for the efforts put into these proposals and inquired about the prioritization process for the applications, indicating a need for clarity on which projects should be deemed most critical for the city.