AGENDA

PRESENTATION

RECORDING

DRAFT RECOMMENDATION

ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #10 DRAFT NOTES

AGENDA

COMMUNITY OUTREACH PRESENTATION

RECORDING

DRAFT WORKING RECOMMENDATION

• AGENDA
• PRESENTATION
• RECORDING
• ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #9 DRAFT NOTES 
• UPDATED DESIGNS
• DRAFT RECOMMENDATION TEMPLATE AND SAMPLE FOR DISCUSSION

• ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #8 DRAFT NOTES

AGENDA

SAMPLE CROSS SECTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

PRESENTATION

RECORDING

WOONERF EXAMPLES

2012 WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION

ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #8 DRAFT NOTES

ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #7 NOTES  (ADOPTED)

AGENDA  (updated 12/12/22)

 ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #6 DRAFT MEETING MINUTES

STATION SPACING FACTORS ADVANCED MATERIALS

PRESENTATION

RECORDING

ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #7 DRAFT MEETING NOTES

AGENDA

ADVISORY GROUP #6 PRESENTATION WITH APPENDIX

RECORDING

ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #5 MINUTES

• DRAFT AGENDA
• PRESENTATION
• RECORDING
• ADOPTED MEETING MINUTES
• ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #4 DRAFT MEETING MINUTES
• ADVANCE MATERIALS PACKET
  • AGENDA
  • BUS STATION ITEMS STATUS
  • CONCEPT FACT SHEETS
  • COMPARISON MATRIX
  • DATA PLAN
  • VIRTUAL MEETING POLICY

The next Advisory Group meeting will take place on August 18, 2022 at the DASH Facility at 3000 Business Center Drive from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Members of the public are welcome to attend either virtually or in person. To register for virtual access, use this link. 

DRAFT AGENDA (REVISED 8-16-22)

MEETING RECORDING

PRESENTATION

 ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #3 MINUTES  (adopted)

ADVANCE MATERIALS

GLOSSARY 

• AGENDA
• ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #2 MINUTES (adopted)
• PRESENTATION
• AUDIO RECORDING
• 2012 CONCEPT PLAN FACT SHEET

• ZOOM meeting registration
• AGENDA
• REVISED DRAFT DUKE STREET TRANSITWAY PROJECT VISION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• CHAIRPERSON APPOINTMENT MEMO TO CITY COUNCIL
• ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #1 DRAFT MINUTES
• ZOOM MEETING RECORDING
• ADOPTED DUKE STREET TRANSITWAY PROJECT VISION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• AGENDA
• DRAFT DUKE STREET TRANSITWAY PROJECT VISION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• DUKE STREET TRANSITWAY ADVISORY GROUP MISSION AND CHARGE
• DUKE STREET PLANNING SEGMENTS
• ADVISORY GROUP MEETING #1 PRESENTATION
• ZOOM MEETING RECORDING  (Note: Meeting starts at the 29-minute mark. There is a break between the 1:42 and 1:52 minute marks.)

The Fact Sheet shows the two end to end corridor busway concepts as well as the curb features currently under consideration for each segment of the corridor. Curb Feature Concepts and Busway concepts can be mixed and matched. Also, it is possible that segments can be combined from either of the two Busway Corridor Concepts to make up the preferred alternative.

Curb Concept Y is focused more on separating bicycles and pedestrians with a cycle track and shared use path in locations where there is sufficient right of way. In concept Z, there is mostly a shared use path, which allows for more green space in Segment 1, West of Jordan.  Either curb concept can be paired with either busway concept.

For Segments 1 (Between West End Alexandria and Jordan Street), Segment 2A (between Jordan Street and Wheeler Avenue), and Segment 3 (between Roth Street and Callahan Drive), the busway design will not impact what curb features can be used. However, for Segment 2B (between Wheeler Avenue and Roth Street), which has more limited space, the amount of space available on the curb for other features depends on the concept selected. Widening will be required for Corridor Concept A in Segment 2B, so curb features will require an even greater amount of right of way.

Neither busway concept requires changes to residential service roads. However, there are a few options that touch service roads related to the curb features concepts.  Many service roads will remain largely unchanged, but some might be modified to provide safer walking and biking amenities.  What we heard from the community was that the buffer aspect was the most important thing to them and we are looking for ways to enhance the buffer from homes but also for pedestrians. 

On the north side, the recommendation under consideration is to create a woonerf, or slow, shared space for all potential users of the street between Donnelson and Fort Williams. This could include incorporation of rain gardens, special paving, signage, and other treatments that encourage cars to slow down.  Rain gardens may reduce the number of street parking spaces. A parking study has been conducted that has indicated that there is space available for rain gardens. 

For the service road between West Taylor Run and Cambridge, both concepts show the conversion of a vehicle lane to a cycle track and separated sidewalk, leaving the westbound lane. The Project Team is also evaluating slip lanes for cars to get back onto Duke Street without going all the way to Cambridge. 

For the service road east of West Taylor Run, there are two options under consideration. 1) Curb Concept Y - converting the service road to one-way and incorporating a cycle track and wider sidewalk to improve the bicycle and pedestrian experience, or 2) Curb Concept Z - expanding the sidewalk to create a shared use path. The latter may have right of way impacts and would not enable a buffer between the shared use path and the street. Both options are showing a right turn lane from Duke Street just west of Moncure and eliminating the right turn on to West Taylor Run from Duke Street. Pulling back the right turn lane improves both pedestrian safety and intersection operations. In Curb Concept Y, this configuration would require Moncure Street residents and visitors to go up East Taylor Run to South View Terrace to access Moncure.

The Phase III Roll Plots and Meeting Boards in the Documents section of this page illustrate these changes.

While making safety improvements, the Project Team is working to minimize impacts to residents and will continue to work with the community as designs are being refined.

Between Picket and Paxton, the service road would be repurposed to provide for curb features in either concept.

At the service road east of Jordan to Gordan, the service road is being considered for one-way operations to allow for expanded curb features.

After Council selects a preferred alternative for the corridor, the project will advance further through the planning and design process, which includes incorporating detailed survey, determining and negotiating ROW needs, and an opportunity for public engagement as additional planning and design considerations need to be made.

Corridor Concept A will separate the buses from cars for much of the corridor. This will mean that cars don’t have to wait behind or weave around buses.

Largely because of the signal priority given to buses, in the afternoon peak period, most car trips along Duke Street will also experience reduced travel times. This benefit to cars on Duke Street does increase side street delay, because side streets will have longer red times. These changes in operation, as we have seen in the West Taylor Run signal pilot, may result in cut through traffic diverting elsewhere.

Lastly, safety will be enhanced on the corridor where there are center running lanes by making all left turns signalized and protected (requiring a green arrow). This feature reduces left turn crashes, but does require that at certain locations, cars will need to make a U-Turn to access their destination, like in certain areas on Route 1.

In Busway Corridor Concept B, the model is showing increased travel times compared to business as usual in the westbound direction during the afternoon peak period, but a reduction in eastbound travel times similar to that in Concept A.

Corridor Concept A: Pedestrians will experience greater protections from vehicle traffic by having shorter crossing distances due to medians with pedestrians refuges.

For both busway concepts, pedestrians will have wider sidewalks or shared use paths for much of the corridor, particularly on the north side. Intersection treatments such as leading pedestrian intervals, where pedestrians are able to walk before vehicles can go and removal of some slip lanes, and improved crossings, will be included in both concepts.

In Curb Concept Z, pedestrians will share space with bicyclists for most of the corridor, but there will be more opportunities for green space and tree cover than in Corridor Concept Y, where bicyclists are separated from pedestrians, but there is less of an opportunity for green space and tree cover.

Both curb concepts include the provision of a continuous off-road bicycle facility.

In Curb Concept Z, pedestrians will share space with bicyclists for most of the corridor, but there will be more opportunities for green space and tree cover than in Corridor Concept Y, where bicyclists are separated from pedestrians, but there is somewhat less of an opportunity for green space and tree cover.

Corridor Concept A appears slightly better for transit times and reliability than Corridor Concept B, in the afternoon peak period, according to the model. While the model is looking at travel times and travel time variability on a typical travel day, center running bus lanes have the potential for even greater reliability when there are events such as crashes, greater volumes, vehicles loading or picking up passengers in the curb lane, or other special activity because they are fully separated from vehicle traffic.

Corridor Concept A has stations at center medians, which means that bus riders have to cross half the roadway to wait at the station, but never have to cross the whole roadway.

In both concepts, crossings at stations will be signalized and all stations will have amenities such as shelters and real time information. One tradeoff is that there will be fewer stops, which reduce bus travel times, but mean that bus riders will need to walk a few minutes farther to access their bus stop.

The current cost estimates include the costs for features that can be scaled back or adjusted as well as a healthy contingency to account for unknowns. As the selected concept advances through the design process, the accuracy of the estimate will increase and the “nice to have” project elements can be scaled up or down accordingly.

The intent would be to establish an agreement with emergency responders so that those vehicles can utilize dedicated bus lanes during emergency response situations, as is currently the case with Metroway.   Additional coordination will occur to identify any additional design features to better support emergency vehicle usage.

Related to the busway designs, some of the trees in the median will need to be removed in Concept A related to the construction of center stations, but the intent would be to mitigate tree removals by utilizing either existing or newly established greenspace areas for new tree plantings or other desired greenspace features. Concept A also shows the removal of some trees related to the roadway widening in the area of Segment 2B (Alexandria Commons)

Other impacts to trees are primarily related to proposed changes in curb feature designs (shared use path, sidewalk widening, cycle tracks), and are not related to the busway Concept A or Concept B.

At this stage of design, an arborist has not been engaged to determine health of existing trees or collect specifics about tree diameters or sizes. This is typically a step that would happen after conceptual design, and that information would help inform design advancement and preservation strategies.

Per the Alexandria Transit Vision plan, the DASH 30 bus was envisioned to operate 15 minutes all day. Peak frequencies are anticipated to remain similar to today’s across the Line 30 and WMATA Metrobuses. Currently, there is no new route planned for the corridor. All existing buses will serve the proposed station locations.

FTA has developed a method to quantify the measures used by FTA to evaluate and rate projects, called the Simplified Trips-on-Project Software (STOPS).  It is designed to estimate transit trips on a project using readily available data and procedures that are calibrated to match both local and national experience related to rail, bus, and BRT ridership and is designed to forecast project ridership in a wide range of situations. STOPS performs many of the same computations of transit level-of-service and market share found in model sets maintained by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) throughout the United States.  It produces all of the reporting needed by project sponsors to review ridership forecasts in detail and to support grant applications to the FTA Small Starts and New Starts programs.   

The STOPS model takes in as input the available Census data, General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) files, observed transit counts on the existing system, local roadway network including travel times and distances, base and forecast year demographic and employment data, and transportation analysis zone (or another geographic unit) shapefile.  STOPS is first calibrated to local conditions based on the observed transit data.  It is then used to generate ridership forecasts for the build options under consideration.

For the Duke Street BRT study, the following data were used to support the ridership forecasting using STOPS:

• 2022 GTFS data for DASH, WMATA, and other transit providers in the region
• Observed transit counts for DASH and WMATA in 2022
• 2010 American Community Survey data for Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia
• Socioeconomic data from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG or COG), including Round 9.2 forecasts for population and employment
• Auto travel times and distance data for existing and future years, based on the regional model by COG/Transportation Planning Board (TPB)
• Transportation analysis zone from the COG/TPB
• BRT build alternative specifications (station locations, frequency/headway, and run time) and future year transit routes in the corridor.
  • Existing peak frequencies were assumed
  • PM: Travel times from Vissim Model
  • AM: better than PM by one minute for the corridor
  • Mid-day: better than AM by one minute for the corridor
  • Night: better than Mid-day by one minute for the corridor

In this model application, STOPS develops an origin-destination person trip flow table, based on Census Journey-to-Work flows, grows it to a future year using demographic projections, and then uses a conventional mode choice model to estimate the share of these trips using transit and tally up the number of transit trips using each transit station and route.  BRT is assumed to be more attractive to riders than a bus and less attractive than a light rail and a heavy rail like Metrorail.

There are a few different approaches that may be taken:

1. Stations: There may be opportunities to shift station locations to avoid right of way needs
2. Busway: If the right-of-way is related to the needs of the busway, such as segment 2B in Corridor Concept A, then additional phasing of implementation may need to occur if right-of-way cannot be acquired.
3. Curb feature options:
   1. Small sections of shared use paths may need to be replaced with a narrower shared use path, or sidewalk that bikes are permitted to use (bikes are currently permitted to use sidewalks outside of Old Town).
   2. The buffer between the path or sidewalk and the street may be eliminated.
   3. Bikes could be diverted to a bicycle route along the south side of the street, potentially along south side service roads.

The advisory group may make a recommendation around priorities in these constrained environments, particularly around curb features.

Bus travel time savings in a BRT project is typically associated with several factors. Two notable factors on the proposed concepts for this project are:

• BRT vehicles in the proposed concepts stop fewer times than local buses because the stations are spaced further apart than existing bus stops.
• With the dedicated bus lanes, queue jumps and transit signal priority represented in the proposed concepts, the bus can avoid conflicts and delay from interaction with general traffic

The amount of time assumed for BRT vehicles to stop at a single individual station and load/unload riders is called dwell time. In our models, the dwell time for a BRT vehicle at an individual station is assumed to be equal to the dwell time for a local bus at a single bus stop.

In both concept models, an estimated 3 ½ minutes of the bus travel time savings in either travel direction can be attributed directly to station spacing and a reduction in the total amount of dwell time.

The bus travel time savings associated with dedicated lanes and other priority treatments can range from an estimated 2 minutes to 5 ½ minutes depending on direction of travel and the concept. On average this represents over 1 minute per mile in bus travel time savings.

City Council has prioritized transit and transportation alternatives along the Duke Street corridor for more than ten years. In 2008, the Transportation Master Plan identified Duke Street as one of three priority transit corridors. In 2012, the City worked with the community to develop conceptual plans for the corridor. In 2018, the City received funding to advance the design, and in 2020, the project was fully funded.

Today, there is high-density residential throughout the corridor, and with more redevelopment, especially at the Landmark Mall site, there will be more people along Duke Street.  Duke Street currently has the most ridership of any corridor in the City between the DASH Line 30 and Metrobus 28A and 29K/N. The DASH Line 30 is DASH's most productive route. Ridership along this corridor has exceed pre-COVID levels, consistent with other corridors with higher transit dependent populations who use the bus service all day and not just for commute trips. This project is an opportunity to improve the existing transit experience and encourage even more use of buses to get around.

Right now, the bus along the corridor isn't competitive with a vehicle in terms of speed. A more efficient, reliable and comfortable bus service – with safe, connections -- will make it a more attractive option. A well-designed roadway can make travel safer and more efficient for everyone, reduce congestion, and improve air quality. The City wants to keep Duke Street in Motion.

Yes, where feasible. Since many people live, work, or visit locations within walking or biking distance to Duke Street, safe and convenient routes between bus stops and the places people need to go along the corridor will be essential elements of this project. The project team is looking at features that would make it safer, less stressful, and more accessible for both pedestrians and cyclists. If feasible, staff are looking at possibly implementing wider sidewalks, shared-use paths, or separated bike lanes. 

While transit is the key focus of this project, Duke Street is an important connection for people in cars. Community conversations have made it clear that traffic along this roadway and through the adjacent neighborhoods is a major concern that needs to be considered with any changes to the corridor. Any major roadway design changes will include an analysis that will evaluate the impacts to traffic in the area. The project team will be evaluating the impacts and will mitigate operational challenges where possible. 

The City’s goal is to plan for the long-term sustainability of the Duke Street corridor while supporting travel needs in the shorter term. The project coordinates with current and planned development along the corridor, as well as projects happening around the region. This project is a significant investment for the City, and we want to ensure the BRT system of the future incorporates the latest technology and considers future uses along the corridor.

During community engagement as part of the Central Alexandria Traffic Study and the Alexandria Mobility Plan, it was clear that cut-through traffic is a major concern in this area. While this project will not directly address cut-through traffic, making transit a more attractive option has been shown to move some people to use it more frequently. However, the City has a number of projects and initiatives aimed at improving traffic flow and reducing cut-through traffic through the Smart Mobility program and capital projects such as Duke Street at West Taylor Run.

Potential overpasses linking Duke Street to Eisenhower Avenue were discussed many years ago by city Staff and Council. City Council did not take action to move this concept forward due to the cost and various community and traffic concerns, and this connection is not in any current City plans.

Boundaries for this transit corridor were established by City Council in 2008 and were then updated in 2012. The Duke Street Transitway will connect to another forthcoming transitway (the West End Transitway) at Landmark Mall, which itself will be a major destination, and will also connect to the King Street Metrorail Station, which is currently a major destination for riders along Duke Street.

There is only a small portion of Duke Street west of I-395 that is in the City of Alexandria. Should Fairfax County develop a plan for a BRT corridor to the west, the City will work with them to provide connections that could create a more regional transit network.

We recognize that this is a concern to many residents and others who travel through the Duke Street corridor. While this issue will not be addressed as part of this project, the City has been awarded $5.7M funds from Virginia’s Smart Scale Program contributing to the redesign and construction of the Duke Street and West Taylor Run Parkway intersection, as well as additional access to the Telegraph Road interchange. Community engagement for the Duke Street and West Taylor Run project will begin in fall 2021, and the Duke and West Taylor Run Parkway intersection efforts will be coordinated with this Duke Street transit project to ensure that bus stop placement is aligned.

 Bus Rapid Transit (or BRT) system aims to make bus transit more efficient, reliable, and comfortable by adding elements often seen in rail transit like MetroRail. In general, BRT is a flexible system of facilities, equipment, services, and amenities that improve the speed, reliability, and identity of the bus. Specific BRT system elements vary but may include characteristics such as:

• More frequent service
• Upgraded bus stops with enhanced passenger amenities, including level boarding that makes it easier and faster, especially for passengers with difficulties.
• Vehicles and stations branded for easy recognition by riders
• Transit signal priority enabling buses to stop less often at red lights. (You can see a video about this technology here.)
• Queue jump lanes to allow BRT vehicles to bypass traffic
• Part-time or full-time bus lanes with to provide a bus-only pathway that can function similar to a rail-way, with dedicated space
• Pre-paid boarding using all doors to reduce the time it takes for passengers to get on and off the bus

There are a few “givens” to this effort:

• The project area is defined as the Landmark Mall site to King Street Metrorail Station via Duke Street.
• Bus transit will be the primary component of the final concept.
• Bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular improvements will be included, where possible, and will follow other City priorities like Vision Zero and the Complete Streets Design Guidelines.
• The project will involve coordination with other ongoing initiatives and projects.

There are several pieces that are yet to be determined, including:

• The potential use of dedicated transit lanes
• Removal/retention of service roads
• Station locations and amenities
• The system operator (WMATA or DASH) for any new bus service
• The potential inclusion of bike facilities, trails, sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater, drainage, etc.
• And more!

On July 9, 2020, the City of Alexandria was awarded $75 million in regional revenues from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) in the 2020-2025 Six Year Program. This funding will be used to help construct the first phase of improvements identified in the planning and public input phases of the project. Prior to July 2020, through NVTA’s inaugural 2018-2023 Six Year Program, the City received $12 million in regional revenues, utilized towards the design and engineering phases of the project.

For Segments 1 and 3, no property impacts are currently envisioned for any of the bus running way concepts. However, to maintain general traffic lanes and include improvements to walking, biking, and green space, service roads in front of business and multi-family residential areas may need to be modified or eliminated. The City is working to identify ways to minimize these impacts, like redesigning the street to accommodate access and parking where service road changes are being considered.

For Segment 2a (Between Jordan Street and Wheeler Avenue), the Center Running option would likely require impacts to service roads in front of homes and/or impacts to property.

The Hybrid option, which includes a mix of bi-directional bus lanes, center running lanes, and buses operating in mixed traffic, will only impact one service road on the north side of Duke Street between Ingle Place and N. Gordon Street. However, improvements to curb features may require modification of some additional service roads.

The City commonly works with property owners on capital improvement projects (such as sewers and facilities) to acquire property rights, typically referred to as “right-of-way.” For the Duke Street in Motion project, it has not yet been determined if the City will need any easements or new public right-of-way. In design, the City performs detailed land survey and mitigates right-of-way needs to the greatest extent possible. Staff anticipates that any right-of-way needed for this phase of Duke Street in Motion would be acquired via voluntary agreements and not through use of eminent domain. 

Depending on the ultimate design selected and what you are located, left turns across Duke Street might be restricted.  What this means is that there would likely be a dedicated U-turn at the intersections so rather than waiting for a gap in traffic to cut across two or three lanes, you would have a safer turn, but it might take an extra few minutes.  Left turn crashes on Duke Street are one reason it is a high crash corridor in the City.  

We understand that not all sections of Duke Street look the same – even within the segments we are showing.  What we are showing are the most typical sections, and we know they don’t cover everything.   The tradeoffs listed on the fact sheets (whether there are property, service impacts, or travel lane reductions) are based on high level sketches that cover the whole corridor. As we narrow down design options, and before a preferred option is selected, we will have to look at these areas in more detail to determine what the precise, location specific tradeoffs are.  This is a reminder that one concept doesn’t have to, and likely will not, carry throughout the entire corridor.   

Summer 2022 ridership along the corridor was about 2,700-3,000 average weekday boardings per day between the DASH 30 bus and the WMATA 29K/N and 28A routes, which is the City's highest ridership corridor and DASH's most productive route (most riders per bus). Average weekday activity (ons and offs) is about 5,600-5,700. Ridership has been increasing steadily and corridor ridership as of the Summer was greater than pre-COVID levels.  

Metrobus ridership data shows that 36% of transit customers use the Duke Street corridor during mid-day period (9 AM to 4 PM) in comparison to 45% AM/PM peaks combined. The remaining 19% of trips take place during early AM, early evening, and night periods.