Update (October 25, 2024): At its October 19 Public Hearing, the Alexandria City Council approved the project and denied a petition to appeal the Traffic & Parking Board's July 22 decision in support of the full project.
Project Purpose
The purpose of this project is to evaluate needs and opportunities for mobility, access, and safety improvements on the Eisenhower Avenue corridor and develop conceptual plans to address these needs.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI) selected Eisenhower Ave between Van Dorn Street and Holland Ave in the City of Alexandria to be evaluated under the VDOT Project Pipeline Program. This program will include a study of the corridor to evaluate State and City needs to improve safety, mobility, and accessibility along Eisenhower Avenue.
The expected outcomes of the study are grant applications to fund identified improvements in the program. The project will keenly focus on issues such as the high crash rate between Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Ave Connector, poor connectivity and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists near Hensley Park, Holmes Run Trail, and Lake Cook, as well as addressing future demand concerns in the Eisenhower east section of the corridor. The State and City expect to complete this study by Summer 2024.
Background
Eisenhower Avenue between South Van Dorn Street and Holland Lane is an east-west four-lane roadway that is located on the southern side of the city near I-495. The corridor has been a topic of discussion as part of the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan and the Eisenhower East Small Area Plan. The corridor has many needs such as accessibility, travel demand management, and infrastructure accommodations for people walking and biking. Parts of the corridor also have critical safety needs identified by the City's Vision Zero Program and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Potential for Safety Improvements. The Alexandria Mobility Plan also calls for new and improved sidewalks and bicycle facilities on Eisenhower Avenue.
To address these many needs, Eisenhower Avenue was selected for the 2023 Virginia Project Pipeline Program to evaluate existing conditions, develop recommendations for transportation-related improvements, and help identify funding sources for future improvements.
Recommendations and plans resulting from this study will be largely unfunded, however, a goal of the Virginia Project Pipeline Program is to generate competitive grant applications for state and federal funding.
Study Timeline
The Eisenhower Avenue Transportation Study is a year long effort that began in July 2023 and is expected to be completed by end of Summer 2024. The study includes three phases. Community engagement will be performed throughout the life of the project.
Phase 1: July 2023 to October 2023
- Existing Condition Review & Focus Areas
Phase 2: November 2023 to May 2024
- Future Condition Evaluation, Recommendations, and Outreach
Phase 3: Summer 2024
- Final Recommendations & Grant Application Development
Study Development
Community Engagement
October 19, 2024: City Council Public Hearing
Subsequent to the July 22 Traffic & Parking Board Public Hearing, a petition was filed to appeal the Board's decision to City Council. The project and the appeal petition was considered by City Council at its October 19 Public Hearing. The project was approved by City Council, and the appeal was denied.
July 22, 2024: Traffic & Parking Board Public Hearing
At its July 22 public hearing, the Traffic & Parking Board unanimously voted to approve the following staff recommendations:
- Relocation of left turns from the intersection of Eisenhower Avenue and South Van Dorn Street to Metro Road for improved traffic flow and less delay for vehicles and buses.
- Redesign the roadway from South Van Dorn Street to Holmes Run Trail to include one travel lane in each direction, left turn lanes, safe crossings with median islands, a protected two-way bike lane on the north side of the street, and on-street parking at key locations.
- Reduce the posted speed limit from 35 MPH to 25 MPH.
*Additional design options and recommendations will be developed for Eisenhower Avenue east of Holmes Run Trail as part of a future project.
Spring 2024: Community Feedback on Concept Options
Following the development of conceptual design options, the project team gathered community feedback between April 22nd and May 10th.
Summer 2023: Initial Community Input Period
The City solicited community input via an online feedback form between August 28 and September 17 to hear what residents think about transportation needs and issues on Eisenhower Avenue. Thank you for your comments!
Feedback and Input (November 2023 to May 2024)
In addition to feedback from the community during phase 1, City Staff presented updates to the Eisenhower Partnership and Eisenhower West / Landmark Van Dorn Implementation over the last few months to gather additional input on ideas and the corridor. The preliminary recommendations are culmination of the existing issues, future land uses, and community / association feedback.
Study Materials
Phase 1: Existing Condition Evaluation and Preliminary Recommendations
The City of Alexandria is entering its second phase with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on the Eisenhower Avenue Transportation Study. During the first phase, the City and VDOT solicited feedback and reviewed traffic conditions, such as safety, volumes, and upcoming developments to help determine focus areas for the project. Phase Two will be focused on soliciting feedback again but on the preliminary ideas to improve Eisenhower Avenue.
The focus areas are:
- Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue
- Metro Road and Eisenhower Avenue
- Road cross-section between Van Dorn Street and Clermont Avenue on Eisenhower Avenue
- Road cross-section between Clermont Avenue and Telegraph Road
- Transit stop enhancements
Phase 2: Preliminary Recommendations and Outreach
Community feedback was collected between April 22nd May 10th. Outreach materials are provided below:
The Pipeline process identified areas of concern along the entire corridor, however the focus has primarily been on the western end due to immediate safety and congestion needs. In addition to the data collection, input from the community, including the Eisenhower Partnership, and the Eisenhower West/Landmark Van Dorn Implementation Advisory Group, has validated that recommendations should address:
- Speeding
- Safety of all modes between Van Dorn Street and Clermont Avenue
- Poor accessibility to Metro stations via walking, scooting and biking
- Safety and Congestion at Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue
- Not precluding the Small Area Plan recommendations
Recommendations include improving the intersection of South Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue to address accessibility, congestion and safety, install new sidewalks along Eisenhower Avenue between Van Dorn Street and Van Dorn Metro Station, installing a more pedestrian crossings with a northside bicycle path between Van Dorn Street and Holmes Run Trail, reconfiguring the cross-section of Eisenhower Avenue to reduce speeds, and considering continuation of bicycle facilities along Eisenhower Avenue between Clermont Avenue and Mill Road (West)
Staff will also consider improvements to the intersections of Eisenhower Avenue at Stovall Street and Mill Road (east) to improve safety and accessibility as other projects in the area advance.
Staff also would like to inform of ongoing and upcoming plans and projects in Eisenhower East, including:
- Eisenhower Avenue Metro Crosswalk Improvements
- Holland Lane Road Improvements
- Cameron Run Trail Improvements
- Future Mill Road Study
- Future Telegraph Road Accessibility Improvements
- Long-range Eisenhower Avenue cross-section improvements with Development
Phase 3: Recommendations
After nearly a year of planning, analysis, conceptual design, and community engagement, staff recommends the following conceptual changes to Eisenhower Avenue:
- Relocation of left turns from the intersection of Eisenhower Avenue and South Van Dorn Street to Metro Road for improved traffic flow and less delay for vehicles and buses.
- Redesign the roadway from South Van Dorn Street to Holmes Run Trail to include one travel lane in each direction, left turn lanes, safe crossings with median islands, a protected two-way bike lane on the north side of the street, and on-street parking at key locations.
- Reduce the posted speed limit from 35 MPH to 25 MPH.
*Additional design options and recommendations will be developed for Eisenhower Avenue east of Holmes Run Trail later this year.
These recommendations were informed by industry guidance on safety best practices, community input, City plans and policies, and analysis of existing and future conditions. The Traffic & Parking Board approved these recommendations at a public hearing on July 22.
A link to the draft report can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this being corridor being studied?
Eisenhower Avenue is a diverse corridor with a wide range of land uses, development density, and needs. It is an important east-west route in Alexandria, serving all modes of transportation, including people walking, biking, taking transit, and driving. It provides access to residential neighborhoods, commercial districts, parks and trails, two Metro Stations, and more. Many transportation needs have been identified on the Eisenhower Avenue corridor by both the City of Alexandria and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The City's adopted Alexandria Mobility Plan calls for improved bicycle facilities and sidewalks on Eisenhower Avenue. Various improvements have also been recommended via the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan and the Eisenhower East Small Area Plan. Additionally, Eisenhower Avenue has been identified as a high-crash corridor through the City's Vision Zero Program, the goal of which is to eliminate fatal and severe crashes.
Why is the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) involved?
VDOT's Project Pipeline grant funds studies on high-priority focus corridors to evaluate issues and needs, develop solutions, and identify funding sources. Eisenhower Avenue is identified as a VDOT high-priority focus corridor due to safety and mobility concerns. Trough this study, the City will work with VDOT and VDOT's consultant to identify solutions that improve safety, mobility, and operations on Eisenhower Avenue.
How will this project align with the small area plans?
This project will build on the work of the Eisenhower West and Eisenhower East Small Area Plans by exploring recommendations from those plans at a more granular level. This study will ultimately result in conceptual designs that can be leveraged to support future grant applications to fund implementation of the proposed improvements.
What is being done about cut-through traffic from the interstate?
This study will evaluate existing conditions on Eisenhower Avenue, including the amount of traffic using Eisenhower Avenue as a parallel route to I-495. The study will also explore mitigation measures to balance the need for vehicular mobility with the City's goals to enhance safety, access, and comfort for people walking, biking, and taking transit.
When can I expect to see actual improvements?
Eisenhower Avenue is a four-mile long corridor with many needs, which means that completing major improvements corridor-wide is a long-term effort. This study will allow the City to leverage conceptual designs to seek State and/or Federal grant funds to support implementation of future improvements. That being said, there may be opportunities to make interim or short-term improvements in limited cases with local funds in the next 2-3 years.
Additional Resources
Visit the resources and related pages below to learn more: