City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 12, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: LEAH RILEY, DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing and Consideration of Appeals of the Traffic and Parking Board’s February 23, 2026 Decision to Recommend Roadway Design Changes as Part of the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of petitions to appeal the Traffic and Parking Board’s February 23, 2026, decision to recommend roadway design changes as part of the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council concur with the recommendation of the Traffic & Parking Board to implement changes on Braddock Road to improve mobility, access, and safety for all road users.
BACKGROUND: Since adopting the Vision Zero Action Plan in 2017, the City has made a clear commitment: eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries. The staff recommendation is intended to design our streets to prevent crashes and reduce harm when they occur. This approach aligns with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and reflects national best practices in roadway design.
The proposed improvements on Braddock Road also advance the goals of the 2021 Alexandria Mobility Plan by creating a safer, more accessible corridor for people walking, biking, and using transit. By reducing barriers to safe travel, particularly near high-use destinations, we make it easier for residents, students, and commuters to choose options beyond driving, improving both safety and mobility across the network.
Braddock Road is an important east-west connector linking multiple neighborhoods, including Old Town, Del Ray, Rosemont, and Potomac Yard, and serves a diverse mix of users traveling to homes, businesses, schools, parks, and transit. Key destinations along this corridor include George Washington Middle School, Braddock Road Metrorail Station, the Potomac Yard Trail, and the Metro Linear Trail. Today, these users converge in a corridor that was not designed to safely accommodate them all.
Multiple City and state plans, as well as direct community input, have consistently identified Braddock Road as a priority for safety improvements:
• The 2016 Pedestrian & Bicycle Master Plan (Plan) called for safer trail connections and identified this corridor as a gap in the bicycle network. The Plan also highlighted pedestrian safety concerns between Russell Road and Commonwealth Avenue.
• The Virginia Department of Transportation has independently identified this area as a priority for pedestrian and bicycle access improvements in its statewide transportation plan.
• A 2023 Safe Routes to School Walk Audit for George Washington Middle School documented safety risks for students, particularly near the Metrorail station.
• Residents have repeatedly requested safer crossings and better access in this area.
This is a high-impact, evidence-based investment that will measurably improve safety in one of Alexandria’s most heavily used corridors. It protects students traveling to school, improves access to transit, connects critical trail networks, and responds directly to years of community feedback. Most importantly, it moves the City from planning to action on its Vision Zero commitment and executing our adopted plans.
Study Background
In 2024, the City initiated the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project to evaluate conditions between West Street and Russell Road and identify practical solutions to improve safety and accessibility for all users. The study included detailed data analysis, conceptual design, and extensive community engagement, with a focus on traffic operations, parking, and bicycle infrastructure.
Key Findings
• Traffic Operations: Analysis shows that, with signal timing adjustments, all design options perform similarly to existing conditions, overall vehicle delay changing by less than 10 seconds. Reducing travel lanes between Mount Vernon Avenue and West Street improves safety, shortening pedestrian crossings, reducing exposure, and creating dedicated space for bicyclists, while maintaining a comparable driving experience.
• Parking: Based on a parking study of the corridor and surrounding streets, up to 105 on-street spaces exist along Braddock Road, but peak utilization is relatively low (28 vehicles on weekdays and 47 on weekends). More than 300 additional spaces are consistently available within 1-2 blocks. Most adjacent properties include off-street parking, and nearby capacity can accommodate demand, including periodic peak uses.
• Bicycle Infrastructure: Dedicated bicycle facilities provide safer, more reliable connections to transit, jobs, and local destinations. Consistent with national best practices, these improvements enhance safety, increase ridership, and offer viable alternatives to driving.
Detailed technical analysis and design concepts are provided in the Traffic and Parking Board docket (Attachment 1).
Community Engagement
The City conducted robust outreach, including public meetings, stakeholder briefings, and two rounds of online engagement in 2025 that generated nearly 900 responses. Feedback reflects broad support for the project’s goals, alongside concerns about parking impacts.
Key takeaways from the second round of engagement (nearly 600 responses) include:
• When asked about priorities for the intersection concepts, the highest-scored priority for all intersections was reducing conflicts between turning drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
• Strong overall support for improving safety and multimodal access.
• When asked about the segment between Russell Road and Commonwealth Avenue, respondents preferred having bike lanes on both sides, though feelings about parking were similar between the two options.
• When asked about the segment between Commonwealth Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue, more respondents preferred having bike lanes in both directions, though feelings about parking were similar between the two options.
• When asked about the segment between Mount Vernon Avenue and West Street:
o 73% feel positive or neutral about a protected two-way cycle track on the north side of the street and the separated bike lane on the south side of the street.
o 65% feel positive or neutral about having one travel lane in each direction.
• Across all intersection concepts, the top priority was reducing conflicts between drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Full summaries of engagement results and written comments are included in Attachments 1 and 8.
Traffic and Parking Board Public Hearing
At its February 23, 2026, Public Hearing, the Traffic and Parking Board voted 6-0 to endorse the project team’s preferred design concept for the corridor (Attachment 1). Subsequently, the City received 4 petitions to appeal the Board’s decision at a City Council Public Hearing, pursuant to City Code section 5-8-6(a). Under the Code, Council has “the power to retain, remove, or change” individual elements of the Traffic and Parking Board’s appealed decision. Code § 5-8-6(c).
DISCUSSION: The City received four petitions in total appealing various elements of the Traffic and Parking Board’s action and the petitions are being considered collectively (Attachment 2). The elements of the project that were appealed for consideration by City Council include the proposed changes on Braddock Road between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road only (Segments 2 and 3). The petitions do not appeal the segment between West Street and Mount Vernon Avenue (Segment 1), thus that particular segment is not the focus of the hearing. Specifically, the petitioned items before City Council include:
• Removal of on-street parking on Braddock Road between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road, except for approximately 100’ on the unit block of East Braddock Road and 60’ on the 200 block of East Braddock Road;
• Removal of on-street parking on Commonwealth Avenue between Braddock Road and Spring Street;
• Relocation of one disability parking space from the unit block of West Braddock Road; addition of one disability parking space on Hancock Avenue at Braddock Road and one disability parking space on Luray Avenue at Braddock Road;
• Consolidation of the turn lanes and through lanes on the Braddock Road approaches to the intersection of Braddock Road, Russell Road, and West Alexandria Avenue;
• Consolidation of the turn lanes and through lanes at all applicable approaches to the intersection of Braddock Road and Commonwealth Avenue; and
• Consolidation of the eastbound turn lanes and through lane on Braddock Road at Mount Vernon Avenue.
The primary concerns raised by the appellants include the following elements.
Removal of On-Street Parking
Traffic and Parking Board Recommendation: Remove on-street parking between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road, except for the areas noted above.
Concern: The concern raised by appellants is this would limit access to homes and places of worship.
Discussion: The City’s parking study found that parking demand on Braddock Road was highest on Sunday morning. During that time, 47 of 105 available spaces (or 45%) were utilized between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road. At the same time, over 300 on-street parking spaces were available on side streets within two blocks of Braddock Road. All but one home that fronts Braddock Road has off-street parking available, and approximately five on-street parking spaces would be preserved adjacent to that home.
Relocation of Disability Parking
Traffic and Parking Board Recommendation: Relocate one disability parking space from the unit block of West Braddock Road; add one disability parking space on Hancock Avenue at Braddock Road and one disability parking space on Luray Avenue at Braddock Road.
Concern: The concern raised by appellants is this would limit accessibility for disabled patrons of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Discussion: The existing disability space in front of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church would be removed as part of the larger recommendation to remove parking on Braddock Road between Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road. However, the proposed design concept includes relocating that disability space to the next closest location on Hancock Avenue. Additionally, the proposed design concept includes providing an additional disability space on West Luray Avenue. Both spaces would be located adjacent to the church block. Staff provided information on this specific alteration to the technical assistance team with the U.S. Access Board, the federal agency responsible for advancing accessible design standards and guidelines in alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A Transportation Systems Engineer at the U.S. Access Board responded that this alteration meets the requisite design requirements.
Intersection Design Changes
Traffic and Parking Board Recommendation: Consolidate turn lanes and through lanes at the intersections of Braddock Road/Russell Road, Braddock Road/Commonwealth Avenue, and Braddock Road/Mount Vernon Avenue.
Concern: The concern raised by appellants is this would lead to unacceptable levels of traffic congestion.
Discussion: The City completed a traffic study in accordance with state and federal standards and found that the intersections would continue to operate at acceptable levels of service and average vehicle delay would change by less than 10 seconds during the peak hours.
FISCAL IMPACT: Depending on the final design, the project cost is estimated to be approximately $300,000, which would be funded through existing funds from the Complete Streets CIP Program.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Attachment 1: TPB Docket and Additional Public Comments
2. Attachment 2: Petition Appeals
3. Attachment 3: Presentation
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, P.E., Deputy City Manager
Leah Riley, Director, T&ES
Hillary Orr, Deputy Director, Transportation Planning & Mobility, T&ES
Christopher Ziemann, Division Chief, T&ES
Ryan Knight, Division Chief, T&ES
Alex Carroll, Complete Streets Program Manager, T&ES