City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JANUARY 17, 2023
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: YON LAMBERT, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of a Grant Application from DASH and the City of Alexandria for the FY 2024 to FY 2025 I-395/95 Commuter Choice Grant Program. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Should the City seek grant funding for DASH bus services and buses?
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Approve the proposed resolution (Attachment 1) to support the three (3) I-395/95 Commuter Choice Grant application requests for up to $26.5 million over two years; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to apply for these grant funds and enter into any necessary agreements to accept this grant.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of the Commuter Choice program is to provide funding support for transportation projects that maximize person throughput in the I-395/95 corridor and improve mobility options. The program is managed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), which oversee the distribution of roughly $17 million in annual funding from I-395/95 Express Lane toll revenues.
In the first four years of the I-395/95 Commuter Choice program, DASH and the City have been awarded more than $14 million in funding for two bus service enhancement projects on Line 35 and Line 36A/B. Funding increased the service frequency and hours of operation. As a result of these service improvements, ridership on these routes has increased dramatically on both weekdays and weekends. The graphs in Attachment 2 display a comparison between baseline ridership levels without the I-395 Commuter Choice improvements and the actual daily ridership levels with the service improvements.
DISCUSSION: Staff propose to submit three applicat...
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