Alexandria Transportation Commission Meeting - January 29, 2026
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Alexandria Transportation Commission Meeting - January 29, 2026
The Alexandria Transportation Commission held a meeting on January 29, 2026, at 12:00 PM. The meeting included a public hearing on the FY2026 Go Alex Fund budget, discussion of grant applications for regional road safety and transportation/land use studies, and approval of the annual work plan and calendar. The commission heard public comment from the Del Ray Citizens Association and approved a motion to endorse two grant applications for a bicycle network gap study and a Mount Vernon Avenue safety study.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the December 17, 2025 meeting (noted as mislabeled November 20, 2024 in the slide deck). Motion carried unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- A representative from the Del Ray Citizens Association expressed strong support for the city's grant application to study Mount Vernon Avenue, citing repeated T-bone collisions at multiple intersections and excitement that the city is taking safety concerns seriously. The speaker noted the city's high success rate for such grants.
- Commissioner Lena Hutchinson (speaking as a commissioner, not public) affirmed that safety is the commission's top priority and that the commission is working to elevate pedestrian and car safety issues.
Discussion Items
- FY2026 Go Alex Fund Budget (Public Hearing): Josh Edam presented the Transportation Management Plan (TMP) budget. The fund has $535,000 in revenue as of July 1, 2025, with $220,000 in planned expenditures (including TMP surveys, grant matches, and bike education programs) and a projected carryover of $315,000. No capital projects are planned for FY2026; staff indicated capital projects will be included in the FY2027 budget. Commissioner Kane raised concerns about equity in fund allocation, noting that some small area plans have zero funds and that the policy's language prioritizing projects proximate to contributing developments may skew investment. Commissioner McMahon asked about public availability of TMP survey data and staff's annual spend-down plans. Chair McManus urged prioritizing safety projects and not delaying spending. The commission approved the FY2026 Go Alex Fund budget with one opposed vote (motion carried).
- Regional Road Safety Program and Transportation/Land Use Program Applications: Chris presented two grant applications to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments: (1) a bicycle network gap study to identify missing connections in the city's bike network, and (2) a Mount Vernon Avenue safety study focusing on the corridor from the school to Braddock Road. The grants are for up to $100,000 each for short-term consulting services. Commissioner Kane requested that the bike study include public outreach to identify gaps not obvious on maps, and noted that GW School is also on the corridor. Commissioner McMahon questioned whether shared lane markings (sharrows) should be considered as gap-fills, given their limited utility for most cyclists. The commission opened and closed a public hearing with no public testimony, then voted unanimously to provide a letter of endorsement to city council supporting the two applications.
- Annual Work Plan and Calendar: Chris proposed deferring the transportation long-range plan update to next year due to staff shortages (hiring freeze and departure of staff). Chair McManus supported the deferral. Commissioner McMahon requested a simplified status update on the existing plan. The commission also discussed consolidating Vision Zero, Complete Streets, Safe Routes to School, and Trails updates into one meeting; several commissioners expressed concern about the volume of content and suggested splitting them. Commissioner Kane requested that maintenance of bike lanes and sidewalks be included in the repaving update discussion. The work plan will be revised and brought back for approval in February.
- Commissioner Updates: Commissioner McMahon reported that the Planning Commission unanimously approved the Green Building Master Plan resolution, with EV charging provisions. Commissioner McManus invited commissioners to join the Dash bus St. Patrick's Day parade walk. Commissioner Kane noted the Transportation and Parking Board will discuss Braddock Road changes.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the FY2026 Go Alex Fund budget (motion carried, with one opposed).
- Approved a motion to provide a letter of endorsement to city council for the two COG grant applications (bicycle network gap study and Mount Vernon Avenue safety study) (unanimous).
- Agreed to defer the transportation long-range plan update to the next fiscal year due to staff constraints.
- Directed staff to revise the annual work plan and calendar, incorporating feedback on breaking up the Vision Zero/Complete Streets package and adding maintenance of bike/ped infrastructure, and bring it back for approval in February.
- Staff will provide a simplified status update on the existing transportation long-range plan.
Note: The transcript indicates the meeting was held on January 22, 2026, but the user instruction specifies January 29, 2026. The date in the title and summary reflects the user's instruction.
Meeting Transcript
Hey Casey. Good evening, Jim. Hi, Chris. Hey, Chris. Hey Casey. Hey Jim, how are you guys doing? Okay. Doing okay. I don't know if you care, but you've got the recording turned on already. Yeah, it doesn't. Oh, I guess I could pause it here for resume recording here. Okay. The January 22nd, 2026 meeting of the Transportation Commission is being held electronically. Umbs of the Transportation Commission and staff are participating from remote locations through video conference call on Zoom. The meeting can be accessed by public in person or via Zoom. And commission members, uh, if we could take roll. That would be helpful. I am Matt McManus. I am present. Do I hear uh do I hear Leslie? Uh Commissioner Catherinewood. Here. Commissioner Cain. Here. Commissioner Levine? Here. Commissioner La Muslanka. Here. Commissioner McMahon. Here. And do we have members of city council? Great. Thank you. Well, our meeting is now open. Do I uh any motion to open a public comment period? So moved. Do I hear a second? Second. All in favor. Aye. Public comment period is open. Welcome, Del Ray Citizens Association. Uh yeah, if you'd like me to talk now as opposed to on that particular agenda item, uh, that's fine. And then I and then I'll hop off. Uh we were just very excited to see you looking at uh grant funding for a study of Mount Vernon Avenue. It's um an area of the city that we have been raising concerns with city staff um kind of repeatedly scares us. We hear every month in our meeting that there have been uh kind of T-bone collisions at multiple intersections across the Avenue. Uh we hear about Del Ray, we know the same thing's happening in Orlandria. So uh yeah, just uh kudos to city staff for finding a way to make that happen. We're thrilled to see that application uh going forward.
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