Alexandria Median Pedestrian Improvement Project Public Meeting – May 12, 2026
Alexandria Median Pedestrian Improvement Project Public Meeting – May 12, 2026
A public meeting was held on May 12, 2026, to present the Median Pedestrian Improvement Project along South Patrick Street between Wilkes and Franklin Streets in Alexandria, Virginia. The project aims to improve safety by widening medians, adding curb extensions, ADA-compliant ramps, pedestrian signals, high-visibility crosswalks, and narrowing travel lanes to 11 feet. Construction is anticipated to begin June 1, 2026, and extend through January 2027, with work hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, with lane closures but no full closure of South Patrick Street. The project is funded through VDOT’s Smart Scale program and contracted to Audet Construction LLC.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Resident on South Henry Street expressed concern that lane closures on South Patrick would divert traffic onto South Henry, which already experiences high speeds. The resident asked for mitigation measures. Ryan Knight (Transportation Engineering Division Chief) stated that the project does not address cut-through traffic but encouraged the resident to pursue the city’s Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Program for traffic calming on South Henry.
- Resident from Wilkes Street noted frequent red-light running at Wilkes and South Patrick and feared narrowing lanes would increase danger. Knight explained that lane narrowing is proven to reduce speeds and improve safety; 11 feet is the standard for lanes used by buses and large vehicles.
- Resident from Old Town South asked whether side streets would be narrowed (no) and confirmed that work would occur while the adjacent Heritage project is ongoing (yes).
- Casey Kane (online) requested specific pedestrian detour plans, noting that the Heritage site already has an improper detour. Reggie (project manager) responded that the contractor has not yet submitted the pedestrian maintenance of traffic (MOT) plan, but that once approved, it will be posted on the project website.
- Steve Malone (Old Town Civic Association) advocated for leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) to give pedestrians a head start, and noted that push buttons are problematic when they do not automatically activate countdowns. Knight confirmed that LPIs (approximately 4 seconds) will be included in the project.
- Resident on 600 block of South Henry asked about parking restrictions and traffic diversion to her street. Knight deferred to the residential parking permit program and neighborhood traffic program.
- Lydia Grant (City Communications) acknowledged communication challenges and stated the city is exploring new tools to better notify residents, including a pilot software program.
- Several residents raised concerns about left-turn signal timing at Wilkes Street (currently only 6 seconds) and wrong-way driving on Franklin Street. Knight said these are not part of this project but can be evaluated separately through the Traffic & Parking Board process.
Discussion Items
- Project Overview & Purpose: Reggie presented the goal of improving safety, creating a gateway, and calming traffic. Key improvements include widening medians from 4 to 9 feet, planting columns of trees every 17.5 feet, installing curb extensions at Franklin and Gibbons (but not Wilkes), adding pedestrian signals at all new handicap ramps, and narrowing three travel lanes in each direction from 12-13 feet to 11 feet.
- Construction Impacts: Single and double lane closures on South Patrick, sidewalk closures at working corners, and temporary parking restrictions near intersections. No disruption to bus service is anticipated. The contractor will coordinate with the Heritage project developer.
- Pedestrian Signals & Timing: Knight explained that signals can be programmed either to activate only when the push button is pressed (current practice) or to come up automatically with each cycle. The project will include leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) to give pedestrians a 4-second head start. Crosswalk timing is based on a conservative walking speed standard.
- Communication & Outreach: Residents criticized the notification process, stating that few affected residents were aware of the meeting. Lydia Grant described efforts including mailed flyers, emails, press releases, and social media, but acknowledged reach is insufficient. The city is piloting new software for better engagement.
Key Outcomes
- The project will proceed as described, with construction starting June 1, 2026, and completion expected by January 2027.
- Leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) will be included in pedestrian signal timing.
- The city will compile all questions asked during the meeting and post a Q&A on the project website (QR code provided).
- The contractor’s pedestrian detour plan will be posted online once submitted and approved.
- Signal timing for the left-turn lane at Wilkes Street and wrong-way driving on Franklin Street will be reviewed separately from this project, with potential changes requiring analysis and Traffic & Parking Board approval.
- Residents were encouraged to use the Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Program and Residential Parking Permit Program for issues on South Henry Street.
Meeting Transcript
And then emergency, if we are on the left, that'd be great. This way I can keep making sure that we have everybody outside. Um people online. Cool. All right. So we're going to jump into the presentation. This is the agenda for this evening. Um, we're going to have the goal, the project location, the overview, the key improvements, construction impacts, the schedule, closing summary, and questions. Um, if you have immediate questions, I'll take them, but if possible, can you hold your questions to the end? And then we have somebody online. We have somebody moderate the web to um if you have any questions, and we will talk into the questions. Okay. The project overview. This is uh like I said the median pedestrian improvement project along South Patrick Street between Wilts and Franklin Street. So right over here to there. The paving limits go down to this just before the over the trestle over here on route one, all the way up to all the way up to just somewhere in this area here. That's the paving limits. So the construction of the curvy guns and stuff like that is essentially Wilkes, givens, and uh Franklin. The paving limits as I said are back this way to the trestle here, and up in this way. Okay, let's say on this. Oh, I'm sorry. So again, the paving limits are generally right in here, down to right in here, and then the construction of the new sidewalks curbing gutter will be on Wilkes, Wilkes, Gibbons, and Franklin. Um, and then we're widening the median all the way up. And then also part of the widening medians, we will be planting trees in there, and then making the crosswalks ABA accessible all the way through. The purpose of the project is to connect, yeah. And the purpose of the project is to connect, create a more aesthetically pleasing gateway and call traffic patterns to improve safety for all roadway and sidewalk views. The scope of the work, as I said, is to widen the medians to install new curved extensions and make the 88 ramps uh with it's called American with Disabilities Act and Compliant Ramps, pedestrian signal, and improved the call for crosswalking. Um funding source is a small is funded through VDOT. It's a smart scale project, and our contract is audited construction LLC. Here are the key improvements for the project. I'm gonna walk between both sides, okay? Yeah, that's not cool. All right. Starting with number one, we have the curbing section. These green squares here, here. Um, this is a curve extension on this side. Um, this is Franklin. We have the curved extensions on Franklin. We have two on this is the Franklin is one way eastbound. So we have the curved extensions on the north side of the street. At Gibbons, we only have the curve extension on the west side of Gibbons as you go east west. So here's your two curved extensions here and here. At Wilts, we do not have any curving sessions. Um, and then also we have new pedestrian signals as part of the program, which is public right-of-way accessibility guidelines and the AVA the American Wisconsin Disabilities Act, we're required to put new pedestrian signals um within three feet of the handicap ramp. So that's why every place where you see a new handicap ramp, you will see a new pedestrian signal. Um, and then also we have across the curved ramps, the crosswalks will be what they call high visibility crosswalks. Some people call them ladders because sometimes you know they look like a ladder. So we have the new pavement markings as well. Um, and then also on Wilkes, we have the bike lane crossing on the south side of the hand section that goes back in. Um and then four, we have the crosswalks, and then six and seven are the wider mediants and then the trees.
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