Transit
Streetcars getting closer in Alexandria
With a combination of old, urban development, newer, suburban neighborhoods, major dense commercial corridors, undeveloped spaces, and several Metro station, Alexandria could benefit enormously from streetcars connecting its Metro stations and other key nodes. Today, the possibility for realizing that vision seems closer than ever, though many obstacles remain.
Streetcars in a different Alexandria. Flickr photo by ubershibs.
There are two main routes that would be ideal for the first streetcars: the Route 1, Pentagon to Old Town corridor in the east, and the I-395 corridor in the west. Both contain large, existing commercial hubs. Both also include areas whose development or redevelopment Alexandria is actively planning: the Potomac Yards area in the east, and the Landmark-Van Dorn area in the west.
Alexandria Councilmember Tim Lovain is a strong advocate for bringing streetcars into that city. In a recent email, Lovain told constituents that a streetcar now looks more likely in the west than the east:
Much to my surprise, the best chance of getting a streetcar in Alexandria now seems to be on the far west end of the City, thanks to the Provost of the [Northern Virginia Community College] Alexandria campus and the ill-advised decision of DOD to pick the Mark Center for their new Washington Headquarters Service site. I am also actively discussing the advantages of a streetcar in the City's deliberations about the Landmark-Van Dorn small area plan in the West End, e.g. converting the new "High Street" into a car-free street for just streetcars, bicycles and pedestrians.According to Lovain, Provost Jonathan Gueverra of NVCC Alexandria is interested in running the streetcar throught he campus, placing a maintenance facility there, and adding classes on streetcar maintenance for their students. That campus is less than a mile from the Mark Center, where the Army recently decided to move 6,400 jobs. Lovain wrote, "The Army currently projects that 60 percent of the employees [at the site] ... will commute by single-occupancy vehicle." If Alexandria and the federal government can build a streetcar from Arlington, through NVCC, and finally into the Landmark/Van Dorn area and its Metro station, it would connect large clusters of jobs, students, and upcoming commercial development to Metro.
In the east, Lovain said, Arlington currently plans a streetcar between the Pentagon to Crystal City, but Alexandria's plans call for a bus instead through Potomac Yards. Riders would have to transfer between bus and streetcar at the Arlington-Alexandria border. Lovain feels city staff made up their minds too soon:
The City staff is much more resistant to the idea of a streetcar in the east end of the City. Earlier this month, staff prepared a memo on possible federal requests to Congressman Moran for when he appeared before us on February 10. The FIRST item they listed was a request that he ask for BUSES for the Transitway as part of SAFETEA-LU reauthorization.Lovain emphasized that many Alexandria city staff do support streetcars and have been working hard to help make that possibility a reality. For more on the nexus of transit and development in Alexandria, check out Charles Carson's recent article about the Potomac Yard Metro station and the debates surrounding that major development.I spoke up in Council to ask Rep. Moran to disregard this request because, in my mind, the mode choice for the Transitway was still an open question. Staff was not pleased with me, but I did not want to see us backing into a final mode choice in an offhand way. The staff feels that, because we are "only" six years away, it's too late to shift away from BRT as the initial mode. I think we have enough time, especially for a decision of this much importance, and so does Chris Zimmerman of the Arlington County Board. ...
This is a very exciting idea that might just happen if we can leverage the new development at Potomac Yard to pay for it. The current plan, however, is for the Transitway to come only within one block of the new Metrorail Station, and some City staff want it at least four blocks away. That Transitway should connect all of the Metro stations in Crystal City and Potomac Yard.
 | David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington and Greater Greater Education. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area which is, in many ways, greater than those others, and wants to see it become even greater.   |
Comments
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by monkeyrotica on Mar 2, 2009 3:15 pm • link • report
by Max on Mar 2, 2009 3:28 pm • link • report
by Joey on Mar 2, 2009 3:37 pm • link • report
by Boots on Mar 2, 2009 3:37 pm • link • report
by staypuftman on Mar 2, 2009 3:59 pm • link • report
(Note: this is slightly tongue-in-cheek, for a lot of people it does make a difference)
Staypuftman: They're more expensive to construct, and a lot of people think you can get the same thing with a bus for a lot less up-front cost.
by Michael Perkins on Mar 2, 2009 4:17 pm • link • report
I know these ideas are an uphill battle, but we cannot let the past status quo dominate our lives forever. $4+ per gallon gas will be back.
by UrbanAlexandria on Mar 2, 2009 4:18 pm • link • report
(Off Topic- Sex existed in GW's day, and I'm thrilled that Old Town has a sex shop right in the "historic" center! How Euro! I think it would be VERY cool if they did their mannequins up in 18th century whore-couture, or curated an exhibition of some sort. Alexandria was a port town, so you know there was some of that business going on. Don't whitewash history.)
I agree that streetcars could have more of a tranformational impact in the west end. Its spread out, but there are dense nodes of housing, especially high rises, that could be better served by transit. Also, in the entire NVCC system, none of the main campuses are served by transit other than bus.
by spookiness on Mar 2, 2009 4:59 pm • link • report
There are chunks of Route 7 where the residents would be fiercely against it. And those portions are the portions that would use it the least. But it makes sense to go through there if not simply because it's the most direct route.
by Reid on Mar 2, 2009 5:00 pm • link • report
It would be ridiculous if 40 years from now, we ran into design conflicts to coalesce these systems if it became necessary.
by Andrew on Mar 2, 2009 5:16 pm • link • report
by NikolasM on Mar 2, 2009 5:17 pm • link • report
http://www.piketransit.com/maps.aspx
Essentially, these two projects would run a continuous streetcar line from Van Dorn to the Pentagon. This would also connect the new DoD offices at Mark Center with the Pentagon (which the Columbia Pike line would not do by itself).
by Brian D on Mar 2, 2009 5:57 pm • link • report
Is it not an option to hipsters if they have to share a bus with *gasp* poor people??
by jacob on Mar 2, 2009 6:05 pm • link • report
What will prevent it from being touted to replace the existing dwellings with greater density?
Would not electric buses and BETTER BUS STOP matters be a more sound investment for such instances?
by Douglas Willinger on Mar 2, 2009 6:13 pm • link • report
by richard on Mar 2, 2009 6:49 pm • link • report
Blue sky planning extends that line along 236 through Annandale into Fairfax City.
Personally I'd prefer Duke St and the West End lines over the Old Town line. The Rt 1 line parallels Metrorail. It's a corridor which is already served by transit -- add an infill station, reduce headway on Metrorail and there's no real need for the Rt 1 transitway.
I can see an argument for a N-S transitway close to the riverfront. But the streets there are very narrow and I doubt anyone has the balls to close them to automobiles.
by jim on Mar 2, 2009 8:28 pm • link • report
by BeyondDC on Mar 2, 2009 9:16 pm • link • report
by Daniel on Mar 2, 2009 9:50 pm • link • report
by Gavin Baker on Mar 2, 2009 10:43 pm • link • report
Electric- though that could be done with a rubber tired bus.
Smoother ride that I see as good for using a lap top computer for a commute.
But how many people will take a long enough ride on a street car for such with the parallel far speedier MB red Line?
IMHO the nearer to be shovel ready Purple Line makes way more sense as part of a schematic as the outer portion of the rail transit wheel, and then the Grand Arc Mall tunnel for the important radial bypass spoke.
Daniel-
Density in spots would be more feasible, but how about drawing up such plans and then show them to the people now there, to give them a chance to make a profit to?
by Douglas Willinger on Mar 2, 2009 11:54 pm • link • report
A streetcar is heavy enough and has dedicated tracks so that snow is little to no problem. Please do correct me if I'm wrong, but they run just fine in Austria and Switzerland where there is a LOT more snow.
As for "high frequency" bus I doubt it runs just up and down King Street alone. If anyone saw Stu Sirota's talk last week, the key is truly integrated transit service that connects at nodes, one of these should be King Street to serve the whole of Old Town and beyond.
by Boots on Mar 2, 2009 11:57 pm • link • report
If you don't think the bumpy ride is a big turn-off, I question how often you ride the bus. Laptops have nothing to do with it.
by BeyondDC on Mar 3, 2009 12:19 am • link • report
I do agree with you that we should have trolley buses in some places around town, but to imply they're as good as streetcars is just wrong. They're not. If you want to argue about which corridors can support which mode, fine, but arguing that wires are all it takes to make a bus as good as a train is like arguing that removing the stop lights is all it takes to turn a neighborhood street into an interstate highway. There are more than surface differences, like it or not.
by BeyondDC on Mar 3, 2009 12:27 am • link • report
I mean, really, really expensive. The average mile of light-rail line costs two to five times as much as an urban freeway lane-mile. Yet in 2007 the average light-rail line carried less than one-seventh as many people as the average freeway lane-mile in cities with light rail.
Do the math: Light rail costs 14 to 35 times as much to move people as highways.
The Government Accountability Office found that bus-rapid transit—frequent buses with limited stops—provided faster, better service at 2 percent of the capital cost and lower operating costs than light rail.
According to Mr. Lovain, the City is trying to emulate the disasterous Portland Oregon. Portland started using streetcars and a light rail system to move people many years ago only what happened? How successful is light rail in Portland? In 1980, before Portland began building light rail, 9.8 percent of the region's commuters took transit to work. Today, it is 7.6 percent.
Since 1980, Portland has spent more than $2.3 billion, half the region's transportation capital funds, building light rail. Yet light rail carries less than 1 percent of Portland-area travel. That's a success?
So, how can the City justify the expense?
by LeeHInAlexandria on Mar 3, 2009 4:12 am • link • report
by William on Mar 3, 2009 6:48 am • link • report
Almost fitting, but my Captcha is "$4-million taste"...
by Froggie on Mar 3, 2009 7:17 am • link • report
1. Those numbers are simply not true.
2. Even if they were, streetcars are less expensive than light rail.
3. Regardless of cost, nobody is going to be building a new highway in Potomac Yards anytime soon, so discussing a new highway is moot.
by BeyondDC on Mar 3, 2009 9:53 am • link • report
Except that more people would probably have ridden them, they'd be more comfortable, they'd use energy more efficiently, they'd be cheaper to operate per passenger, and there would likely be a bigger market for riders thanks to nearby TOD.
I completely agree that a dedicated lane is very important for trunk transit routes (just like I agree that we should use more trolley buses), but it is irresponsible and untrue for opponents to continue arguing that there is no difference between streetcars and buses.
by BeyondDC on Mar 3, 2009 9:59 am • link • report
by SA on Mar 3, 2009 10:10 am • link • report
by Douglas Willinger on Mar 3, 2009 11:38 am • link • report
1- Condition and age of the buses, as well as the streets the latter would sever everyone on the streets, not just those in buses.
2- Potomac Yards is ideal for a highway (it is weird how such a right of way was 'overlooked'); of course segments should be cut and cover tunnel.
by Douglas Willinger on Mar 3, 2009 11:43 am • link • report
by NikolasM on Mar 3, 2009 12:15 pm • link • report
Nikolas: It'd be logical for Route 1 to be a continuous 6 lanes along the Potomac Yards area, for consistency with the 6-lane sections through Old Town and Crystal City. But aside from that, I'm not sure what highway Doug's talking about either.
by Froggie on Mar 3, 2009 12:40 pm • link • report
by Douglas Willinger on Mar 3, 2009 12:44 pm • link • report
by NikolasM on Mar 3, 2009 1:04 pm • link • report
by Douglas Willinger on Mar 3, 2009 1:16 pm • link • report
Even in the late '60s, the route as proposed would've cleared through some already-existing suburban developments off Route 1 and south of the Beltway. North of the Beltway, it largely would have utilized what was then railyard land, but is now heavily developed, especially along Eisenhower Ave and near Potomac Yards.
Ideally, an improved direct or semi-direct route between 395 and the Beltway through Alexandria would be nice. Realistically, it's not going to happen. Even Doug's cut-and-cover-tunnel idea would run into problems once you get south of Braddock Rd, given that there's development up to the railroad ROW, and there's no room between the ROW line and the tracks to squeeze in any sort of roadway (tunnel or otherwise).
Best thing to hope for (that I'd at least like to see) is a consistent 6-lanes along Route 1 (as I already suggested) and some signal retiming along Route 1, as well as Washington St in Old Town, to provide for better signal progression. Current signal progression is pretty good on NB 1 thru Old Town, is okay on SB 1 thru Old Town, but needs improvement outside of that.
by Froggie on Mar 3, 2009 2:14 pm • link • report
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