Friday, March 15, 2013
With the Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley project slotted for cancelation, should another way to move visitors and residents be considered?
The Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley project, which made a bumpy ride through City Hall in 2012, appears to be off the tracks. With the city facing a $31 million budget shortfall, City Manager Rashad Young is recommending abandoning the project and its $700,000 price tag in his budget proposal for fiscal year 2014. The pilot project was to be funded with money set aside for transportation projects in the city. • See: City Manager Proposes $626.6 Million Operating Budget The project was subject to plenty of scrutiny from lawmakers, business owners and citizens, who debated how far north into Arlandria the route would travel and later what other neighborhoods it would traverse. • See: Council Approves Trolley Route Serving Del Ray and Arlandria …
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
DASH looking into providing shrink-wrapped buses for weekend service.
With the Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley project currently in limbo, Alexandria’s bus system may lend a hand to get the service running in some capacity. Patch revealed last week that the Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley line was in jeopardy after the city failed to receive a bid during a month-long contractor proposal period. The route, approved by City Council in June, connects King Street Metro to Braddock Road Metro via Commonwealth Avenue and Braddock Road and then moves through Del Ray and into Arlandria before turning around. The motorized trolleys would run Thursday through Sunday primarily in the afternoon and evening hours. City officials cited the economy and the risk involved for contractors to supply and operate trolleys for potentially …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
City did not receive a bid to operate the line following a request for contractors.
The Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley project appears to be in a bit of jeopardy. After City Council approved a route from King Street Metro to Arlandria in June, the city’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services issued a formal request for proposals to operate the line on Oct. 4. According to a Nov. 16 report from City Manager Rashad Young, the city publicized the request and held a meeting for interested investors. However, no bids had been submitted when the request period closed on Oct. 31. The city opted to have a contractor operate the Del Ray-Arlandria line instead of DASH, which operates the King Street Trolley. The city used a contractor to operate the King Street line until April, when its new hybrid trolleys went into …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Alexandria city staff will discuss neighborhood traffic, the Route 1 BRT and the status of the Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley.
The City of Alexandria is hosting a community meeting to discuss transportation issues in Del Ray, including neighborhood traffic, the Route 1 BRT and the status of the Del Ray/Arlandria Trolley. The meeting is scheduled to run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Mount Vernon Recreation Center. The meeting comes after a group of citizens hit Alexandria City Council a second time with concerns over truck traffic and speeding on E. Custis, E. Howell and Monroe avenues and also worries over the burgeoning development in Potomac Yard and its transportation effects on Del Ray. Rich Baier, director of Alexandria’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, told council at a Nov. 17 hearing that money is again available in the …
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Motorized trolley will use Commonwealth Avenue and Braddock Road to reach Braddock Road Metro station as opposed to initial recommendation of West Street.
Trolley service will make its way to Del Ray and Arlandria beginning this fall. On Wednesday night at City Hall, Alexandria City Council unanimously approved a route that will send free, motorized trolley buses from King Street Metro north along Commonwealth Avenue, then turn right on Braddock Road and stop at Braddock Road Metro station. The trolley will then track back to Mt. Vernon Avenue, run north, make a left turn onto W. Glebe Road, right onto Russell Road and right back onto Mt. Vernon Avenue to return. The first recommended route, initially released in March, terminated at W. Reed Avenue, short of the heart of Arlandria. At the time, members of the Arlandria-Chirilagua Business Association and other stakeholders said they wanted …
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Queen Street resident Leslie Zupan suggests that officials overseeing the proposed free Del Ray trolley service get a solid marketing plan and better data before deciding its route and its impact.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Dear Editor, It’s time to take a closer look at the proposed free Del Ray trolley service to determine whether it’s politics or data-centric analysis that is driving this $700,000 project. In recent months, possible routes have been all over the map. Initially, trolleys were to start and end at Braddock Road Metro. Then the decision was made to serve King Street Metro as well. After the “final” route was announced March 29, Council asked why service didn’t extend into Arlandria. Now questions are being raised about why Commonwealth wasn’t considered as the link to King Street and why Braddock is included if tourists are drawn to “Charmville.” This pilot project needs more than raw ridership numbers to justify itself. If the purpose is to …
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
At a community meeting, West Street residents say their street is ill-designed to handle motorized trolley service connecting Old Town and Del Ray.
Alexandria’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services is reaching out to citizens for input on six alternative routes for the expansion of motorized trolley service onto Mt. Vernon Avenue. T&ES posted a survey on the city’s website asking for citizen preferences on routes, the name of the line and hours of service. All six route alternatives begin at King Street Metro station and terminate at varying destinations after moving north along Mt. Vernon Avenue. Two of the alternatives go all the way to Arlington Ridge Shopping Center across Four Mile Run. Some suggested routes use West Street to connect Old Town with Del Ray, while others use Commonwealth Avenue. The routes using Commonwealth Avenue do not make stops at Braddock…
Monday, April 30, 2012
DRBA President says free motorized trolley could be demonstrated later in May.
Trolley service will not debut on Mt. Vernon Avenue during this week’s First Thursday street festival. Del Ray Business Association President Maria Wasowski said the city had previously made a commitment to demonstrate the motorized trolley at the first First Thursday of 2012. However, discussions of the trolley’s regular service route, particularly how far north into Arlandria the free trolley should travel, have temporarily stalled the project. “The folks at [Alexandria’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services] feel that they have to have the route figured out before they run the trolley on First Thursday, so we won't have it this month,” Wasowski wrote in an email. “We hope to have a trolley running during the June …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Members express concern that trolley route doesn't go farther north on Mt. Vernon Avenue.
The Alexandria City Council tapped the brakes on the proposed motorized trolley service in the Del Ray area on Tuesday after members expressed concerns with the proposed route, the name of the line and lack of consultation with some civic groups. Mayor Bill Euille also expressed some displeasure with how council failed to receive a briefing on the matter from the city’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services before it was discussed in the press. “I just think we need to be very cautious in terms of when we do presentations, what we say, in terms of making certain that the legislative body that has to make the final decision is fully cognizant in terms of what you’re doing out in the community,” Eullie said. T&ES revealed …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Proposed route will connect King Street and Braddock Road Metro stations before heading up Mt. Vernon Avenue.
With more than a half-dozen routes on the drawing board, Alexandriaʼs Department of Transportation and Environmental Services announced Wednesday that it has selected a recommended route for trolley service in Del Ray. The preferred routing for the trolley, revealed at a community meeting Wednesday night at George Washington Middle School, will start at King Street Metro station, head east on King Street, then north on West Street, stopping at the Braddock Road Metro station. From there, the trolley will hop on Braddock Road and head up Mt. Vernon Avenue. The trolley will cross over West Glebe Road, then head east on West Reed Avenue, passing Cora Kelly Recreation Center. Then the trolley will go down Commonwealth Avenue, turning right on …
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George Washington Middle School
1005 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA
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amy lu
10:59 am on Saturday, March 16, 2013
The trolley is meant to bring tourists from Old Town to Del Ray/Arlandria. imo, two things adversely impact those tourist from visiting Del Ray: Wayfinding signage and a coordinated parking plan. The City spent money to complete a Wayfinding study. Implementation so far consists of public parking Wayfinding signs in Old Town and possibly a few replacement signs adhere to the recommended format. … more ›