To the editor:
Detailed planning for the former Landmark Mall continues apace and will provide new retail, medical offices, more than 1,100 multifamily housing units, and park & open space by early 2026. The developer, Foulger-Pratt, will provide additional facilities, including a hotel, condos, townhomes, a fire station, and more retail in later phases. Inova will build a new Alexandria Hospital on the site, with an expected opening in 2028. In short, the area that Foulger-Pratt is rebranding as West End Alexandria, will soon provide both new destinations for existing Alexandria residents and homes for hundreds of new residents. West End Alexandria will also be a transit-accessible, walkable, and bikeable community with a new transit hub on the site.
How well the West End transit hub serves residents and visitors depends on the usefulness of the applicable transit service. The Duke Street Transitway project is an opportunity to significantly improve transit frequency and reliability and keep Alexandrians moving. Buses can move people more efficiently and with less environmental impact than private vehicles. Buses in dedicated lanes would enable more Alexandria residents to more easily access Duke Street restaurants. Students would more easily access the Beatley Library and Witter Field. Residents in the corridor, particularly those in high-rise apartments, would have access to shorter bus trips, for both local trips and connecting to other high-capacity transit, e.g., at the King Street metro station. I am confident that most Alexandrians will appreciate the benefits of dedicated bus lanes on Duke Street to provide better and more equitable access to current and future Duke Street destinations as well as more efficient transportation options for current and future residents. Let’s plan for the future, when more people will want and need to be served by reliable, efficient and climate-friendly bus transportation operating in dedicated lanes.
Carolyn Griglione
Alexandria