[Archived] Pedestrian Concourse Opening Delayed

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

The opening of the concourse scheduled to coincide with the first occupancy of Patent Trademark Office buildings in December, and the special use permit specified a completion date of Dec. 31, has been delayed. The concourse is now expected to open July 1, 2004.

A pedestrian concourse under Duke Street is planned from the King Street Metro Station at Diagonal Road to the plaza in front of the Time Life building at Dulaney Street. The design and construction of the concourse is a requirement of the Carlyle Special Use Permit and the responsibility of Carlyle Development Corporation (an affiliate of Norfolk Southern Corporation).

Before the concourse is built, CDC will provide shuttle service between the King Street Metro Station and the PTO site every five minutes during the peak periods and provide physical channeling devices (such as a fence or barrier) to keep pedestrians from crossing Duke Street in the middle of the block and between cars. CDC will be implementing a public information program for PTO employees to share outlined routes available for transit users and to provide information about the shuttle service.

When the Alexandria PTO complex is fully occupied in mid-2005, it will house approximately 7,100 employees. Approximately 50 percent of PTO employees use transit to get to work, and the majority of them will use the King Street Metro Station. The employees need a safe way to cross Duke Street without disrupting traffic.

PTO employees are scheduled to begin moving in to the first two (of five) buildings on the Alexandria campus on Dec. 8, 2003. Employees will move in at an expected rate of 200 per week through March. This first phase includes approximately 2,600 employees. No additional buildings are expected to be occupied until mid-summer 2004.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is relocating from the Crystal City area to the Carlyle area of Alexandria. The 15-acre site consists of more than two million square feet of office and special use space. The project is comprised of a five-building office complex, two town-house-style office buildings, and two parking garages adjacent to the office complex, providing over 3,500 parking spaces.

For additional information, visit www.ptoinalexandria.com or call 703.449.6700 ext.1030.

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