[Archived] MEDIA ADVISORY: City of Alexandria Receives Grant for Van Dorn/Beauregard High Capacity Transit Alternatives Analysis

The City of Alexandria recently received an $800,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for an Alternatives Analysis of Van Dorn / Beauregard (Transitway Corridor C), of which the City will provide a financial match. The Alexandria City Council approved the High Capacity Transit Corridor Work Group’s recommendation for Transitway Corridor C on September 17.  This recommendation includes bus rapid transit in dedicated lanes where possible along the corridor, until a streetcar in the dedicated lanes becomes feasible. The Alternatives Analysis is the next step of the project, in which a more detailed study is conducted for alternatives in the corridor. This grant process was highly competitive and the City was selected out of a nationwide allocation of $25 million for Alternatives Analysis studies.  Additionally, this grant was part of a package of funding opportunities from the Federal Transit Administration's fiscal year 2011 Alternatives Analysis, Bus Livability, and State of Good Repair Programs, which will go toward replacing or refurbishing aging buses, building or improving bus terminals, garages, and other transit facilities, installing bus-related equipment, and conducting studies to help communities select the best transit options to meet future transportation needs. The FTA awarded more than $928.5 million in grants after reviewing 839 applications requesting a total of $4.9 billion for projects.

Project Overview:

The Alternatives Analysis study will include the area surrounding the Van Dorn/Beauregard High Capacity Transit Corridor (Transitway Corridor C).  This corridor extends from the Van Dorn Metrorail station, forming two branches at the Mark Center: one along Seminary Road and I-395 to the Pentagon and the second serving Shirlington prior to continuing to the Pentagon. Within a quarter mile radius of this corridor, the existing population is approximately 40,000 residents and more than 20,000 employees. Existing major development and activity centers include the Pentagon, Northern Virginia Community College, Shirlington, Mark Center, Beauregard, the Landmark area, and Eisenhower West.  The expansion of transit and dedicated lanes will provide Alexandrians an alternative mode of travel that is fast, efficient, comfortable and reliable.

For more information, visit www.alexandriava.gov/highcapacitytransit or reading the news release from the FTA.