Alexandria's commitment to encouraging the increased use of mass transit just grew by $15.1 million.
That is the amount the city will expend for Metrorail to construct a new second entrance to the King Street Metrorail station, a new mezzanine with platform and canopy and Diagonal Road sidewalk improvements.
The funds have been available since the cancellation of the King Street overpass planned two years ago. "The City is really trying to step up its use of mass transit," said Richard Baier, director of Alexandria's Transportation and Environmental Services.
"The city is using its Urban Funds for projects such as this and the DASH Project. The platform portion has not been fully designed yet and we will have to review it," Baier clarified.
According to Metro, the renovations, which got underway this week, will provide the King Street station with a new direct covered north entrance to the existing mezzanine with access into the station from the King Street side.
"This new entrance will shorten the walking distance for Virginia Railway Express customers transferring from Alexandria's Union Station, and for local residents, thereby increasing pedestrian access and capacity to the station," Ray Feldman, Metro spokesman, explained.
"The addition of a second entrance at King Street will help reduce growing congestion through the main entrance at this very busy station," Metro Board Chairman Christopher Zimmerman said. "The average daily ridership at the station has grown in the last two years from 5,232 to 5,678."
LATER IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PACKAGE
In addition to the new entrance, expected to be completed by this summer, two other projects relative to the King Street station are part of the $15.1 million total. They are a new station mezzanine, with platform and canopy extension, at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Cameron Street, and the Diagonal Road side walk improvements.
The latter is being done to enhance a planned pedestrian tunnel to be constructed under Duke Street as part of the Patent and Trademark Office relocation project. The tunnel is not part of the Metro initiative and not included in the city's transit investments.
Both the new mezzanine and sidewalk improvements are scheduled to be completed by late 2004, according to Metro. But Baier expressed some trepidation about the future of the Urban Funds Program.
"With the severe budget crunch, hopefully all funding will remain as is in the Urban Fund Program as state government assesses its budget needs," he said. The planned projects are all cost-reimbursable to Metro as presently structured.