Current state of the King Street-Beauregard intersection: Small sidewalks sit close to oncoming traffic and crosswalks are nonexistent. Photo by Sean Jones/Gazette Packet
The Alexandria City Council met at the intersection of King Street and North Beauregard Street to hold a groundbreaking ceremony, signaling the start of improvements to be made at the crossroads. Mayor Allison Silberberg and City Manager Mark Jinks gave opening remarks, thanking everyone involved in the project’s work and approval. The City Council then ceremonially took up shovels to break dirt on the project.
The beginning of this project marks an end for years of planning and debate, with the project first being proposed in the 1970s. Current plans have reduced the amount of land the city would have to acquire from private citizens.
The project will add six-foot landscape buffers between the traffic and pedestrians with added crosswalks and pedestrian signals. The project also features added left turn lanes in each direction. Studies have said overall this will create a 31 percent decrease in delays for morning rush hour and a 19 percent decrease in the evening. Total cost for the project is around $11.5 million.
“The focus of this project is on pedestrian safety,” said Yon Lambert, director of Alexandria Transportation and Environmental Services, “The idea is to shorten walking distance for pedestrians and slow down cars.”
City officials hope a more pedestrian friendly area will increase access to and encourage citizens to use public transportation.
The project will move forward in three phases. Phase I is projected to take 12 months and will mainly relocate utilities in preparation for sidewalk and street widening. Phase II will be construction of actual improvements to the sidewalk and road.