The Duke Street Transitway Advisory Group has made its recommendations to configure bus service along Duke Street — and those recommendations go to city council later this month.
On June 27, the city council will host a public hearing and consider whether to accept those recommendations. If they are accepted, "this project will enter a new phase of planning and implementation as we re-imagine one of the most important corridors in our City," Mayor Justin Wilson explained.
The Advisory Group is recommending that the bus service along the entire corridor should be traveling in a center-running bus lane. However, that's not feasible in the short term. That means that to start out, the Advisory Group believes this is the best configuration:
- Segment 1: From Ripley to Jordan (the east end of the Harris Teeter shopping center), with center-running bus lanes
- Segment 2a: From Jordan to Wheeler, with buses running in mixed traffic
- Segment 2b: From Wheeler to Roth, with a single direction (eastbound) center-running bus lane
- Segment 3: From Roth to Callahan, with center-running and mixed traffic/curb running and mixed traffic
For bus riders, the changes are expected to make a significant difference, shaving 6 to 16 minutes off bus rides along the corridor during the morning and evening rush periods. Cars could face commutes that are either four minutes longer or three minutes shorter, depending on a variety of factors.
While feedback about how this will create better pedestrian safety along the corridor and move buses more quickly has been positive, not everyone is happy with the plans. Sandy Modell, who was CEO of the DASH bus system for nearly three decades, called for a reevaluation in a recent Alexandria Times opinion piece, citing post-pandemic ridership and the need for other measures to be implemented first.
