Russell Road Safety Plan: Council Vote Set for November
City staff moved the project to the full council on Nov. 14 after the Traffic and Parking Board failed to resolve parking disputes with school staff.
By Tomas Gonzalez ·
Alexandria City Council will make the final decision on the Russell Road Safe Routes to School Project on Nov. 14.
The council will review the full project and all pending appeals. City staff informed the Traffic and Parking Board of this schedule in a written update on Monday.
The core of the project, known as Option 2, removes 20 parking spaces on Russell Road between W. Myrtle and W. Maple Streets. In exchange, the city plans to install painted curb extensions, high-visibility crosswalk markings, three median crossing islands, and improved ADA curb ramps at six intersections. A new pedestrian crossing will also be added at W. Chapman Street.
The Traffic and Parking Board voted to support Option 2 in July, following public testimony that emphasized safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Residents raised specific concerns about parking for staff at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School. In response, the board asked city staff to develop new parking proposals for school employees.
Leah Riley, director of Transportation and Environmental Services, proposed Alternative C in August. That plan included a net loss of two parking spaces and the addition of two loading spaces. It also called for median refuge islands at W. Masonic View Avenue and W. Walnut Street. In September, the board voted against adding the parking and loading spaces recommended in that alternative.
Despite the September vote, Riley stated that her department would proceed with adding six on-street parking spaces in the 700 block of Johnston Place. She accepted the board's decision regarding the 600 block of Russell Road, where five parking spaces and two restricted loading zones were proposed but rejected. Riley wrote in a letter to the board on Oct. 2 that the Johnston Place additions would help support school employees, whose numbers are increasing this year.
The city is coordinating these design changes with a planned repaving of Russell Road in 2027. The appeals to the council stem from the inability of the Traffic and Parking Board to finalize a parking solution that satisfies both safety goals and staff needs.
Source: ALXnow
