Letter to the Editor: Eisenhower Avenue Widening

To the editor,

I am writing because I am concerned that Alexandria is wasting money on the Eisenhower Ave road-widening project. Does it make sense to spend a $7 million to make the operation of the intersection of Eisenhower Avenue and Mill Road "acceptable" for seven years? And what happens when the average daily traffic volumes again exceed acceptable levels, as the city projects they will?

Readers who think that the city of Alexandria should place higher priority on identifying and incentivizing multi-modal transit options should use the Eisenhower Design Public Comment process as an opportunity to be heard. In the past, our city council has wisely emphasized adding capacity through transit (supported by walking and biking access) over low-capacity SOV (single-occupancy vehicle) car dependency. City staff should follow this plan by creating fewer traffic lanes and greater support for transit.

Here are some of the facts, from the material on the City's Eisenhower Widening Project web site

1. The Mill Road intersection on Eisenhower Avenue currently operates at an unacceptable level with average daily traffic volume of 17,450 vehicles per day (vpd). The volume is expected to more than double to greater than 37,890 vpd in 2022, i.e. about seven years after the proposed widening project is completed in 2015.

Here are some questions for our city staff and elected representatives:

1. For how long will the proposed changes at Eisenhower and Mill Road keep operation of this intersection at an acceptable level? Best case seems to be for about seven years from completion of construction in 2015 to 2022.

2. What happens after seven years (or earlier), when the operation of the intersection becomes unacceptable again?

3. When will action be taken that will reduce the average daily traffic volume, for example, by

   1. Identifying the principal SOV traffic origins and destinations,

   2. Providing more viable transit options, such as new or revised bus routes, easier access to Metro, and efficient bike and pedestrian route systems, and

We cannot have it both ways. Either we provide transit options that work more effectively for more people, or we focus on moving cars. Trying to do both is a waste of taxpayers' money.

James L. Durham
Alexandria