Publicly-Supported Road Diet Reduces 

Speeds in Alexandria 

Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services 

KEY ELEMENTS:

Public support

Speed reduction

Community members can provide valuable insights 

into pedestrian safety on their streets, adding support 

to local projects such as the King Street Road Diet in 

Alexandria, Virginia. The City of Alexandria’s Complete 

Streets policy requires that city maintenance and 

capital projects improve the transportation network for 

all users, so when a 1.8 mile segment of King Street 

was slated for resurfacing, the city had an opportunity 

to address longstanding community concerns and seek 

feedback on design options for improving the corridor. 

This section of King Street has a bus 

line, residences, multiple churches, a 

community center, and a high school. A 

Complete Streets project on King Street 

would meet the vision for a more walkable 

Alexandria that is described in both the 

city’s Transportation Master Plan and the 

local school district’s Strategic Plan.1,2

IMPLEMENTATION 

City staff presented the public and advisory 

boards with a range of design options 

for the King Street project. At a minimum, 

maintenance work done in conjunction 

with street resurfacing would have included 

sidewalk maintenance, ADA-compliant bus 

stops, and upgraded curb ramps. Staff also 

presented options for more comprehensive 

corridor improvements such as a Road Diet, 

buffered bike lanes, new crosswalks, vehicle 

turning restrictions, and crosswalk visibility 

enhancements. In addition to dedicated 

space for bicyclists and shorter, safer 

pedestrian crossings at seven locations, the 

city also identified driver benefits from slower 

vehicle speeds, increased sight distance, 

and the addition of a center turn lane.

Figure 1. Pedestrian crossing at a pedestrian refuge island.3

The public engagement effort included 

public meetings, civic association meetings, 

meetings with local neighborhood groups, 

updates to boards and commissions, 

and meetings with the local high school’s 

Parent Teacher Association (PTA). An online 

survey captured 760 responses, including 

200 project-area residents. Sixty-six percent 

For more information, please contact:

Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental 

Services, 703.746.4025, https://www.alexandriava.gov/TES

 SAFE TRANSPORTATION FOR EVERY PEDESTRIAN CASE STUDY
EDC-4 STEP: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_4/step.cfm

Case Study: Publicly-Supported Road Diet Reduces Speeds in Alexandria 

References

1. City of Alexandria, Resolution 2621—Complete Streets Policy. (2014). https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/localmotion/info/gettingaround/Alexandria%20

Complete%20Streets%20Policy%202014.pdf

2. Alexandria City Public Schools, ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan. (2015). https://www.acps.k12.va.us/domain/798

3. Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. 

4. Alexandria Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, Alexandria Complete Streets Design Guidelines. (2016). https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/

localmotion/info/gettingaround/Alexandria%20Complete%20Streets%20Design%20Guidelines.pdf

of respondents supported the proposed 

comprehensive improvements. Input from 

the public and advisory boards also led 

the City to study, and ultimately approve, 

a speed limit reduction from 35 mph to 25 

mph for a 0.8-mile segment of the project.

Before construction began, the City notified 

the public through variable message 

boards, e-news, social media, and emails to 

civic associations and the high school PTA. 

Construction was completed between July 

and October 2016. The City’s Complete 

Streets Design Guidelines was a resource 

for the final design of the street, which 

included:4

• Removal of a travel lane (Road Diet).

• Landscaped pedestrian refuge islands at 

seven crossings.

• New crosswalks (three across King Street, 

four across side streets).

• No turn on red sign near the high school.

• Upgraded curb ramps, sidewalk 

maintenance, and ADA-compliant bus 

stops.

• Speed limit reduction to 25 mph for 0.8 

miles within the project boundary.

• Buffered bike lanes.

• Three reconfigured intersections.

• Left turn lanes at intersections and center 

turn lane throughout.

“Having projects like this in our city that highlight 

the safety impact engineering changes like this 

can make for the community will only make it 

easier in the future to continue to redesign our 

streets for all users of the roadway.” 

–Hillary Orr, Special Assistant to the City Manager

RESULTS

City staff reported that while there was 

some opposition to the changes, the 

community ultimately came together 

around the need for improved safety. To 

evaluate the project, staff collected data 

on speeds, vehicle volumes, and vehicleinvolved crashes. A consulting group also 

conducted a traffic analysis of intersection 

level-of-service and travel time delays 

one year after project completion. Zero 

reported traffic crashes occurred in the first 

year of implementation, compared to an 

annual average of seven crashes during 

the ten years prior to the project. Average 

vehicle speeds were still higher than the 

posted speed limit, but 85th percentile 

speeds decreased by 4 percent near the 

high school and 18 percent for the rest of 

the segment where the speed limit was 

lowered. Two intersections needed remedial 

actions—signal timing modifications 

to alleviate unexpected delays and a 

protected left turn signal phase to reduce 

potential conflicts between turning vehicles, 

pedestrians, and other vehicles. Post-project 

studies also indicate that traffic diversion 

has not been a problem.