The Alexandria City Council is considering a plan to permanently close another section of King Street to vehicles and expand the pedestrian-only zone near the Old Town waterfront.
Currently, the 200 block of King Street is closed as part of a test phase. The city temporarily closed the block between Lee and Fairfax streets from Nov. 2024 to Jan. 2025 and again in the spring and summer of this year for the pilot program.
The council is expected to hold its first vote on the plan Tuesday.
Some residents and business owners who spoke to News4 said they’re all for blocking off cars in the area.
“Absolutely, because they can expand their number of covers, or what you would call seats,” longtime resident Henry Brooks told News4 when asked if he thinks the pedestrian zone helps bars and restaurants.
“It increases the foot traffic, we find that people spend a lot more time kind of hanging out and we are not dealing with the traffic of cars parking — all of that,” said Bridget Nistico, owner of the She’s Unique jewelry store.
But other business owners said closing off the road will make parking extremely difficult. The owners, who declined to do interviews with News4, said some of their patrons have had to park illegally around the corner to get to their businesses during the pilot program phase.
Alexandria’s Deputy Director of Transportation Hillary Orr said the city has many parking garages people can use.
Orr said her department has found overwhelming support for the plan to close the road to traffic permanently.
“This is one of the projects that’s had the least amount of opposition. There are certainly people that have concerns and are not supportive. But overall, when you look at the broader public and how this is perceived and how the pilot has been perceived, it’s been very popular,” she said.
Traffic on nearby streets crossing over King Street would still be allowed if the plan is approved.
The council is holding a public hearing and a final vote on Saturday. If approved, the extended closure of King Street would take effect Oct.1.
Alexandria officials estimate this added closure of King Street would cost about $200,000 for changes like new protective barriers and traffic signal updates.
