Alexandria To Reconfigure King Street Metro Station

Walking up to the King Street Metro today, pedestrians face an obstacle course. First they have to dodge buses that are double parked outside the station. They also have to wind their way around cars hunting for a parking spot. City leaders in Alexandria now want to redesign the station with pedestrians.

"So they are not streaming through parked cars, moving traffic and parked and moving buses," says Rich Baier, director of Transportation and Environmental Services in Alexandria.

He says the city is about to spend $7 million to redesign the outside of the Metro station, a project that will take about 18 months. Gone will be the smattering of parking spaces out front, replaced by new pedestrian walkways, improved landscaping and additional bicycle parking for the estimated 20,000 daily users of the station.

"It's a project we think that s long overdue," says Baier. "And it take our somewhat suburban designed Metro lot and makes it more of an urban station and focuses more attention on pedestrians."

Construction is expected to begin in the spring.