ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Change is on the way, for those who live along Seminary Road in Alexandria.
After more than a year of begging, petitioning, and in some cases literally fearing for their lives, funding has been approved to make safety changes.
WUSA9 first began reporting on concerns from neighbors in March of 2023.
"I hear a big loud boom and my power goes out. I came out the door and saw the car sticking through my fence," said Ron McNeely. He spoke with WUSA9 just hours after a driver had crashed into his fence. He lives at the intersection of Seminary Road and Fillmore Avenue in Alexandria. That was in March of 2023.
In July, we spoke to McNeely again, after his doorbell camera captured the moments a transformer blew, following another crash.
Later that month, the Seminary Road Committee was formed. They've been looking into ways to improve the stretch of Seminary Road between I-395 and Alexandria City limits.
But in October of 2023, WUSA9 was back at McNeely's home. This time a driver not only crashed through his fence and into his yard, but they came about 15 feet short of slamming into his home.
At a city council meeting a few days later, Mayor Justin Wilson called neighbors' concerns valid. He said it's not up for debate, and there is clearly an issue. What is up for debate is what's going to be done to fix it.
"Seminary is considered a high crash segment," explained Ryan Knight, the Transportation Engineering Division Chief for the City of Alexandria.
On Wednesday, members of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board approved a total of six local planning projects:
- Jefferson Street Engineering (City of Frederick)
- Randolph Road Safety Improvement Project (Montgomery County)
- Study of Proactive Approaches to Transportation Safety: Exploring near-miss data and innovation technologies (Prince George's County)
- Seminary Road Safety Improvements (City of Alexandria)
- S. George Mason Drive and S. Four Mile Run Drive Intersection Alternatives Analysis (Arlington County)
- Wilson Boulevard Safety Improvements (City of Falls Church)
Regarding the Seminary Road project, the board says the money will be used to "identify and develop conceptual designs for safety improvements along Seminary Road".
They wrote that the "high-crash corridor serves an Equity Emphasis Area community and falls within the one-mile walkshed for two elementary schools".
According to the board, the potential enhancements may include new crosswalks, lane modifications, sidewalk improvements and bus stop improvements, among other things.
The City of Alexandria sent WUSA9 the following statement Thursday night:
The City is excited to hear about the news that we were awarded $80,000 from the MWCOGG's Regional Roadway Safety Program (RRSP) to identify and develop conceptual designs for transportation safety improvements along Seminary Road, between N Beauregard Street to the City Limits. This grant award is a testament to great collaboration between the City of Alexandria's Transportation team and the community as they were a huge proponent in the evaluation. The City will continue the collaboration as we receive these funds and begin to plan the process accordingly. Plan of action and schedule will be forthcoming.