Public to give input on Potomac Yard Metro transportation plan

How will Route 1 or the Potomac Yard Metro Station hold up with crowds headed to see the Washington Capitals or Wizards play? Residents will soon have a chance to get more questions answered. FOX 5's Stephanie Ramirez has the latest.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - How will Route 1 or the Potomac Yard Metro Station hold up with crowds headed to see the Washington Capitals or Wizards play? Residents will soon have a chance to get more questions answered next week.

Alexandria City Mayor Justin Wilson says state reps and analysts will hold a community meeting on Thursday with state representatives and analysts from Kimley Horn-Horn present. Kimley-Horn recently produced a transportation study reviewing how Monumental moving to the area will impact everyone’s ability to get around.

You can find that transportation study here.

One portion of the study says, "With current infrastructure and service levels the station would be unable to handle the number of anticipated passengers, with extreme crowding lasting 60–90 minutes."

A rendering showing the newly proposed entertainment district in Alexandrias Potomac Yard that features an arena for both the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards, and the global business headquarters for Monumental Sports & Entertainment (

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While analysts with the Kimley-Firm do note the realities the Potomac Yard Metro Station could face should the teams move, they also go over how the move can happen with certain transportation investments. Analysts discuss addressing "pinch points" and minimizing delay times by addressing escalators, fare gates, and building more Metro bridges. With certain adjustments, analysts estimate that the wait time will go down to 30–40 minutes post-game.

Transportation concerns are one of the main reasons why so many people around Alexandria are against Ted Leonsis bringing the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to Virginia. Ken Eggleston told FOX 5 on Friday that he does think the city can get Alexandria ready for the move.

"Depending on the timeline, yeah I think they can. I use this Metro on a daily basis, and it’s pretty efficient," he said.

However, Eggleston doesn’t necessarily agree with it. "I think the teams should stay in D.C.," Eggleston added, "Yeah, they’re D.C. teams. You know there’s nothing wrong with where you’re at, at the Capitals Center, but it’s politics, whatever."

The study also reviews expanding VRE service the Potomac Yard Metro and better connecting the area to the GW trail. These are also "adjustments" projected to cost millions and come at a time when Metro is proposing major budget cuts that could also impact the Potomac Yard Metro Station.

According to a report on ALXnow.com, this will be an hour-and-a-half Zoom meeting, planned for Thursday, February 22nd.

FOX 5 spoke with ALXnow’s Vernon Miles on the DMV Zone, also discussing whether Kimley-Horn can be trusted to be fair and provide unbiased information in this process.

"Kimley-Horn is a pretty popular one around here. A lot of contracts go to them. They do a lot of transportation studies and they’re a pretty legitimate company. There’s a lot of speculation when somebody like this is hired when, you know, you have the city or Monumental kind of going to bat for a transportation study. But they have a reputation to maintain as a nonpartisan, as a kind-of neutral party in all of this, so I think it’s going to be really interesting," said Miles.

You can participate in the Potomac Yard Entertainment District Community Conversation online.