Neighborhood Impacts of Construction at RiverRenew Pendleton Street Site
As part of Alexandria’s RiverRenew Project, AlexRenew has just completed construction of the Waterfront Tunnel, which will play a major role in ensuring Alexandria residents can enjoy healthier, cleaner waterways by 2026.
Construction is now underway at the Pendleton Street site to build a diversion facility. When it rains, this diversion facility will reroute combined sewage, that would previously have ended up in the Potomac River, to the Waterfront Tunnel. This overflow will then travel through the Waterfront Tunnel to the AlexRenew facility for treatment. The RiverRenew Project estimates that this new system will prevent 130 million gallons of combined sewage from polluting the rivers and streams around Alexandria every year.
Rendering of Promenade from RiverRenew.com
Plans for the Pendleton Street site also include the construction of a pedestrian promenade along the river. According to the schedule laid out by AlexRenew in a September 2023 Community Listening Session, the construction of this promenade is expected to be completed by late 2024 or early 2025.
Up until recently, construction activities at the Pendleton Street Site have been limited to the east side of Union Street, but AlexRenew has advised that from now through the final phases of construction, a larger area will be impacted that includes parts of Oronoco Bay Park and the intersection of Pendleton Street and North Union Street.
As a result, Old Town North residents should be aware that this ongoing construction will have some impacts on the area in and around the Pendleton Street site as follows:
The pedestrian crosswalk at Pendleton Street and North Union Street will be temporarily relocated.
The shared travel lane for vehicles and cyclists will be narrowed slightly for east and west bound traffic at the intersection of Pendleton Street and North Union Street.
Public parking in the area around the Pendleton Street/North Union Street intersection will be restricted.
The boardwalk and walkway in Oronoco Bay Park at the end of Pendleton Street will be closed.
The installation of sheeting along the shoreline will likely result in some noise and vibration in the area.
If you are interested in learning more about the RiverRenew project, there are several upcoming events scheduled in Old Town North.
Saturday, April 13th from 10:00am-4:00pm: RiverRenew Tunnel Completion Open House at the Pendleton Street Site. This event will celebrate the recent completion of the Waterfront Tunnel and offer photo opportunities with the tunnel boring machine that made it all possible.
Monday, May 6th from 5:30pm-7:00pm: RiverRenew Community Listening Session at the Northeast corner of Oronoco Street and North Union Street. This event will provide updates on RiverRenew activity at the Pendleton Street Site.
Details about the completion of the Waterfront Tunnel may be found by visiting
Presentations from prior Community Listening Sessions, including one regarding the Pendleton Street Site from September 2023, may be found by visiting https://www.riverrenew.com/community/community-listening-sessions
General information about the RiverRenew project may be found by visiting https://www.riverrenew.com/