Areas · county desk
Reel pickup in Alexandria: an old city with new building at its edges
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Alexandria is an independent city, not part of any county, and the desk treats it as its own area for reel pickups and spool deliveries. Most of its reels come from new building at the city's edges, at Potomac Yard, in the Eisenhower Valley and in the West End, rather than from Old Town.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
Schematic line map, not to survey: Alexandria marked, with Route 1, I-95 drawn heavier. The Potomac, the Anacostia, the District line and the Beltway are drawn for bearings.
Fact box: Alexandria
- Status
- Independent city
- Main corridors
- Route 1, I-95/I-495 (Capital Beltway), I-395, Duke Street
- Building areas
- Potomac Yard, Eisenhower Valley, West End
- Town pages
- 1
Old Town and the rest
Old Town Alexandria is a historic district of narrow streets, brick sidewalks and rowhouses. Electrical work there is renovation, and reels are small and few. The city’s large construction is at its edges. Potomac Yard, on old rail-yard land along Route 1 near the Arlington line, has been rebuilt with offices, apartments and its own Metro station. The Eisenhower Valley, along the Beltway south of Old Town, has offices, apartments and the city’s industrial and utility land. The West End, along I-395 and Duke Street, has older apartment complexes that are being renovated and replaced.
What comes out of it
High-rise and mid-rise residential work leaves building wire on small and plywood reels and copper feeders on larger ones. Office buildings leave similar reels plus communications cable. Utility and infrastructure work around the Eisenhower area brings larger reels. Nothing here compares in volume with Loudoun, but the city produces a steady stream of reels from a few large sites at a time.
Getting a truck in
Alexandria’s streets shape every pickup. In Old Town, trucks contend with narrow streets and parking limits; the desk will ask for an exact location and a time. At Potomac Yard and in the Eisenhower Valley there are docks and service drives. For apartment renovations in the West End, reels are usually in a parking lot, which is the easiest kind of pickup.
Buyers
Alexandria buyers want table-height reels for patios and small yards, and reels for community gardens. Old Town delivery means an exact address and a careful look at gates and steps.
Roads
Route 1 runs north and south through the city, past Potomac Yard and through Old Town. The Beltway (I-95/I-495) crosses the south of the city at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I-395 cuts across the West End. Duke Street and King Street run east to west.
Neighbours
Alexandria borders Arlington to the north and Fairfax County to the west and south. Reels from Springfield, Lorton and the Route 1 corridor in Fairfax often come through on the same trip.
Town page
Alexandria’s one town page covers the city’s neighbourhoods and ZIP codes in more detail.
Sending a request from Alexandria
- Count and measure. Count the reels and measure the largest flange edge to edge across the face. A photo with the tape in it is better than a guess.
- Check the build. Nailed lumber, plywood sheet, steel or plastic. Look for a stencil or tag naming the maker and the reel number.
- Set aside steel and tagged returnables with their serial numbers. Those go back to the maker, not to the desk.
- Say where they stand: yard, dock, garage level, alley or curb, plus clearance, gate hours, badging or escort a driver needs.
- Say what loads them: forklift, pallet jack, loader, ramp, or only people. Reels over 42 inches weigh more than 100 lb empty.
- Say how often: one time, weekly, monthly or at each job close-out.
- Buying instead? Give the flange and height you want, how many, and how the reel gets from the truck to where it will sit.
- No form handy? Email info@dcwoodenspools.com with the same details and a few photos.
Reels you are likely to have
| Reel | Build | Flange | Traverse | Drum | Lb | Usually carries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-5 | Nailed wood | 23 | 17 | 12 | 34 | Copper building wire, grounding |
| A-10 | Nailed wood | 30 | 22 | 16 | 66 | Service drop, bare aluminium |
| N-24 | Nailed wood | 36 | 28 | 14 | 83 | Insulated and multiplex cable |
| A-29 | Nailed wood | 42 | 28 | 21 | 154 | Overhead conductor, feeders |
| A-38 | Nailed wood | 48 | 28 | 24 | 212 | Aluminium and ACSR, large feeders |
| A-62 | Nailed wood | 60 | 28 | 28 | 397 | Utility conductor |
| A-76 | Nailed wood | 66 | 28 | 30 | 473 | Heavy conductor |
| S-120 | Steel, returnable | 84 | 36 | 42 | 895 | Transmission and medium voltage |
Other makers' reels differ by an inch or two. All flange sizes · How to measure
Questions the desk gets
Does the desk pick up in Old Town?
Yes, with an exact location and a time window, because Old Town streets are narrow and parking is limited.
Is Alexandria part of Fairfax County?
No. Alexandria is an independent city; it borders Fairfax and Arlington.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- Virginia DHCD, federal approval of Virginia's BEAD Final Proposal (19 November 2025): over $545 million to 23 providers for more than 133,000 unserved locations