Old Town Alexandria is a colonial street grid pressed right up against the Potomac, and that geography shapes almost every call we run down here in the 22314. The blocks east of Washington Street were laid out in the 1700s, long before anyone pictured an SUV trying to park on them, and the whole district sits low and tight between the Capital Beltway and the river. When something goes wrong in Old Town, it tends to happen in one of a handful of predictable places, and knowing them is half of getting a truck to you fast. Call us at 703-844-2871 and we are usually 20 to 40 minutes out.
Cobblestones and narrow blocks east of Washington Street
The historic core east of Washington Street is a grid of short, narrow blocks, and the 100 block of Prince Street, known as Captain's Row, is still paved in its original cobblestones. Those stones look great and drive terribly. Low cars scrape crossing them, and a dead vehicle on a one-lane cobble block with cars parked both sides leaves almost no room to work. On streets like this we bring a flatbed rather than a hook, so we can load without dragging a bumper across stone or forcing a three-point turn that ties up the whole block. The parking garages off King and Cameron are another regular stop, where low ceilings mean we plan the approach before we roll and sometimes have to roll the car to the entrance first. If you break down on a cobble block or inside a garage, tell our dispatcher the cross streets and the clearance so we send the right truck the first time.
Flooded and stalled cars along the lower waterfront
The bottom of Old Town, meaning the Strand, lower Union Street, and the foot of King, Prince, and Duke, sits barely above the tide. Alexandria gets what locals call sunny-day flooding down here, where a high tide backs up over the bulkhead and puts water in the street on a clear afternoon with no rain at all, and it has been happening more often in recent years. Cars parked at the waterfront or nosed down toward the river get caught in it. A car that has stood in tidal water often will not start and should not be cranked, because turning the key can pull water into the engine and turn a simple tow into an engine job. If your vehicle has been sitting in water, call us at 703-844-2871 and we will flatbed it out to dry ground or your shop. If a high tide is on the way, move the car early rather than betting on it.
Dead batteries at the King Street transit hub
The west end of King Street, up by the George Washington Masonic Memorial on the hill, is the busiest transit point in the city. The King Street-Old Town Metro sits right next to the VRE and Amtrak platforms at Alexandria Union Station on Callahan Drive, so thousands of people leave a car near here in the morning and ride into Washington all day. By the evening return, some of those cars will not start, especially after a cold night or a light left on. An evening jump-start near the King Street station is one of our steadier calls, and we test the battery on scene so you are not stranded again a mile up Washington Street. Same story for the lots near the Braddock Road and Eisenhower Avenue stations. Lockouts run high here too, since people are rushing to make a train, and if you are standing outside your car at the platform we are usually 20 to 40 minutes out.
Breakdowns on the Beltway and the Wilson Bridge approach
The south edge of the 22314 rides the Capital Beltway where I-95 and I-495 climb onto the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac. This is the only Beltway crossing of the river south of the American Legion Bridge, it carries heavy truck traffic, and it backs up hard, so a breakdown here is both common and dangerous. The Telegraph Road interchange at Exit 176 is where the bridge splits into local and through lanes, and a car that dies in that weave has traffic coming from several directions. If you break down on the bridge or its approaches, get the car as far onto the right shoulder as you safely can, stand well behind the guardrail and never between your car and traffic, and call 703-844-2871 with your direction of travel and the nearest exit. Tell us whether you are in the local or the through lanes, because on the Wilson Bridge that changes how we reach you.
Roads and areas we cover in Alexandria
- I-395 / Shirley Highway
- Route 1 (Richmond Highway)
- Old Town waterfront
- Eisenhower Avenue
- Van Dorn Street
- Duke Street
- King Street
- Seminary Road
- Capital Beltway (I-495)
- the old Landmark Mall site
Our Alexandria towing and roadside services
- 24/7 emergency towing for accidents, breakdowns, and stalls
- Flatbed towing for classics, motorcycles, EVs, and low-clearance cars
- Heavy-duty towing for trucks, RVs, and equipment
- Jump starts for a dead battery
- Tire changes when you have no spare or jack
- Lockout service for keys locked inside
- Fuel delivery when you run out of gas
- Winch-out recovery from ditches, mud, and soft shoulders
Accident Towing & Recovery
If your vehicle is immobilized after a collision in Alexandria, our wreckers respond fast and work hand-in-hand with local police to clear the scene safely, then deliver your car to the body shop you choose. More on accident towing.
Flatbed Towing
The safest option for classic cars, motorcycles, EVs, and all-wheel-drive vehicles. Your car rides fully on the bed, so there is no wear on the drivetrain. More on flatbed towing.
24 Hour Local & Long-Distance Towing
Our most-requested service. Call any hour for a tow a few blocks across Alexandria or a few hundred miles across the DMV. More on long-distance towing.
Heavy-Duty Towing & Equipment
Semi-trucks, RVs, buses, and equipment need the right truck and an experienced operator. We have both. More on heavy-duty towing.
Private Property Towing
Licensed, permitted enforcement for Alexandria property managers, plus help setting up the signage Virginia law requires. More on private property towing.
Winch-Out Recovery
Slid off the road into a ditch or soft shoulder around Alexandria? We winch you out safely instead of letting the situation get more costly.
Service Areas Near Alexandria
We serve all of Alexandria and the nearby communities. Need a tow between towns, or to DC, Maryland, or Fredericksburg? We handle local and long-distance routes.