New metro faregates and more lanes on Route 7: Here are the projects to look out for in the year ahead. News4’s Adam Tuss reports.
There’s always some sort of construction or roadwork happening in the D.C. area. Here are four major transportation projects that are scheduled to come to life in 2024.
1: New Metrorail faregates
Perhaps no transportation project has gotten more attention recently that the new, taller, stronger Metro faregates. In 2024, you’ll see them in every Metro station. Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said they should be fully installed by next summer.
“These things are really resilient. Could I physically get through one? Yes. I’m going to have to work really hard, like trying out for the Commanders, to get through there. But we just want people to respect the community system, and I think it’s trying to bring some order back, and recover fare revenue,” he said.
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2: DCA runway repairs
At Reagan National Airport, the nightly race to repave the main runway, which is considered by some to be the busiest runway in the country, should finish by late 2024.
"This is probably the most that we have done since the runway was built,” construction manager Priyam Shah said.
3: Route 7 expansion
In Northern Virginia, seven miles of Route 7 between Tysons and Great Falls will go from four lanes to six lanes, with new bike and pedestrian improvements. It’s all set to be finished by summer 2024.
Crews broke ground on the project back in 2019. When the work finishes, they will have been five years of construction along the busy roadway and people will be glad to see it finally done.
4: Better merging on I-270
Along Interstate 270 in Maryland, high-tech ramp sensors should be fully installed to help eliminate awkward and mistimed merges.
”They get to the end of the ramp, they have nowhere to go, so they stop, which will cause the traffic in the main line to slow down,” Stephen McVeigh of MDOT said.
That project is expected to be done in fall 2024.
Let’s hope we all can commute smoothly next year.
