Saturday marked the beginning of more than a month of change for commuters who use the Blue and Yellow lines as Metro completes some major rehab work on some of the system’s oldest infrastructure.
Specifically, the transit agency will be working on the bridge and tunnel between the L'Fnfant Plaza and Pentagon stations. The closures will be in effect until Oct. 22. Here's everything you need to know about the changes, including alternate routes.
Free shuttle buses will ferry passengers among the six closed stations, all south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
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“I’m glad they’re trying their best. We’re all trying our best,” rider Flannery Wickham said.
On Saturday, plenty of Metro personnel were on hand to help some confused passengers find the right bus, News4 observed at the closed Braddock Road Station in Alexandria.
Airport-bound riders who were surprised by the planned closing found themselves in a bit of a race against time and departure schedules.
Metro said the closures could add at least 15 minutes to your normal commute time if your trip takes you between the closed stations.
Others were not so pressed. Because ridership tends to be a little lighter than usual on the weekends, some folks took advantage.
“This is my first time doing it this way, so I came on a weekend to see If I could make it work during the work week,” Wickham said.
Metro will be adding more Blue Line trains to the route that will run more frequently, and they’ll service stations north of Reagan National Airport, along with Silver Line trains.
The closures will also allow Metro to infill a station, or add a new station on an existing line. The Potomac Yard station will open — something Alexandrians are looking forward to.
Knowing the current inconvenience will make the future convenience possible makes the closures a bit more palatable to riders who talked to News4 this weekend, but of course, Monday’s morning and evening rush will tell the full story.
