Commuter Alert: Work Begins to Install New Escalators at Bethesda Metro Station

Construction begins Monday night to install three new entrance escalators at the Bethesda Metro Station.

The project will replace the escalators currently at the station, which are more than 30 years old, according to a news release. Metro’s contractor, KONE, will replace the escalators one at a time. The other two will be left running -- one going up and one going down -- so commuters can still access the station.

The 106-feet high escalators are the second longest in the Western Hemisphere (behind Wheaton Station), according to the news release. Each escalator will take about 42 weeks for site preparation, demolition, construction, installation and testing.

For safety reasons, construction work can only be conducted overnight when the station is closed and the adjacent escalators are not running -- a work window of about four hours per night. It could take up to two and a half years to complete the project.

Metro offers advice to Bethesda Customers who use the station:

• For safety reasons, Metro may need to temporarily close Bethesda Station to prevent overcrowding during service disruptions or other events, such as a disabled train, medical emergency, infrastructure problem or power failure. This may happen with little advance notice. When the station is temporarily closed, Red Line trains will bypass the station in both directions and passengers on the platform will have to exit the station.
• Review your options, and create an alternate plan for the possibility that Bethesda Station is not available.
• During temporary closures, Metro will provide shuttle bus service between Bethesda and Medical Center Stations. If you are on the train, exit at Medical Center and take a free shuttle bus to Bethesda. For travelers who are not yet in the system, you may want to go directly to one of the two nearest alternate stations: Medical Center and Friendship Heights. Medical Center is just over a mile to the north (approximately 20 minute walk) on Wisconsin Ave, and Friendship Heights is less than two miles to the south.
• Metrobus and RideOn buses may provide good alternatives, so you are urged to familiarize yourself now with local bus routes.
• Sign up for MetroAlerts to receive emails or text messages alerting you whenever there is a disruption on the Red Line or closure of the Bethesda station. MetroAlerts will send another notification when the station has reopened. You can sign up at wmata.com/MetroAlerts.