Alexandria Summer Metro Shutdown Extended To Sept. 8

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Metro announced it will extend the summer Metro shutdown of the six Alexandria stations by a few days to address a structural issue at the Braddock Road Metro. Under the updated timeline, the Braddock Road, King St-Old Town, Van Dorn Street, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington and Franconia-Springfield stations will be closed from Memorial Day weekend (Saturday, May 25) to Sunday, Sept. 8 for platform rehabilitation.

Metro and its contractor say additional structural modifications need to happen "to ensure a safe platform surface that is level with train doors, a requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act."

"Experts have shown us that fixing the Braddock hump is a complicated project, but for customer safety and accessibility we have to do what's needed, even if that means extending the shutdown," said Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld in a statement.

The south end platform of the Braddock Road station is about two to four inches higher than the level of the train floor, creating a barrier for wheelchair users and a tripping hazard for others. Metro's contractor will install six shoring towers to support the platform deck. Afterward, workers will remove sections of the existing station so the platform deck can be lowered and new bearing plates can be installed.

In addition to the Braddock Road station work, Metro's contractor will prepare for another project at the Huntington station. A new accessible station entrance will be added to connect the middle parking garage to the station's platform. Demolition of the south parking garage has been postponed and will become part of the entrance project.

Train service at the six closed stations will resume on Monday, Sept. 9. Metro expects residual work like tile installation will continue at the six stations after they reopen.

Metro will provide four free shuttles serving the closed Metrorail stations. Two will be express shuttles from Franconia-Springfield and Huntington to the Pentagon with no stops in the City of Alexandria. A Blue Line shuttle will serve Reagan National Airport, King Street, Van Dorn Street and Franconia-Springfield. A Yellow Line shuttle will serve Crystal City, Braddock Road, King Street, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington. WMATA will also add additional service on certain bus routes.

The City of Alexandria will support alternatives for Metrorail riders. It will also alter HOV restrictions on Washington Street and Transit Signal Priority technology for buses on Route 1 dedicated bus lanes. Both changes are intended to keep buses on schedule.

SEE ALSO: New Traffic Technology To Mitigate Alexandria Metro Shutdown

Alexandria, Fairfax County and Metro have created webpages to help residents prepare for the shutdown.

• WMATA webpage on project details and alternative transportation
• City of Alexandria's summer Metro shutdown webpage
• Fairfax County's summer Metro shutdown webpage