Upcoming Metro Shutdown Concerns Raised By Alexandria Mayor

ALEXANDRIA, VA — After Metro announced an upcoming Yellow Line bridge shutdown that could last seven to eight months, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson outlined concerns in a letter to Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld.

Starting Sept. 10, Metro will shut down Yellow Line service between Pentagon and L'Enfant Plaza stations for seven to eight months. Crews will be renovating the Yellow Line Bridge over the Potomac River and repairing tunnels.

Separately, Metro will prepare to open the Potomac Yard Metro station on the Blue and Yellow Lines this fall. To connect the station tracks with the existing Metrorail system, Metro will shut down rail service south of Reagan National Airport for six weeks from Sept. 10 to Oct. 22.

In the letter to Wiedefeld, Wilson expressed excitement about the upcoming Potomac Yard Metro opening while raising concerns with the Yellow Line bridge and tunnel repair project.

"In 2021, WMATA informed Alexandria that the Yellow Line bridge closure would last 3 to 4 months and that some tunnel work would be involved," Wilson wrote. "The recent announcement that this closure will last at least twice as long, is disappointing to say the least."

Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors also plans to write a letter to Metro with concerns about the shutdown. The shutdown will especially have an impact at stations served by only the Yellow Line — Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria and Huntington in Fairfax County.

Alexandria and the stations south of the city already experienced a summer-long shutdown in 2019 for Metro's outdoor platform rehabilitation project. Wilson said the upcoming Yellow Line project will "significantly hamper our ability to return to a new normal" as pre-pandemic commuting starts to return.

"Even with telework, we know safe, frequent, and reliable transit is critical to our economy," the mayor wrote to Wiedefeld. "These types of closures, and the resulting inconveniences, make it extremely difficult to convince riders to use Metrorail."

Wilson asked Metro to take a number of mitigation steps during the Yellow Line shutdown, including high frequency of Blue Line trains, service improvements amid the 7000-series investigation, increased local bus service, shuttle buses and restoring pre-pandemic Metrobus routes.

Metro has not yet released service plans in relation to the Yellow Line shutdown. The mayor requested Metro leadership address City Council at a future legislative meeting to discuss preparations for the shutdown.