Beltway Shoulder To Be Bus Travel Lane During Metro Shutdown

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The Metro shutdown will bring a traffic change to the Capital Beltway near Alexandria beginning on May 25. Buses will get their own travel lane on the shoulder of the Outer Loop (heading east) between the Eisenhower Avenue and Telegraph Road ramps, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The temporary bus-on-shoulder lane will help shuttles and other buses get to exits more quickly. On weekdays from 3 p.m.-8 p.m., the shoulder will be available for Metro and DASH buses only between mile markers 174.4 and 175.4. Although it will serve as a bus-only travel lane, it will continue to be an emergency pull-off location for all vehicles.

VDOT has also announced changes at the Huntington Metro station. The right turn lane of eastbound Huntington Avenue between Metroview Parkway and Fenwick Drive will accommodate four temporary bus bays. Metroview Parkway, which is usually open to traffic going to the Huntington North Kiss-and-Ride, will be closed to all traffic but buses.

Stations that will be shut down from May 25 to Sept. 8 include Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn Street and Franconia-Springfield. Metro will be rehabilitating the outdoor platforms and making other station improvements.

Metro will offer several free shuttles during the closure. Express shuttles to the Pentagon will run from Franconia-Springfield, Huntington and Landmark Mall. A Yellow Line shuttle will run between Huntington, Eisenhower Avenue, King Street-Old Town, Braddock Road and Crystal City but not Reagan National Airport. A Blue Line shuttle will run between Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street, King Street-Old Town and National Airport but not Braddock Road.

The Yellow Line beyond the closed stations will see boosted service. Metro announced Monday all Yellow Line trains will run to Greenbelt a month earlier than anticipated. The decision was made after a weekend test run of summer shutdown. Rush-hour service will be doubled at nine stations from Shaw-Howard U to Greenbelt. During the summer shutdown, Yellow Line trains will run from Reagan National Airport to Greenbelt and Blue Line trains from Reagan National Airport to Largo Town Center.

Free parking will be offered at the Franconia-Springfield, Huntington and Van Dorn Street stations during the shutdown.

To plan for alternative transportation during the Metro shutdown, visit Metro's platform project webpage.