FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 26, 2016
CONTACT:
LaToya Foster (EOM) – (202) 727-5011; [email protected]
Terry Owens (DDOT) – (202) 671-5124; [email protected]
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Mayor Bowser and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) advise residents, commuters and visitors to prepare for major rush-hour delays on Metro's Red Line due to WMATA's SafeTrack Surge #10. The repair work for this surge begins Saturday, October 29 and ends Tuesday, November 22.
“During WMATA’s SafeTrack Surge 10, over 200,000 trips will be affected,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We need everyone to come up with a Plan A and a Plan B for managing their Metro needs, especially our students and families who normally use the train to get to school and who will still need to get to school every day, on time.”
The full line segment shutdown between Fort Totten and NoMa-Gallaudet stations will result in the temporary closure of the stations at Brookland-CUA and Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood. Red Line service will be substantially the same outside of the full weekday rush-hour periods. All other Metro lines will continue with normal service, but could experience crowding as passengers shift to alternate lines.
Residents in the immediate vicinity of Fort Totten, Brookland-CUA, Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood and NOMA-Gallaudet University will experience major impacts that include more vehicle congestion than normal and additional Metrobus traffic.
“We expect Surge 10 to have a major impact, especially with the long-term Beach Drive closure,” said DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo. “This is the first Surge during the regular school year. We have worked with other agencies to provide information on transportation alternatives for parents and students, but everyone who uses the Red Line during peak hours should be considering alternatives.”
DDOT's Traffic Mitigation Strategy
DDOT will implement one-way street patterns on N Street and 2nd Street, NE adjacent to the NoMa-Gallaudet station to accommodate the smooth flow of shuttle buses through this area.
Extended morning and evening rush-hour parking restrictions will remain the same on busy corridors. Expanded rush hour times will remain in place: 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Traffic Management:
- Enhanced real-time retiming of traffic signals
- Traffic Control Officers deployed at key intersections
- Roadway Operations Patrols during rush hours
- Additional staging areas for Metro buses
DC Circulator:
- Expanded service hours beginning 6 am on three routes: Georgetown-Union Station, Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square and Dupont-Georgetown-Rosslyn
- Extra late-night service extended on two routes: Georgetown-Union Station and Dupont-Georgetown-Rosslyn until 3:00 a.m.
- Woodley Park-Adams Morgan-McPherson Square will continue to run until 3:30 a.m.
Capital Bikeshare:
- Corral service at Union Station 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
- $2 single-trip fares
Construction Permits:
- Construction moratorium on key corridors
DDOT anticipates that the traffic will be particularly heavy during morning rush hours between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and afternoon rush hours between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Should commuters choose to drive, they should consider shifting their travel schedules to before or after rush hours to avoid heavy traffic and crowding on transit.
WMATA will offer additional bus service on the S9, P6, 80 and L2 routes and shuttle buses will serve the four impacted Metro stations. The Metropolitan Branch Trail offers a pedestrian and bicycle alternative paralleling the closed portion of the Red Line with direct access from the Brookland-CUA, Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood, and NoMa-Gallaudet University stations.
Metrorail commuters should note that there will be other weekend service changes in the system, and they should check the WMATA website each week for information on these changes.
DDOT will continue to use all of its resources to alleviate traffic impacts during SafeTrack. For more information on the District’s response to SafeTrack and to learn about alternative transit options, visit safetrack.godcgo.com. Students and families affected by Surge 10 should visit safetrack.godcgo.com/student-wayfinding-flyers-surge-10/.