The Metro will close all blue and yellow line Virginia stations south of Reagan National Airport during summer 2019 and plans continued renovations in the following years.
On May 7, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced their multi-year project to reconstruct the platforms of 20 Virginia stations. According to Metro, this renovation will fix structural issues of certain outdoor platforms. These platforms have been exposed to many elements by being outside and need repair. The project is estimated to cost between $300-$400 million. For Metro riders, this will shut down the Braddock Road, King Street, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn Street, and Franconia-Springfield stations. These stations will be closed from Memorial Day to Labor Day in 2019. Renovations will continue in the coming year. Between September 2019 and May 2020, the Metro will reconstruct the Van Dorn Street, Franconia-Springfield, Huntington, and Reagan National Airport stations. These stations are expected to remain open during the construction, with the exception of the Blue line.
From 2020-2012, West Hyattsville, College Park, Greenbelt, Rhode Island Avenue, Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, East Falls Church, Cheverly, Landover, New Carrollton, Addison Road and Arlington Cemetery will be reconstructed. It is not yet clear if these stations will be open to the public during the construction.
The construction will be very extensive. In a press release, Metro states, "Rebuilding platforms is heavy construction activity that requires that tracks be taken out of service to allow for demolishing existing structures, access to the construction area, and concrete pouring."
Although the closure may be a hassle for many travelers, it should help fix the aging infrastructure and make the stations safer. The Braddock Road station is even falling apart, and passengers need to step between the train and platform to get onto their ride.
Hopefully, the construction goes smoothly and Washington, D.C., traffic is not too bad as a result. But knowing Washington, D.C., that is unlikely!
What do you think? Have you noticed that the Metro stations need fixing? Let us know in the comments!
