Prepare your ear plugs, Alexandria residents. The Metro shutdown is coming, and one city official warns that things could get loud.
Metro’s improvement project on the Blue and Yellow lines in Alexandria starts Saturday and runs through Sept. 8 — and along with the shutdown comes construction noise.
“The bottom line is that it’s going to be disruptive for us and it’s going to be disruptive in the city,” said Yon Lambert, Alexandria’s director of transportation and environmental services.
During the last city council project update before construction begins, Lambert stressed that residents should expect noise.
“The loudest work that will be occurring will involve saw cutting and jackhammering,” he said.
Lambert also said the city is working with WMATA to make improvements after a test run of the shutdown in early May showed that people need more guidance on using alternate routes of transportation.
“What we learned is that we can still move large numbers of people using the shuttles and bus routes that we have but some of the challenges incorrect signage, communication, particularly communication on Metrorail trains, letting people know when they can get off the trains and when they should get off the trains in order to use the shuttles,” said Lambert.
The city will hold a preconstruction open house for residents to address concerns, especially those related to noise.
WMATA noise and construction management staff will be at the meeting to answer specific questions Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Oswald Durant Arts Center.
