Veterans Day 2016 traffic, transit changes and closings

WASHINGTON — The Veterans Day holiday means a number of traffic and transit changes from a typical Friday.

Reversible roads & HOV

Because it is a federal holiday, roads with reversible lanes like Rock Creek Parkway, Canal Road and Connecticut Avenue will remain in weekend mode all day with no extra lanes for the rush hour.

Regular HOV restrictions will be lifted on all roads across the region, except for Interstate 270 and U.S. 50 in Maryland. Toll lanes like the 95 Express Lanes always require three or more people and an E-ZPass Flex in HOV mode in order to qualify for a free ride, holiday or not.

Parades and events

Drivers should watch for Veterans Day parades in towns across the region this weekend, and expect some delays around Arlington National Cemetery Friday morning and into the early afternoon.

The Veterans Day wreath laying begins at 11 a.m. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Tributes will be held at other war memorials during the course of the day as well.

Parking

Drivers will not need to feed parking meters in the District, Arlington, Alexandria or Montgomery County.

Weekday rush-hour parking rules will not be enforced Friday in Montgomery County, said Esther Bowring, Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

Rush-hour parking rules, including the extended hours meant to address traffic spillover from ongoing Metro track work, will not be enforced Friday, said Terry Owens, District Department of Transportation spokesman.

Also in D.C., there will be no enforcement of residential permit parking rules. However drivers who park along the DC Streetcar route along H Street NE could still be ticketed and towed for blocking the streetcar tracks.

Regular parking enforcement resumes on Saturday.

Metro

Metro opens at 5 a.m. and closes at midnight on Friday, but will run significantly reduced service compared to a typical weekday. Parking is free at Metro garages, and riders will only be charged off-peak fares on the holiday.

Trains are scheduled to run at Saturday service levels, meaning trains will run about every 15 minutes on all lines.

The Red Line remains disrupted by the track work near Brookland and Rhode Island Avenue stations. No trains will run between Fort Totten and NoMa-Gallaudet. Trains are scheduled between Fort Totten and Glenmont every 15 minutes. Trains are scheduled to run about twice as often between Shady Grove and NoMa-Gallaudet.

Weekend track work on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines begins at 10 p.m. Friday, with trains sharing a single track between McPherson Square and Smithsonian. Beginning around 10 p.m., Silver Line trains will only run between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston. Blue and Orange line trains are scheduled only every 20 minutes.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Yellow and Green lines are also scheduled to run every 20 minutes.

Other transit

On Friday, Metrobus will run on a Saturday supplemental schedule, which means some routes will not run at all and some late-night trips will not be available.

MetroAccess subscription trips were canceled for the holiday.

Virginia Railway Express will not run on Veterans Day.

MARC trains will run on all three lines Friday, but on a reduced schedule. The “R” schedule means a number of usually scheduled trains, including the normal Friday 1:30 p.m. departure from Union Station on the Brunswick Line, will not run. MARC riders should also note that Penn Line schedules change slightly next week.

Many commuter bus services also will not run, or will run on limited schedules Friday.

Loudoun County Transit will not run midday service. The Ashburn LINK shuttle, or buses to or from St. Andrew, Telos, Ashburn North, Christian Fellowship Church, Brambleton or Dulles South park and rides. There will be limited service on other routes.

PRTC Commuter Buses in the Prince William County and Manassas area will not run Friday. PRTC’s Metro Direct, Omnilink local bus, and Cross County Connector service will follow regular schedules.

Maryland’s MTA Commuter Bus service will not operate at all Friday, except for Route 201. That service between Gaithersburg and BWI Marshall Airport will run on a weekend schedule.

Local bus services generally will run Friday on somewhat reduced schedules on certain routes.

RideOn in Montgomery County will run on a modified holiday schedule.

TheBus’s Route 51 in Prince George’s County will not run, but other routes will.

Fairfax Connector will run on a holiday weekday schedule, which means all routes will offer regular weekday service. However the following routes will not run: 231, 232, 335, 393, 394, 395, 422, 432, 461, 494, 495, 556, 585, 599, 624, 634, 644, 724 and 985. Route 980 will run less frequently than usual.

Arlington Transit’s ART service will run on a holiday service schedule, which means only a handful of routes will run. Those routes — 41, 42, 43, 45, 51, 55, 77 and 87 — will run on Saturday schedules.

DASH Bus in Alexandria will run regular weekday service. And RTA bus service in central Maryland will run on a regular weekday schedule too.

Frederick County, Maryland’s TransIT service will not operate its peak-hour connector bus service. But all other connector and shuttle buses will run on regular schedules. The Walkersville Meet-the-MARC trip scheduled to arrive at 4:55 a.m. will not operate. Service will meet morning train 878 in Point of Rocks and evening trains 875 and 881.

TransIT-plus will not operate.

TransIT Connector and shuttle buses will offer free rides on Friday to anyone with valid military identification.

What else is closed on Veterans Day?

Federal offices closed.
Local government offices closed, except in Alexandria.
No mail delivery.
Most banks are closed.
Schools closed in D.C.
Schools open in Virginia, except in Arlington and Prince William counties.
Schools open in Maryland, except in Calvert, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s Counties.
Courts closed, except for arraignments and juvenile referrals in the District.
Libraries closed in D.C.
Libraries closed in Virginia, except in Alexandria and Stafford County.
Libraries closed in Maryland, except in Anne Arundel.
Smithsonian museums open.