Weekend road and rail work: NB 3rd Street Tunnel closing; changes on Metro

Roadwork

D.C.

The northbound 3rd Street Tunnel will be closed between Massachusetts Avenue/2nd Street and New York Avenue. The closure starts at 9:30 a.m. Friday and goes until 6 p.m. Saturday.

There is a longstanding, fluid work zone along New York Avenue that is associated with the safety improvements on New Jersey Avenue NW., a project which includes the reconstruction of New York Avenue NW between First Street NW and Fourth Street NW.

In conjunction with this project, this weekend will see the temporary closure of northbound I-395 between Massachusetts Avenue (Exit 10) through New York Avenue NW.

This work begins at 9:30 a.m. Friday, June 26 through 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 and will have a detour in place.

The District Department of Transportation will be providing variable message boards and detour signs to alert travelers.

ddot map
Here’s a map of the work zone. (Courtesy DDOT)

Motorists can expect travel delays and are advised to stay alert and observant of signage and road crews when traveling through this area.

DDOT is reporting the extension of closures possible for this weekend, weather dependent, for Interstate 395/I-695 Northbound/Eastbound:

  • Single left lanes and shoulder between the 9th Street Expressway SW and Center Leg Freeway ramps.
  • 9th Street Expressway Ramp to I-395 NB / I-695 EB — Signed detour will be in place for closure, sending drivers onto the 9th Street Expressway Ramp to I-395 NB / I-695 WB. Expect delays around the project area.

With the South Capitol Street Corridor and Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge interchange work, watch for extended lane closures along I-295/D.C. 295 between South Capitol Street and Laboratory Rd., as well as the Suitland Parkway interchange work at I-295/D.C. 295 with possible full closures between Firth Sterling Avenue and South Capitol Street.

Virginia

The Transform 66 outside of the Beltway project saw changes at the Nutley Street at I-66 interchange. As of Wednesday:

  • The loop ramp from southbound Nutley Street to eastbound I-66 is closed.
  • Motorists must access I-66 eastbound from Nutley Street southbound at a temporary traffic signal, left turn onto a new ramp, which merges with the existing ramp from northbound Nutley Street to eastbound I-66.
  • Only two travel lanes continue through the interchange in both directions.
  • Drivers from northbound Nutley Street should remain alert for left turning southbound traffic at the temporary traffic signal operating on flash.
Here’s a map of the Nutley Street ramp at Interstate 66 in Vienna. (Courtesy VDOT)

The transformation project still continues with various changes at these locations:

  • Bridge demolition at Cedar Lane.
  • Paving on I-66 West in Prince William County, and on Virginia Route 28 in Centreville.
  • Bridge foundations at Routes 29, 28, 50, Waples Mill Road and Jermantown Road, Route 123, Gallows Road, and I-495.
  • Small charge dynamite operations (blasting) along Route 28, I-66 near Route 28, and I-66 West near Sudley Road.
  • Bridge expansions over Compton Road, Cub Run, new Route 28 bridges over I-66, new Route 123 bridge over I-66.
  • Relocating water lines at Cedar Lane and Gallows Road.
  • Relocating underground utilities along I-66 East and West.
  • Constructing retaining walls along I-66 and Route 28.
  • Corridor-wide roadway maintenance as needed.

Maryland

In Frederick, the total weekend closure of Md. 28/Dickerson Road over the Monocacy River continues for bridge rehabilitation.

Beginning Fridays at 10 p.m., closures and detours will be posted with flagging operations in place all other times through September.

In Prince George’s County, the work on U.S. 1 in College Park has begun with variable lane closures expected between College Avenue and University Blvd. through the summer of 2023.

A few resurfacing projects will continue at these locations:

  • Md. 5 (Branch Avenue) at Md. 373 (Accokeek Road)/Md. 381 (Brandywine Road), where the interchange reconstruction with lane closures on all three roads takes place weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight, Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  • Md. 373 (Accokeek Road) over Burch Branch bridge deck replacement project has full lane closures 24/7 with variable message directing through the detour.

The Purple Line construction continues through June along Md. 410/East-West Highway between Connecticut Avenue and Montgomery Avenue and on westbound Wayne Avenue between Fenton Street and Mansfield Road.

The work will vary from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, with temporary lane closures expected. During these times in Silver Spring, crews will be working along the CSX tracks in the area of Fenwick Lane and Apple Avenue.

In Bethesda, beginning the week of June 29, Purple Line constructors will be set for blasting. This may occur between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Bethesda Shaft for the future elevators and stairs to the Purple Line Metro station located on Elm Street.

Before each blast, a siren will be used as a safety precaution for workers and a public notification will be sent out 72 hours in advance.

Metro

This weekend will see lots of changes on Metro with scheduled work, as well as the Sunday, June 28, reopening of 15 stations after the monthslong response for public safety in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

These stations will reopen Sunday, including three stations (marked with the asterisks below) on the Orange and Silver lines for shuttle bus service only due to the ongoing platform reconstruction work at East Falls Church:

  • Federal Center SW
  • Federal Triangle
  • Mount Vernon Square
  • Judiciary Square
  • Archives
  • Greensboro*
  • Eisenhower Avenue
  • Virginia Square
  • East Falls Church*
  • McLean*
  • Van Dorn Street
  • Clarendon
  • Cleveland Park
  • Grosvenor-Strathmore
  • Cheverly
  • College Park
  • Morgan Boulevard

Additionally, beginning Monday, June 29, buses will be added to the system’s 14 busiest bus lines to provide for more capacity and frequency in service.

These long-standing closures on Metro were made in the earliest stages of the pandemic to protect front-line employees, customers and the general public.

Metro is promising to continue many protections as the D.C. region reopens with frequent cleaning of buses, trains and high-touch surfaces, and continued rear-door boarding, as well as requiring face coverings or masks for all employees and customers on all trains, buses and stations.

However, there is no guarantee that social distancing will be possible at all times and Metro is continuing to ask that customers consider all transportation options, such as walking, biking or scooters to increase space for other riders.

The summer shutdown and platform rehabilitation will continue, with the slight aforementioned Orange Line shuttle service changes, nine Metrorail stations on the Orange and Silver lines remain closed. With no Silver Line trains, Orange Line trains operate between Ballston-MU and New Carrollton only.

Here’s a map of the Metro changes. (Courtesy WMATA)

All stations west of Ballston-MU are closed with stations between Ballston-MU and Largo Town Center being served by Orange and/or Blue Line trains.

Through Saturday, the expedited work on the Yellow and Green lines continues with Yellow Line trains operating between Huntington and Reagan National Airport only.

There’s no Yellow Line service in D.C. or Maryland, so riders should use the Green Line instead.

Those traveling between D.C. and Virginia can use the Blue Line to transfer to the Green Line at L’Enfant.

As it stands through Saturday, the Mount Vernon Square, Gallery Place (lower level) and Archives stations remain closed with free shuttle service between L’Enfant Plaza and Shaw-Howard U Stations, and an intermediate stop at Gallery Place only.

There will still be no bus service at Mount Vernon Square or Archives, as they are closed through Sunday as part of Metro’s COVID-19 response.

Also note, the Shaw-Howard University Station remains open for Green Line service toward Greenbelt only, with no Yellow Line service.

Mary DePompa

WTOP Traffic Reporter, Mary de Pompa has a great understanding of the D.C.-area gridlock, being a third-generation Washingtonian. If you see more than she says, call Mary on the WTOP Traffic Hotline at 202-895-5048 or email her at mdepompa@wtop.com.

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