This weekend will see Metro at almost full capacity with 89 of the 91 stations available and work scheduled for only two lines.
In Virginia, there are full stops for construction and bridge work planned on Interstate 66 in both Fairfax and Arlington and for Virginia Route 7 in Falls Church.
With a 70% completion report, Md. 210 Indian Head Highway construction project will take a turn.
Here’s what you need to know for the roads and for public transportation this weekend.
Metro
A preventive maintenance program continues on Metro with the weekend used for enhanced preventive projects, including cleaning and testing. This weekend will see the Orange Line platform rehabilitation project continuing along with fire system upgrades along the Green and Yellow Lines.
Trains will be operating at 89 of the 91 system stations with the Orange Line’s Vienna and Dunn Loring stations remain closed through September 8 due to the platform improvements project.
Hours of operations will be from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday and with continuing health concerns due the pandemic, customers are required to wear cloth face coverings or masks.
Weekend service summary for Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30:
- Red Line — trains scheduled every 12-15 minutes
- Blue Line – trains scheduled 15-20 minutes
- Orange Line — trains are scheduled every 15-20 minutes between West Falls Church and New Carrollton with the Vienna and Dunn Loring stations closed for platform work and free shuttle bus service provided
- Silver Line — trains are scheduled every 15-20 minutes
- Green and Yellow Line — trains are scheduled every 22 minutes with single tracking between Georgia Ave-Petworth and Fort Totten stations due to fire system upgrades
Roadwork
DC
This weekend the District Department of Transportation has plans to offload a new barrier transfer machine for the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, weather permitting. This project is scheduled to temporarily close lanes along Constitution Avenue between 19th and 23rd Streets in Northwest with traffic control signals implemented to warn, guide and instruct drivers through the work area.
The scheduled offered by DDOT is set to begin on 8 p.m. Saturday night and continue through 5 p.m. Sunday along westbound Constitution Avenue:
- 19th through 20th Street — single right lane
- 20th through 21st Street — two right lanes
- 21st through 23rd Street — three right lanes
During this time, drivers can anticipate moderate to heavy delays with these lane closures. Again, all of the work is weather dependent.
Also, a notable work project has begun in the overnight hours, which is expected to continue through March 2021.
DDOT will temporarily close the ramp from the 9th Street Expressway to I-395 southbound for sign structure replacements along I-395. This work area will be on I-395 southbound in the auxiliary lanes between the 9th Street and 12th Street Expressways with closures and detours in place during the overnight period between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Maryland
In Prince George’s County, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration continues the rehabilitation project on Md. 210 Indian Head Highway at the intersection with Livingston and Kerby Hill roads.
Touting a 70% completion of the project, MDOT SHA completed a southbound closure and lane shift overnight this past week with their sights are now turned to the northbound direction, which is scheduled for the week ahead.
The crossover at this intersection — just between Palmer Road and the Beltway — has been closed since last October for this $114 million dollar safety and improvements project. This interchange is just one of the intersections receiving a makeover to implement a new overpass, which will remove a traffic signals from Md. 210 for the purpose of safety and to hopefully alleviate some congestion.
The next step for crews will be setting structural steel over Md. 210 northbound. This work will require overnight lane closures with stops between the overnight hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Drivers through this section should be alert for lane closures, shifts and temporary pauses in traffic for construction of barrier walls, median ramps and bridges at Md. 210 and Kerby Hill/Livingston Roads.
Virginia
In Fairfax, work along I-66 between the Capital Beltway and Gallows Road has been continuing to cause delays for drivers through this area all week long and this weekend is scheduled to be no different. The work at the Gallows Road Bridge, which spans I-66, has seen reduced lanes, full stops and flagging operations as crews lift beams and expand roadways.
This is all part of the I-66 Transforms Outside the Beltway project where Gallows Road is being rebuilt to cross I-66. Upon completion, this project will include improved bicycle and pedestrian facilities over I-66 and access to the new shared-use path being built along I-66. It is expected to straighten Gallows Road, add bike lanes with wider sidewalks and leave room for widening toward Tysons.
In Centreville, there will be more I-66 Transformation work, VDOT has scheduled the installation of bridge beams for the new I-66 bridges over Route 29 (Lee Highway). This work requires the reduction of lanes traveling Route 29 under I-66 to a single lane in each direction beginning at 9 p.m. Friday and continuing through 5 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. This operation will have two-way traffic in the northbound lanes of Route 29, motorists can expect delays while work this is being performed.
As always, work schedules are weather dependent and subject to change. Keep an ear to WTOP weather as we continue to monitor the impact of rains expected from Hurricane Laura.
The overnight work schedule for this weekend is as follows:
Friday, Aug. 28:
Gallows Road over I-66
- 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Gallows Road over I-66, reduced to two lanes, single each using two-way travel in the southbound lanes.10 p.m. to 5 a.m., northbound and southbound traffic will be flagged with alternating travel in a single lane over I-66 for utility work.
- All lanes to reopen by 5:30 a.m.
- I-66 west from Route 7 to Gallows Road.
- I-66 west will be reduced to one travel lane from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Expect periodic FULL STOPS of up to 20 minutes at a time between 10 p.m. and 4:30 a.m.
- All lanes scheduled to reopen by 7 a.m.
Ramp from 495 Express Lanes north to I-66 west
- Ramp closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Detours to I-66 east, take the exit for Route 7, stay to the left at the traffic signal, then stay to the right and follow signs to I-66 west.
- Ramp from I-495 south to I-66 west.
- Ramp closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Traffic directed farther south to Route 50 west, stay right to exit to Gallows Road north, turn left at the traffic signal on to U.S. 29 south, travel about two miles and turn right onto Nutley St north, follow signs to turn left to I-66 west.
Overnight detours for scheduled westbound closures of I-66. (Courtesy of VDOT)
Also, in Arlington, work on I-66 near Route 29 and the Spout Run Parkway is scheduled again this weekend with single lane closures and full stops expected overnights. Weather permitting, the Virginia Department of Transportation has released the following work schedule for work just before Route 29 Lee Highway to begin 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday:
- Left lane closed from 9 p.m. Friday, through 7 p.m. Saturday.
- Intermittent FULL STOPS up to 20 minutes on westbound I-66 between 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.
- Right lane closed from 7 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday.
- Intermittent FULL STOPS up to 20 minutes eastbound I-66 from 8 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday morning and then again Sunday night from 8 p.m. through 5 a.m. Monday.
In Falls Church this weekend, VDOT has overnight stops planned for Route 7 Leesburg Pike inside of the Beltway as part of the I-66 Widening Project.
Beginning on Friday night, a bridge construction project will be set for overhead beam installation at the ramp from eastbound Route 7 to eastbound I-66. The construction will have lane closures and 20 minutes full stops on Route 7. This bridge widening is part of the construction of a new ramp-to-ramp connection allowing direct access from I-66 east to the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail Station.
The work schedule for Route 7 Leesburg Pike between Idylwood Road and Chestnut Street as follows:
- Left lane will be closed in both directions from 8:30 p.m. to 9 a.m.
- Multiple 20-minute full stops of traffic will be implemented as girders are placed over Route 7 between midnight and 4 a.m.
- All lanes will be open by 9 a.m.
This widening project will add a travel lane four miles eastbound on I-66 between the Dulles Connector and Glebe Road, installing 12,000 linear feet of noise barrier and a new bridge over Route 29 for the W&OD Trail.
