Weekend Road and Rail: Bike sharing, I-66 stopping, I-295 change, Metro shutdown

The weather forecast could impact scheduled roadwork across the D.C. region, including Interstate 66, Interstate 295 and the new University Boulevard “Shared Streets” project. Here’s what’s being projected, weather permitting.

Roadwork

Maryland

Beginning Friday, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) launches its project to allow bicycles and vehicles to safely share a little over 1.5 miles of MD-193/University Boulevard, between Amherst and Arcola avenues in Wheaton.

This Multi-Modal Shared Streets Pilot Project will present new traffic patterns and temporarily repurposed lanes. The project to be implemented, weather permitting, will provide motorists and bicyclists shared access to and from commercial, residential and recreational centers in Wheaton.

The temporary pilot project for University Boulevard is part of a Montgomery County-wide initiative to enhance safety and mobility for all roadway users.

Multi-Modal Shared Streets Pilot Project map. (Courtesy MDOT SHA)

This project will include:

• Reducing the number of vehicular through-lanes on MD-193/University Boulevard
• Repurposing MD-193 travel lanes adjacent to the curbs for bicyclists
• Lane modification and assignment to connect bicyclists to the MD-193 interim bike lanes
• Adding flexible posts or vertical delineators to separate vehicle and bike lanes
• Installing updated signage and striping

Access to all businesses, driveways and bus stops will be maintained at all times. Bicyclists traveling along University Boulevard are expected to use the protected outside lanes. All pedestrians should use the existing sidewalk.

At the conclusion of the pilot project, MDOT SHA will remove the flex posts and temporary line-striping and restore the use of all lanes for vehicular traffic. Then it will evaluate motorist, bicycle and pedestrian operations and safety to gauge the effectiveness of the project.

For other work areas this weekend, weather permitting, new road resurfacing has begun in Calvert County. Here, MD-2/4 has overnight lane closures between Coster Mill Bridge Road and Calvert Cliffs Parkway, and between MD-264 and MD-231 from Sunday to Thursday for resurfacing and line-striping nightly, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

There is nightly road repair taking place on MD-6 between US-301 and Willow Lane on Sunday through Thursday too, between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

On Interstate 95 in Howard County, the night bridge work over the Patapsco River/CSX tracks will continue to see nightly single to double lane closures from Sundays through Thursdays in the month of June.

The crews here work between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly, addressing one direction at a time through completion.

This week saw the beginning of a new nightly resurfacing project on MD-103/Meadowridge Road and MD-100 at the interchange and two roundabouts as well. Crews work are scheduled to work overnights, Sunday through Thursday, with lane closures and detours posted between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

In Prince George’s County, work continues nightly of I-95/I-495 Capital Beltway in the ongoing bridge replacement projects, with both directions of the Beltway seeing lanes closed nightly, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and Saturday 6 p.m. to 11 a.m., anywhere between the Allentown Road/Joint Base Andrews exit and MD-4/Pennsylvania Avenue.

And of course, for summer travelers through Baltimore, be advised that the work on I-895 Harbor Tunnel Thruway is scheduled to continue between the tunnels and Holabird Avenue with lane closures during off-peak travel times.

Virginia

The ever-changing work for the I-66 Transforms Outside the Beltway Project will continue into this weekend with a few closures to be aware of.

The I-66/Stringfellow Road interchange has seen bridge replacements and construction transformations over the past few months. The latter part of this week and into the weekend, weather permitting, the plan is for full closures and detours of Stringfellow Road approaching I-66 for bridge beam installation.

This work nightly, between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., will have Stringfellow Road closed and detoured in both directions between Fair Lakes Boulevard and Westbrook Drive/Village Square Drive.

With this work, the ramps between I-66 and Stringfellow Road will remain closed with detours directing traffic to the next exits for U-turns.

Detour map for the closure of Stringfellow Road. (Courtesy VDOT)

For this extended nightly closure this weekend, on the north side of I-66, traffic will be directed to Fair Lakes Boulevard to Fair Lakes Parkway to Route 286 Fairfax County Parkway south, where you follow signs to Route 29 south to reach Stringfellow Road.

On the south side of I-66, traffic is directed to the opposite, which is Route 29 north, to Route 286 north to the Fair Lakes Parkway/Monument Drive to Fair Lakes Boulevard back to Stringfellow Road to head north.

In Manassas this weekend, I-66 between Sudley Road and US-29, three lanes will be closed overnights Friday and Saturday to implement and new traffic shift. With this work, the ramps from Route 234/Sudley Road to I-66 will see travel changes as follows:

• Sudley Road south to go eastbound I-66, the ramp will be closed and detoured to Balls Ford Road for a detour
• Northbound Sudley Road to eastbound I-66 will be reduced to a single lane
• The ramps from Sudley Road to I-66 westbound will be closed and detoured

Overnights this week have seen I-66 eastbound between Route 123/Chain Bridge and Nutley Street reduced to a single lane of travel with the ramps from Route 123 to eastbound I-66 closed and detoured.

Here, crews are implementing a new traffic shift and are schedule to work here overnights through noon Saturday, weather permitting.

Just west of Nutley Street is the Vaden Drive overpass. The work here overnights has seen roadway reduced to a single lane in both directions of I-66, with full stops of up to 20 minutes at a time for beam installation of the Express Lanes access ramps.

This work is set to continue nightly through this weekend on westbound I-66 after Nutley Street, with full stops between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Road construction
Piers being constructed for Vaden Drive Express Lane ramps. (Courtesy VDOT)

On I-66 at the Beltway, in both directions overnights into Saturday morning, expect double lane closures for overhead bridge work and motorists could see stops of up to 20 minutes at a time between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. This work will close the ramps to and from the I-495 Express lanes.

Just a reminder, all work on these projects is weather dependent and subject to change. Be sure to stay tuned to WTOP and traffic on the 8s for latest. And, to be part of the process, you can call the Traffic Center at any time with information on changes at 866-304-WTOP.

DC

Again, this week, there has been overnight and off-peak hour work for DDOT’s (District Department of Transportation) I-395 Sign Structure Improvement Project, which is scheduled through Friday, weather permitting.

During the overnights, and continuing into Saturday morning, motorists can expect double lane closures on New York Avenue between West Virginia Avenue NE and Bladensburg Road.

The work for the South Capitol Street Corridor Project will continue this weekend too, weather permitting. Here, DDOT temporarily closes the westbound lanes of Suitland Parkway between Firth Sterling Avenue SE and South Capitol Street SE/SW between 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning.

Three lanes of I-295 northbound have now shifted onto the new Firth Sterling Avenue overpass, as of this week. Crews here have been closing lanes of northbound I-295 between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. for this traffic shift to allow for construction of roadway and bridge structures. There are detours posted.

A map of the westbound Suitland Parkway closures. (Courtesy of DDOT)Both Firth Sterling Avenue SE between South Capitol Street SE and St. Elizabeth’s Avenue SE, and Howard Road SE between the WMATA garage access and Firth Sterling Avenue SE will be closed nightly as well, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. into Saturday.

A map of the Howard Road closure and detour. (Courtesy of DDOT)

Metro

The summer shutdown for the Green and Yellow Lines Platform Improvement Project is in full swing and continuing this weekend with the West Hyattsville, Prince George’s Plaza, College Park-U of Md and the Greenbelt station closed.

There is free shuttle service being provided and you can check out the shuttle schedules and alternative travel options, parking and bus relocations at Metro’s website.

The Potomac Yards Station construction continues this weekend too, which has single tracking on the Blue and Yellow Line between Braddock Road and National Airport.

This weekend Metro operates on a normal service, which is Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Trains will serve 87 of 91 stations with normal service on the Red and Orange lines and scheduled adjustments on the Blue, Silver, Green and Yellow lines.

Weekend service summary

Red Line, Orange and Silver Lines: Normal weekend services, with trains between 12 and 18 minutes.

Blue Line: Trains every 24 minutes. Single tracking between National Airport and Braddock Road.

Silver Line: Due to single tracking on the Blue Line, trains every 24 minutes.

Yellow Line: Due to the summer Platform Improvement Project:

• Trains operate between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq. only
• Travelers to stations north of Mt. Vernon Sq. should transfer to the Green Line
• Single tracking between National Airport and Braddock Road, with trains every 24 minutes.

Green Line: Trains every 15-20 minutes.

Due to the summer Platform Improvement Project:

• Trains operate between Branch Ave and Ft Totten only
• West Hyattsville, Prince George’s Plaza, College Park-U of Md, and Greenbelt stations are closed

Free shuttle buses replace trains as follows:

• Limited stop service between Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md and Fort Totten
• Limited stop service between Prince George’s Plaza, West Hyattsville and Fort Totten
• Local service between Greenbelt, College Park-U of Md, Prince George’s Plaza and West Hyattsville

For your safety and the safety of others, customers are required to wear cloth face coverings or masks while traveling on Metro.

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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