Tim Bracken, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – This Columbus Day weekend brings construction delays on Metrorail and the Capital Beltway and lane closures along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon, Monster Mask 5K, Mind Your Health 5K and Columbus Day Presidential Fitness Run shouldn’t hinder travel through northern Virginia and the Disctrict.
There will be lots of fun events, including the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Md., Art on the Avenue, Taste of DC and Columbia Heights Day.
George Washington Memorial Parkway closure
Rock stabilization work along the George Washington Memorial Parkway will result in a full closure of the two northbound lanes between Spout Run and Chain Bridge beginning Friday, Oct. 6 at 7:00 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 8.
Detours will be posted, variable message boards have been placed, and alternate routes are strongly advised.
Motorists should take Route 50 west or exit at Spout Run Parkway to Route 29 south and follow I-66 west to I-495 to access the Beltway.
A second and third full weekend closure is tentatively scheduled for the weekends of Oct. 13 and 14 and Oct. 20 and 21. Additional information about the project and future closures can be found here.
Columbus Day travel info
Metro will open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight. Trains will operate on a Saturday schedule. Parking at Metro-owned lots and garages is free on the holiday. Off-peak fares will be in effect all day.
Buses will operate on a Saturday schedule, while some post-midnight trips on the Saturday schedule will not operate.
Also in D.C., residential parking, street sweeping and rush-hour violations are suspended.
Parking fees also are suspended Monday in Arlington and Alexandria, but not in Montgomery County, where Columbus Day is not an official holiday.
Reversible-lane roadways like Rock Creek Parkway are open for two-way traffic during rush hours in D.C.
HOV restrictions also are lifted for I-95/I-395, I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road in Virginia.
There will be no service for MARC and VRE trains.
Metro construction update
Metro’s rebuilding efforts continue this weekend with single-tracking on the Red and Orange lines. There is no work scheduled for the Blue, Yellow, and Green lines.
All work begins at 10 p.m. Friday, and continues through system closing on Monday. Here is the update from Metro:
Red Line
- Red Line trains will single-track between Judiciary Square and Fort Totten.
- Trains between Glenmont and Shady Grove will operate every 26 minutes throughout the weekend.
- Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, additional trains will operate between Shady Grove and Judiciary Square only, resulting in service about every 13 minutes between those stations.
- Customers traveling on the eastern leg of the Red Line should expect at least a 20-minute delay.
- Travelers on the western leg and downtown should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time.
Orange Line
- Orange Line trains will single-track between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly.
- During daytime hours on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, every other Orange Line train from Vienna will terminate at Stadium-Armory and return to Vienna. Customers traveling to/from stations east of Stadium-Armory should allow about 15 minutes of additional travel time.
- Between Vienna and Stadium-Armory, trains will operate at normal weekend intervals.
Telegraph Road Interchange construction
The Virginia Department of Transportation is advising drivers to avoid the Capital Beltway’s Inner Loop near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge due to weekend construction.
Between 9 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Sunday, the Inner Loop THRU lanes will be reduced to a single lane between U.S. Route 1 and the Eisenhower Connector.
Beltway construction update
Overnight road work continues on both loops of the Capital Beltway between Interstate 66 and Georgetown Pike. Expect a minimum of two lanes getting by between 9:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
On Saturday, the Outer Loop in Maryland will be closed at 201 Kenilworth Ave. One lane will close at 7 p.m., two lanes by 9 p.m. and three lanes by 10 p.m.
After midnight, temporary total closures are possible for up to 30 minutes at a time. All lanes should reopen by 8 a.m.
I-95/I-395 HOV closure
Starting at 11 p.m. and continuing through 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, the Interstate 95 and Interstate 395 High Occupancy Vehicle lanes will be closed between Dumfries Road and Duke Street.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, HOV lanes will reopen in the northbound direction.
I-66 closure
Overnight roadwork will close all lanes of I-66 westbound between the Dulles Connector Road and Leesburg Pike between 9:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.
Traffic will be diverted onto the Dulles Connector Road westbound, then to Route 123 south and the Capital Beltway to continue on I-66.
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