Dave Dildine, wtop.com
Downtown Washington will be abuzz with activity this weekend, and getting there could be tricky on some roads and on parts of the Metrorail system.
The shops and sidewalks around Gallery Place will be bustling on Sunday. The Chinese New Year Parade, replete with dragons, costumes, martial arts and musical acts, will travel along H Street and under the Friendship Arch in Chinatown Sunday afternoon. This is the year of the snake. Expect traffic congestion and local detours beginning Sunday morning in Chinatown.
Police will block H Street NW between 6th and 7th streets around 9 a.m. By 11 a.m. the following nearby streets will be closed for the duration of the celebration:
- G Street NW from 7th Street to 9th Street NW
- H Street NW from 8th Street to 6th Street NW
- I Street NW from 5th Street to 7th Street NW
- 7th Street NW from I Street to G Street NW
- 8th Street NW from G Street to H Street NW
The combination of street closures and heavy pedestrian traffic in crosswalks will likely lead to delays on nearby roads. All streets are expected to reopen by 3:30 p.m.
In Arlington County, police will be closing South Joyce Street and sections of Army Navy Drive to allow the Love the Run You’re With 5K race on Sunday.
The affected streets are listed below:
- South Joyce Street between South 15th Street and Army Navy Drive will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Army Navy Drive between South Joyce Street and South 25th Street will be closed from 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Street parking in the area will be restricted. Motorists should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs. Illegally parked vehicles may be ticketed or towed.
On Metrorail, some track work
On Metro, this weekend’s agenda focuses on platform reconstruction, track maintenance and third rail upgrades on the Red and Orange lines. Although trains will share tracks through Rockville, Takoma Park and Falls Church, all stations will remain open and Metro plans to keep the Blue, Green or Yellow lines running at normal intervals.
Red Line
- Trains will single track between Shady Grove and Twinbrook stations
- Trains will single track between the Rhode Island Avenue and Takoma stations
- Customers riding through either work zone should add about 15 minutes to their travel time
Orange Line
No track work is scheduled for Sunday and no train delays are expected.
Nighttime Road Work Ahead
Construction on the roads will take place mainly during the overnight hours this weekend.
Work on the Contee Road bridge project over Interstate 95 west of Laurel will resume Sunday evening. Crews plan to start blocking northbound lanes of I-95 by 7 p.m. By midnight, three lanes will be closed. Occasionally crews will need to stop northbound traffic to reposition equipment and supplies.
Love The Run You’re With 5k
In Pentagon City, the Love The Run You’re With 5k will kick off Sunday from the Pentagon Row Mall at 9 a.m. Arlington County police will block portions of South Joyce Street and Army Navy Drive to accommodate the runners.
- South Joyce Street closed between 15th Street and Army Navy Drive from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
- Army Navy Drive closed between Joyce Street and 25th Street from 8:45 to 10:00 a.m.
Obey all posted “No Parking” signs and consider parking in the Pentagon City Mall garage. Authorities encourage attendees to use the Pentagon City Metro Station to access the event.
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