WASHINGTON – Weekenders out and about for Cinco de Mayo activities should be on alert for potential slow-downs. There will be opportunities for delays on the roads and rails across the region this weekend.
Metro continues its rebuilding efforts on parts of the Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines. Nine stations will be closed because of the work. Meanwhile, the Interstate 95 Express Lanes Project will intensify construction efforts. The Interstate 95/395 HOV lanes will be closed early Saturday and portions of the HOV lanes will remain closed through Sunday.
Metrorail Track Work
Work on four rail lines will result in service changes on Metro this weekend. Buses will replace trains and a few stations will be closed on the Red Line and Green Line. Trains will share tracks on portions of the Orange and Blue lines.
The work will take place between 10 p.m. Friday through system closing Sunday night. There is no scheduled work on the Yellow Line and trains are expected to operate at normal intervals.
Red Line
- Buses replace trains between Glenmont and Fort Totten stations.
- Five stations will be closed: Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma.
- Express buses will operate non-stop between Glenmont and Fort Totten stations. Customers using express buses should add about 30 minutes to their travel time.
- Local buses will make intermediate stops at all closed stations. Customers using local buses should add up to 50 minutes to their travel time.
Orange Line
- Trains will single track between Clarendon and Foggy Bottom and between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly.
- Trains will operate every 26 minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton.
- Customers will experience a longer wait on station platforms.
Blue Line
- Trains will single track between Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom.
- Trains will operate every 26 minutes between Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center
- Customers will experience a longer wait on station platforms.
Green Line
- Buses will replace Green Line trains between Congress Heights and Branch Avenue on Saturday.
- Four stations will be closed: Branch Avenue, Suitland, Naylor Road and Southern Avenue.
- Express buses will operate non-stop between Branch Avenue and Congress Heights stations. Customers using express buses should add about 25 minutes to their travel time.
- Local buses will make intermediate stops at Suitland, Naylor Road and Southern Avenue stations. Customers using local buses should add up to 50 minutes to their travel time.
- On Sunday, trains will single track between Branch Avenue and Congress Heights to allow for necessary track upgrades and renewal. Trains will operate every 30 minutes between Branch Avenue and Greenbelt.
I-95 Express Lanes Project
For the second weekend in a row, the I-95/I-395 HOV lanes will be closed as a part of the 95 Express Lanes extension project. The entire stretch will be closed to traffic from Dumfries to the 14th Street Bridge from 11 p.m. on Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday.
The lanes will be available for southbound travel beginning late Saturday morning from Springfield to Dumfries on I-95. They will remain closed on I-395 through 10 a.m. on Sunday.
When the HOV lanes on both I-95 and I-395 fully reopen late Sunday morning, traffic will move northbound and continue northbound through Monday morning’s rush hour without reversing.
Expect volume delays to begin taking hold early Saturday morning on I-95 through Dale City and Woodbridge until the HOV lanes reopen. Northbound congestion will likely persist from Quantico to Woodbridge through Saturday evening as the lanes will be oriented southbound. Daytime delays will be possible on I-395 during the day on Saturday, particularly north of Route 236 and Seminary Road.
The I-95 Express Lanes Project is one of Virginia’s most expensive “Megaprojects.” The HOV lanes are being transformed into dynamically tolled lanes, similar to the 495 Express Lanes, and will extend into northern Stafford County.
In-Town Work Zones
- On Saturday, construction will affect travel on the Suitland Parkway in Southeast Washington. Milling and paving work will force inbound traffic into a single lane from the Alabama Avenue overpass to the Stanton Road intersection. In addition, lane closures are possible on the parkway both ways at Firth Sterling Avenue SE.
- Delays are possible between Branch Avenue and Interstate 295, especially during the daytime hours on Saturday. The work is scheduled to occur between 4 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- Demolition work will block 11th Street SE between M Street and K Street through the weekend. The final components on the old flyover ramp from the Southeast Freeway to the old, outbound 11th Street Bridge will be dismantled. A short detour will be well assigned and the closure is not expected to cause any significant delays.
- The New York Avenue Bridge rehabilitation project continues this Saturday. Like previous weekends, the work zone will reduce travel to a single lane each way between Florida Avenue and Penn Street/4th Street NE.
The construction on New York Avenue is scheduled between 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. If the work wraps up on schedule, delays should remain minimal.
- As a part of the Dulles Metrorail Extension Project, crews will block a left lane on Interstate-66 both ways near the West Falls Church Metro Station and the Dulles Connector Road. The lane closures are scheduled on Friday and Saturday night from 9:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. The work will replace the temporary jersey walls with permanent guard rails along I-66.
Movie Shoot on the Roosevelt Bridge
Sunday, a film crew will roam the city shooting scenes for an upcoming major motion picture set in Washington, D.C. The movie shoot will briefly block travel on I-66 at the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.
The Roosevelt Bridge will be closed to travel between 8:20 and 9:10 a.m. and again from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.
From Arlington on I-66, inbound drivers during these times should use the exit to Spout Run Parkway (Exit 72) toward the George Washington Parkway and the Memorial Bridge or Exit 73 toward Rosslyn and the Key Bridge. Otherwise, all eastbound traffic will be diverted onto Route 110 southbound.
Expect the on-ramps from Route 50 and the southbound GW Parkway in Arlington to be blocked while the film crew is at work.
Annual Race for Hope 5K Run/Walk
The Race for Hope for brain tumor awareness and research will block a short stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue between 12th Street and 14th Street near Freedom Plaza on Sunday beginning around 8 a.m.
The race will continue toward the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, south toward Federal Center then back to Freedom Plaza. All street closures between the start/finish line at Freedom Plaza and the Capitol should be cleared by 11 a.m.
Virginia’s Gold Cup
One of the nation’s well-known steeplechase races will be held near The Plains in Fauquier County, Va., Saturday. The Gold Cup will take place at Great Meadows Park between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The Gold Cup can draw sell-out crowds with up to 50,000 spectators expected this year. Delays are possible on Route 17 and Route 245/Old Tavern Road south of I-66 throughout the day as attendees file into the parking lots.
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