Significant construction closures and shifts, as well as some Red Line single tracking, could slow you down this weekend.
Long-term Purple Line construction sets up this weekend near the Silver Spring Metro, and Interstate 66 toll lane construction will mean delays along U.S. Route 29.
Other construction work is also planned across the region.
On Metro, the only major work scheduled Saturday and Sunday is on the Red Line. Trains are scheduled to single-track between Twinbrook and Grosvenor-Strathmore, with service every 18 minutes. Additional trains are scheduled between Medical Center and Glenmont from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In D.C., the lane closures on 17th Street — due to the risk that cars could fall down a Metro vent shaft — are expected to last about four months. The traffic impact is expected to become more significant in the coming week, as more people return from vacations or time off.
I-66 work in Fairfax County
At I-66 and U.S. 29, significant closures are scheduled all weekend on U.S. 29 in Centreville, Virginia, weather permitting.
Traffic on U.S. 29-Lee Highway will run only one lane each way, and no left turns will be allowed to or from the ramps connecting I-66 and U.S. 29.
Toll lane construction crews plan to demolish parts of the I-66 bridges over U.S. 29. By 2022, new bridges are set to be longer, wider and higher. The construction and demolition are being done in phases to avoid more significant disruptions for drivers on I-66.
Purple Line work ramps up in Silver Spring
Purple Line work closures and detours disrupt drivers, Ride On buses and Metrobus routes in Silver Spring, Maryland, starting this weekend.
The closures are scheduled to run at least through the end of April.
For drivers, Colesville Road might be completely closed overnight and at times on weekends. At other times, including rush hour, the road will be down to two lanes each way under the Metro tracks.
When the road is closed, Purple Line Transit Partners suggest using 16th Street northbound or Georgia Avenue southbound.
The most significant transit changes will move most buses out of the lower level of the Silver Spring Transit Center to instead stop on Bonifant Street or Colesville Road. The closure is expected to last about five months, and stops could shift during that time. A closure of Bonifant near the transit center has been postponed. Stops on the upper level will remain open.
Changes impact Metrobus routes Z2, Z6, Z7, Z8, Z11, J1, J2, J4 (westbound only), S2, S4 and S9 — for some or all of the period from now through June.
Ride On routes 2, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 9 and 129 will be shifted to stops on Colesville between Wayne and Georgia avenues. Routes 8, 21, 22 and 28 will also be moved from the transit center’s lower level to the street. Ride On routes 1, 11 and 16 will move to the upper level of the transit center.
The changes require schedule adjustments on routes 2, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 22.
The construction also makes it harder to walk in parts of the area around the transit center.
The Purple Line work in the area includes building bridges that will carry the Purple Line light rail and the Capital Crescent Trail in the area when construction is finished around 2023. It also includes the construction of the new Purple Line station at the edge of the transit center.
Ride On separately makes changes Sunday to two Clarksburg routes — 75 and 90 — as well as some other schedule adjustments to account for current traffic jams and other issues.
U.S. Route 1 closure
Weekend traffic could be worse than usual on U.S. Route 1 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
A developer’s paving work does not meet Virginia Department of Transportation standards, VDOT said, so the right lane on U.S. 1 north near the Caroline County line will be closed for several days for emergency repairs.
Herndon-Monroe back to normal
In Fairfax County, Virginia, buses at the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride return to normal Monday, with much of the bus loop construction done for now.
The area will soon be the new Herndon Metro Station when the Silver Line extension opens, likely later this year.
During the latest round of work over the last two months, buses had stopped on Sunrise Valley Drive, but Metrobus Route 5A and Fairfax Connector routes 551, 924, 926, 927, 929, 937, 950, 951, 952, 980, 981 and 983 will now stop in the bus loop again for the remainder of the winter.
The bus loop is scheduled to be closed again in the spring for additional concrete work when the weather warms up.
