Weekend Wakeup: Metro delays return with station closures

Tim Bracken, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – While Metro delays return this weekend with TWO station closures, it will be open an hour later because of the end of Daylight Saving Time.

The system will close at 3 a.m., as scheduled, but because clocks will be set back an hour, Metro will continue to run that extra hour until 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Watch for delays near RFK Stadium on Saturday for a D.C. United game. Eastern Conference Semifinal game was moved last-minute due to superstorm Sandy.

There are also a few running events to look out for. In D.C., the Half and Half Marathon is scheduled for Saturday, and the National Race to End Women’s Cancer kicks off Sunday at Freedom Plaza.

Saturday’s Mud Dog Run may cause delays on Route 15 north of downtown Frederick.

In Annapolis, Sunday’s Ripley Race will bring over 1,000 runners into the streets.

In Arlington, the Race Against The Odds 5k will be held near Tuckahoe Elementary School that will cause some road closures. Here are the details.

Construction projects continue on the Beltway, Little River Turnpike, and near the Wilson Bridge.

Read on for the details, and have a great weekend!

Metro construction update

Metro construction begins at 10 p.m. on Friday and continues through system closing Sunday. Here’s the update from Metro.

Blue and Orange Lines

  • Buses will replace Orange Line trains between Foggy Bottom and Court House.
  • Buses will replace Blue Line trains between Foggy Bottom and Pentagon.
  • The Rosslyn and Arlington Cemetery stations will be closed.
  • Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will operate in two segments: Between Vienna and Court House at regular weekend intervals, and between Foggy Bottom and New Carrollton at regular weekend intervals.
  • Blue Line trains will operate in two segments: Between Franconia-Springfield and Mount Vernon Square at regular weekend intervals, and between Foggy Bottom and Largo Town Center at regular weekend intervals.

Free shuttle buses will operate on three routes

  • Orange Line Shuttle: Between Court House, Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom in a continuous loop at all hours the Metrorail system is open.
  • Blue Line Shuttle: Between Foggy Bottom, Arlington Cemetery and Pentagon in a continuous loop at all hours the Metrorail system is open.
  • Virginia Shuttle: Between Court House, Rosslyn and Pentagon every 15 minutes Saturday and Sunday only until midnight each day. (No Arlington Cemetery stop.)

Red Line

  • Trains will single track between Twinbrook and Grosvenor.
  • More single tracking Between Forest Glen and Takoma.
  • Throughout the weekend, trains between Shady Grove and Glenmont will operate every 24 minutes.
  • Between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, additional trains will operate between Grosvenor and Fort Totten resulting in service every 10-12 minutes between those stations.
  • Delays of at least 15 minutes are expected.

Baltimore Washington Parkway/MD 295

The Baltimore Washington Parkway/MD 295 will be closed in both directions north of Interstate 195 at West Nursery Road from Friday at 10 p.m. until Sunday 10 a.m. for continued work on the West Nursery Road overpass.

Drivers traveling northbound from the D.C. area can exit to BWI but may want to plan an alternate route to avoid possible delays.

Drivers traveling southbound from Baltimore can not get to BWI on MD 295.

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.

After midnight, temporary total closures are possible for up to 30 minutes at a time. All lanes should reopen by 8 a.m.

The final phase of work is now taking place on the Beltway at Northwest Branch between New Hampshire and University Blvd. Friday night around 9:30 pm 2 right lanes will close on the Outer Loop. Saturday and Sunday nights between 8 and 10 pm, 2 left lanes will be closed. All lane should reopen by 5 am each day following each closures.

Wilson Bridge Project update

The Wilson Bridge Project won’t block any lanes on the Capital Beltway this weekend, but the Virginia Department of Transportation is advising drivers to avoid Telegraph Road near the Beltway.

On Saturday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., access from Telegraph Road to Mill Road will be closed. Drivers are advised to take the on-ramp to the Inner Loop to the Eisenhower Connector to return on Eisenhower Avenue to Mill Road.

On Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., southbound Telegraph Road will be reduced to one lane between the Beltway and Farmington Road, with access to N. Kings Highway and Huntington Avenue closed.

Access to and from Telegraph Road and East Drive will also be closed.

I-95/I-395 HOV lanes 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.

Little River Turnpike construction

Friday and Saturday nights between 9:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m., eastbound Little River Turnpike/Route 236 will be closed between Lake Avenue and the Capital Beltway. Two-way traffic will be running on the westbound side of the roadway.

Columbia Pike Construction

Columbia Pike will be closed in both directions between S. Quinn Street and S. Orme Street to demolish a portion of the bridge that carries Washington Blvd over Columbia Pike.

Detours will begin at 9:00 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2 and be in place until 4:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 5. There will also be detours on Washington Blvd at Columbia Pike and S. Queen Street will be closed at Columbia Pike.

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