PARTS OF METRO SYSTEM TO BE CLOSED OVER MLK HOLIDAY: During the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend – Friday, Jan. 12 through Monday, Jan. 15 – the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will close segments of the Blue, Orange and Silver lines between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery/Clarendon to perform infrastructure repairs and maintenance.
During the period, the Rosslyn and Court House stations will be closed, and free shuttle buses will provide frequent service between all affected stations.
“The four-day closure will allow Metro to address critical repairs, infrastructure improvements and other maintenance at one time,” WMATA officials said. “The same work would have required multiple weekends of single-tracking with severe disruption to service.”
Ridership during the four-day period is historically 27 percent lower on Metrorail than the average weekday.
Crews will replace dozens of concrete grout pads that support the rails. To do this, the rails must be removed and the old grout pads demolished. After framing, new concrete will be poured with additional time needed to set. The work will be coupled with installation of new rails, fasteners, platform-edge lighting and fiber-optic cables, drain maintenance, and welding rails together to eliminate joints for a smoother, better ride.
Outside of the work zone, Blue Line trains will run from Franconia-Springfield to Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom to Downtown Largo; Orange Line service will operate from Vienna to Clarendon and Foggy Bottom to New Carrollton; and Silver Line trains will run between Ashburn and Clarendon only.
Travelers over the holiday weekend going to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport can use the Yellow Line via Gallery Place or L’Enfant Plaza as an alternative, with service operating every six minutes during weekday peak periods and eight minutes at all other times. Customers traveling through Washington Dulles International Airport should allow additional time for shuttle buses to connect to the Silver Line.
VDOT LAUNCHES MODERN WEBSITE: It hasn’t been fully modernized in 15 years – several lifetimes when it comes to technology – but the Virginia Department of Transportation has launched its new Website.
The revised site “prioritizes user experience and makes popular content, such as real-time traffic alerts and resources for business partners, easier to find,” state transportation officials said.
It is accessible for all types of users, including those accessing on mobile devices, needing translation options, or using assistive technology.
“We are excited to be delivering a Website built with the future in mind,” said VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich. “We know that people are seeking information to help them move through the commonwealth, and VDOT’s new site provides a modern way for all users to find that information easily.”
The Website can be accessed at vdot.virginia.gov.
VIRGINIA BREEZE SETTING RIDERSHIP RECORDS: All four routes of the Virginia Breeze bus service – a state-government initiative that connects downstate locations with Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. – set all-time ridership during the fall period, with overall ridership up 19 percent from a year before.
The service is managed by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and is funded by the Federal Transit Administration.
“It is inspiring to see the soaring demand for Virginia Breeze, which for six years has connected people across the commonwealth and beyond,” said Jennifer DeBruhl, DRPT’s director.
The four routes are:
• Valley Flyer, which connects Blacksburg and intermediate stops with Washington Dulles International Airport, the West Falls Church Metro station and Washington’s Union Station, saw 3,975 riders in November, a 17-percent increase from a year before.
• Piedmont Express, which connects Danville and intermediate stops with Dulles and Union Station, recorded 907 passengers for November, up 10 percent.
• Capital Connector, which provides service from Martinsville to Richmond and Union Station, saw 891 riders in November, up 27 percent.
• Highlands Rhythm, which connects Bristol and intermediate points with Dulles, West Falls Church and Union Station, achieved its highest ridership in October with 2,368 passengers, up 25 percent.
Tickets range from $15 to $60 each way. For information, see the Website at virginiabreeze.org.
In addition to the current service, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is studying creation of an east-west line that would run from Staunton/Harrisonburg to the Virginia Beach area along the Interstate 64 corridor.
REGIONAL FUNDING WOULD HELP FAIRFAX COUNTY TRANSIT EFFORTS: Fairfax County supervisors on Dec. 5 authorized the county’s transportation director to apply for nearly $8.9 million in regional funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) to finance multiple bus routes and bike-sharing stations.
The initiatives, which endeavor to expand travel options for people on Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway, would cost about $8,860,000 and be funded in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. NVTC, which has set a Dec. 18 application deadline, will finance a total of $40 million to $50 million worth of projects during that two-year period.
Supervisors are seeking funding for the following projects, listed in descending order of priority:
• $6.5 million to continue or renew operating funds for these existing transit services:
– Route 697, which provides 10 morning and 10 evening peak-direction express-bus trips between the Stringfellow Road park-and-ride lot and L’Enfant Plaza in the District of Columbia. The county is seeking $2.2 million for this route.
– Route 698, for which the county is seeking $1.6 million, offers express-bus service between the Vienna Metro station and Pentagon Transit Center. The route provides 10 inbound morning trips to the Pentagon and 10 outbound afternoon trips to Vienna.
– Route 699, which provides express-bus service between the Fairfax County Government Center and major employment areas in Washington, D.C., including George Washington University’s campus, the U.S. Department of State and World Bank. The route, for which the county is seeking $2.7 million, offers 13 morning inbound trips and 13 outbound afternoon trips.
• $510,000 to acquire up to 18 Capital Bikeshare stations and as many as 79 traditional and electric bicycles, which would expand service near Fairfax Centre and the Vienna and Dunn Loring Metrorail stations.
This initiative would extend Fairfax County’s Capital Bikeshare network west and north along the 66 Parallel Trail and take advantage of new bicycle lanes on Ellenwood Drive and a new spur of the 66 Parallel Trail on Nutley Street.
County officials expect the initiative would result in about 2,500 more bicycle trips per year.
• $1.85 million for Route 610, a proposed feeder-bus route serving bus park-and-ride lots at Centreville (Stone Road), Stringfellow Road and Monument Drive.
NVTC staff will evaluate project applications submitted by localities and the group’s commissioners in May 2024 will prepare a list of eligible candidate projects, which then will be submitted to the Commonwealth Transportation Board for approval in June.
If the county’s requests receive approval, costs associated with the initiatives will be reimbursed by NVTC as part of the I-66 Commuter Choice Program.
FAIRFAX COUNTY SEEKING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SEVEN NEW INITIATIVES: The Board of Supervisors on Dec. 5 authorized the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to apply for $80.72 million in federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality and Regional Surface Transportation Program funds to finance seven initiatives in coming years.
The county’s proposed projects, in descending order of priority, are:
• $20 million to extend Frontier Drive.
• $10 million for electric Fairfax Connector buses.
• $20 million for the Seven Corners Ring Road (Phase 1A/Segment 1A).
• $10 million for the Sunrise Valley Drive cycletrack.
• $10 million for the Braddock Multi-modal Phase 2.
• $10 million for the Town Center Parkway expansion.
• $720,000 for county-wide transit stores.
No local cash match would be required by either federal program.
