Virginia approves alternatives during Metro blue and yellow line shutdowns

Tens of thousands of Virginians will be affected by this summer’s Metro shutdown of six Blue and Yellow Line stations, according to WTOP.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board approved $3.6 million in funding to lessen the impact of the closures. The money will go towards allowing buses to bypass traffic on part of the Capital Beltway, discounted Amtrak tickets for VRE riders and expanded bus and water taxi service.

The closures will take place from May 25th through September 2nd and the stations affected by the closures are Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Eisenhower Avenue, Huntington, Van Dorn Street and Franconia-Springfield stations.

The closures are expected to cause “significant” impacts on travel said Yon Lambert, Alexandria Director of Transportation and Environmental Services. Roughly 17,000 people use those stations every morning during rush hour, while a highway lane carries only about 2,000 cars per hour.

The state is putting significant effort into promoting alternatives, including carpooling, free shuttle buses, additional service on existing bus routes, and extra bike-share service.

This won’t be the last of the shutdowns, either, as the orange line will experience closures in 2020, with additional work on other lines in 2021.