With the complete closure of the six Metro rail stations serving the Alexandria area next summer, local officials are working on ways to make commuting to work less painful for residents and prevent harm to local businesses.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced the summer shutdown last year, citing the need for major repairs to rail stations. Metro officials say while the three-month shutdown will be hard for residents and tourists, it would be more painful if Metro had to single track or close individual stations for several years to get repairs completed.
“There’s no question that these repairs need to happen,” said Tom Kaiden of Visit Alexandria on Monday at the organization’s annual What’s New event. (The image below, from WMATA, shows some of the conditions at Alexandria Metro stations.)
Working together, Visit Alexandria, Metro, DASH and City officials have come up with mitigation plans for commuters that include the following (see the flyer below for maps):
- Free shuttle service is being added, and some will run on routes designed to keep traffic out of Old Town while efficiently getting commuters to and from the Pentagon.
- Current DASH and Metro bus routes will be expanded and run more frequently. Details will be available in the coming months.
- Changes to High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes may be put in place on Patrick, Henry and Washington streets. Current HOV-2 lanes could become HOV-3 lanes with expanded hours to ensure shuttles and carpools can get through Old Town efficiently.
- There is likely to be an expansion of service on the water taxi for commuters.
- Lyft is offering a discount code (VISITALX19) for first-time users, and frequent users may be provided with additional discounts throughout the summer.
Visit Alexandria commissioned Smith Travel Research to conduct a study of the potential economic impact of this Metro shutdown: Their forecast shows there could be a 13.5 percent decrease in revenue available per room. That translates into $8.6 million in lost hotel revenue through the summer, and $576 million in hotel tax receipts not collected — that’s in addition to related tax receipts from dining and shopping that Alexandria may not see.
But there are two pieces of good news: “Once we get through these three months, it looks positive on the other end.” Kaiden said. Hotel occupancy and tourism is expected to recover after the summer.
To spur local tourism, Visit Alexandria is offering a Love Your Summer Package. The package includes vouches for two days of unlimited rides on the water taxi for two people; a voucher for two Keys to the City (museum passes) and free hotel parking. A number of individual hotels will also be offering perks and benefits throughout the summer, too. Local residents can take advantage of these offers.
More specific information for commuters, tourists and residents will be available in the coming weeks from Metro, DASH, Visit Alexandria, the City of Alexandria and other sources as plans solidify.
Visit Alexandria
