Will the Metro rail shutdown from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2019 affect your commute?
Alexandria officials are asking for residents to fill out a survey that will “let City staff know your concerns and ideas regarding the shutdown of Alexandria Metrorail stations in summer 2019. Your feedback will be used in the City’s planning efforts.” (The survey is available through Dec. 16 at https://survey.alexandriava.gov/s3/2019MetroRailShutdownFeedbackForm.)
Metro announced last year that it will completely shut down all Metro rail stations south of Reagan National Airport for three months to facilitate major track and platform repairs in the area. In addition to the summer shutdown, the Van Dorn Street station will undergo significant repairs in September 2019, which will cause Blue Line single-tracking during that period.
Questions on the survey include the level of inconvenience the shutdown will cause, whether residents currently telework, and what alternative transportation they plan to use and more.
City and County officials, along with business owners and residents, are deep in a planning process to figure out how to get residents, tourists and visitors to and from work and around the region without Metro.
“The City of Alexandria understands the need for investment in the Metrorail system to get it back to a state of good repair. We also recognize that the three-month closure of stations in Alexandria and Fairfax County will be challenging for riders. Using lessons learned during SafeTrack, the City of Alexandria is working on measures to mitigate the impact on Alexandria riders and provide transportation alternatives,” according to a City statement here.
According to the City of Alexandria:
“While WMATA was solely responsible for the shutdown plan, the City of Alexandria and other localities in the region are working together to provide resources to help plan for and mitigate impacts.
- City and DASH officials have been actively working on alternatives to help commuters avoid impacts, including special bus shuttles and parking options. As additional details are confirmed, they will be posted on this page.
- City departments are developing telework and alternate work schedule plans for their staff to reduce the number of employees who need to commute and to offset commuting times.
- The City is encouraging private employers in our community to proactively address commuting issues with their employees, including providing telework and alternate work schedule options when possible.”
