What to do during the summer Metro shutdown
By James Cullum
ALEXANDRIA, VA -It actually happened. Alexandria’s Metro stations shut down on May 25 for much-needed track repair. How long will they be out of commission? The entire summer. That’s right. All stations south of Crystal City will be closed until September 8. Things are going to get interesting over the next several months.
“I think we are treating this like a storm coming to the city,” Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said at a recent Del Ray Business Association meeting. “There’s no sugar coating. It’s going to leave a mark.”
Platform work will be conducted around the clock, Wilson said, adding that the first week of the city and Metro’s efforts after the shutdown will determine how commuters will react throughout the summer. The estimated $300-400 million 2019 Metrorail Platform Improvement Project was undertaken to “address structural deficiencies after decades of exposure to the elements,” according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
“If the first week is a colossal failure they’re [commuters] going to do things we don’t want them to do,” Wilson said.
Here’s how the city and its transportation partners are responding to a summer without Metro:
What’s Happening The following stations are shut down until Sept. 8, 2019:
● King Street – Old Town
● Braddock Road
● Eisenhower Avenue
● Van Dorn Street
● Franconia-Springfield
● Huntington Avenue
That means Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will be the end of the line all summer.
Free DASH Buses and Shuttles
● At impacted Metro stations with parking garages, parking will be free, with Metro shuttles (see Metro shuttle map attached)
● DASH will operate free Blue Line shuttles, seven days a week, between Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street, King Street Metro, Old Town Alexandria, and Reagan National Airport
● DASH will operate additional trips on existing AT3 and AT4 routes, which serve the Pentagon
● DASH will also offer reduced fares on regular routes through its mobile app
● Plan your trip by calling DASH at 703-746-3274
Commuter/Traveling Tips
● Plan to leave a half hour ahead of your usual departure time ● Want to get there faster? Check out https://sluglines.com/ to find carpools that will sail right through those HOV 3 lanes
● Don’t mind company? Check out vanpooling at http://vanpoolalliance.org/
● Did you know: WAZE is offering $2 carpools until June 30! Find out more at waze.com/carpool
City Parking Garages and Lots
All City of Alexandria parking garages are offering $1 and $2 flat rates (bold below)! The garages and parking lots are located at:
● S. Union St Garage, 115 S. Union St.: $10 flat rate, overnight parking available
● Thompson’s Alley Garage, 10 Thompson’s Aly: $ daily max, evening/weekend parking rates discounted
● The Alexandrian Hotel Garage, 104 S. Pitt St.: $16 flat rate, overnight parking available
● Solo Garage, 225 S. Union St.: $7 flat rate
● Torpedo Factory Garage, 102 N. Union St.: $7/hr ($14 daily max)
● Cameron Saint Asaph Lot (517 Cameron Street)
● N. Union St. Garage, 220 N. Union St.: $2.50/hr ($10 daily max)
● Market Square Garage, 108 N. Fairfax St.: $2.50/hr ($10 daily max)
● Courthouse Square Garage, 111 S. Pitt St.: $2.50/hr ($10 daily max)
● N. Alfred St Garage, 117 N. Alfred St: $5/hr ($25 daily max, $10 evening max)
● Hilton Hotel Garage, 1767 King St: $6/hr (daily max $14)
● King St. Station Garage, 1800 Diagonal Rd.: $9/hr ($18 daily max, $8 evening/weekend max)
● The Strand Building Garage, 110 S. Union St.: $10 flat rate
● Tavern Square Garage, 418 Cameron St: $5/hr ($13 daily max, $5 evening/weekend max)
● King St Garage, 1150 Cameron St.: $6/hr (daily max $14), closed weekends
● Diagonal Rd Garage, 1700 Diagonal Rd.: $6/hr (daily max $14), closed weekends
● Edmundson Plaza Garage, 1701 Duke St.: $9/hr (daily max $16), closed weekends
● The Strand Lot, 206 Strand St.: $5-10 flat rate
● Queen/N. Lee Lot, 300 N. Lee St.: $5 flat rate, evening/weekend hours only $1.75/hr (3 hour max time)
● Henry/Patrick Lot, 116 S. Henry St.: $2.50/hr ($10 daily max), $2 evening/weekends
● Union Station, 110 Callahan Dr.: $2.50/hr ($15 daily max), $2 evening/weekends
Take The Water Taxi To Work! (photo attached)
The City is paying Potomac Riverboat Company $85,000 to mitigate the cost of a water taxi ticket from the Alexandria waterfront to the District Wharf. Commuters will have the option to take a five-minute shuttle ride to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station.
● The first routes leave from Alexandria at 6:40 a.m., from The Wharf at 6:05 a.m.
● The ride takes about 25 minutes
● City residents and people working in Alexandria are eligible for partial reimbursement
● A commuter round trip regularly costs $10 daily and the reimbursement would be $8; a 2019 commuter pass will cost $199 with a $100 reimbursement.
● Find out more at potomacriverboatco.com/commuter-passes
