Report Details First Week Of Metro Shutdown, Feedback Sought

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The City of Alexandria has released a report on the first week of the Metro shutdown and is seeking feedback on riders' concerns.

Frustrations with shuttle buses differed by station. Although shuttle buses at Eisenhower Avenue and Van Dorn Street had moderate wait times and minimal crowding after the first work day, that was not the case at King Street-Old Town and Braddock Road. Braddock Road commuters experienced long lines and inconsistent bus arrivals throughout the first week with officials citing traffic on Route 1.

Riders at King Street-Old Town saw congestion and confusion about shuttle bus locations due to separate construction at the station parking lot. Metro and DASH are making adjustments to improve bus and pedestrian flow.

Drivers had longer trips than usual during the morning—and the evening on some routes. Morning rush hour travel times increased by 15 to 30 percent on major north-south routes: Route 1, Washington Street and North Van Dorn Street. During the evening, travel times varied. Some routes had 30 percent higher travel times, while others had 30 percent lower travel times.

The city believes major traffic delays largely did not relate to the Metro station closures. Instead, officials pointed to weather, crashes and power outages as major factors for road congestion. Data on vehicle volume is expected to be released next week.

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Other alternatives to Metro had increases in riders. Biking on the Potomac Avenue trail was 80 percent higher than this time last year. Biking on the Metro Linear Trail doubled from the week before the Metro shutdown. Meanwhile the Potomac Riverboat Company's water taxi had 2,274 riders in the first week of the shutdown.

The city made several changes after issues in the first week. Riders have been permitted to use Metroway buses to Pentagon City when lines were long for Yellow Line shuttles at Braddock Road. For vehicular travel, the city installed new traffic control signage around the King Street-Old Town station to address congestion and temporary two-hour parking signs around stations. At the Landmark Mall, the number of available parking spaces has been doubled for riders taking the express shuttle to the Pentagon.

Metro made changes to shuttle pickups at Huntington station and is considering longer buses for its 11Y through Alexandria to DC's Potomac Park.

The city is seeking additional feedback on alternative transportation during the shutdown. The online survey asks riders about how they got around and the length of delays they faced.

The Braddock Road, King Street-Old Town, Van Dorn Street, Franconia-Springfield, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington stations will remain closed through Sept. 8 for Metro's platform rehabilitation project and other station work. Among the issues being addressed is the platform at Braddock Road, which isn't level with the train floor.