Parking, Bus Alternatives Suggested For Falls Church Metro Riders

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Parking reductions related to Metro's summer platform rehabilitation project are set to start on March 15, and Metro has provided alternatives for Falls Church Metro riders.

Metro said the reason for the parking reductions is the need for space to stage heavy equipment and tons of material. Starting on March 15, the daily parking lot will be closed at East Falls Church. The kiss and ride lot will remain open for pick-ups and drop-offs only.

At West Falls Church, parking will be cut in half as the surface lot closes. The parking garage will remain open with 1,100 spots, but Metro expects daily parking to fill by 7 a.m.

Metro is advising riders to take buses to the stations or use alternate parking locations. Bus routes serving East Falls Church include Metrobus routes 2A, 3A, 3T, 15K and 26A, as well as Arlington Transit's 52, 53 and 55 routes. Routes serving West Falls Church include Metrobus 3T and 28A.

For parking, Metro recommends the garage at the Dunn Loring station and the garages and lot at the Vienna station. Riders should be aware that rail service won't run at the Vienna and Dunn Loring stations between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day; free shuttle buses will be the alternative.

Effective March 15, parking at the Vienna station will be reduced by 10 percent, leaving around 4,200 daily parking spaces. Parking lot 1 on the north side will be closed and the parking garages on both sides and lot 3 on the south side will remain open. There are no planned parking changes at Dunn Loring station, which has 1,964 daily parking spaces.

Parking at Vienna costs $4.95 on weekdays and is free on weekends. Dunn Loring's weekday parking cost is $4.95 when you use your SmarTrip card and $8.95 when you don't pay with a SmarTrip card.

The other alternative for East Falls Church riders is the Ballston Public Parking Garage, which is a short distance from the Ballston-MU Metro station. The parking rate varies by hour with a maximum of $10. The monthly rate for weekday parking is $105.

For West Falls Church riders, another alternative is the long-term metered parking on the access road (Parking Lot Road). There are 68 spaces on the access road, available at $1 per hour for a maximum of 12 hours.

Metro's platform rehabilitation project will close the East Falls Church, Dunn Loring and Vienna stations between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, and trains will single track at West Falls Church. Silver Line will continue to run, but trains will bypass the East Falls Church station.

Riders can find more information at www.wmata.com/service/rail/PlatformProject.