Metro posts signs but reveals no more info on Van Ness entrance closure

WMATA has posted signs at the Van Ness Metro station alerting riders of its plans to close the west entrance this Monday, May 4th.

Nowhere on the signs does it mention that the work is expected to take three years.

Since we learned of the work last week, our ANC commissioners and other neighbors have reached out to Metro and District officials seeking a delay at least until a partial sidewalk returns at the Park Van Ness project at the end of this year. Here’s ANC 3F’s letter.

Connection contributor David Jonas Bardin shared with us his email to Metro’s interim general manager, Jack Requa. He asks that WMATA postpone the closure until it “consults with DDOT, UDC, and our elected Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC).”

He notes that the first public notice of the planned outage was posted just one week ago – only two weeks before the work is scheduled to begin – and that he required phone assistance from Metro’s Customer Service office to locate the advisory on WMATA’s web site.

Bardin also points out that:

WMATA has not yet consulted our ANC about the nature and timing of its plans and how they may clash with neighborhood developments.

WMATA did not consult or even notify UDC that the station entrance on the University side of the Avenue will close next week — in the middle of final exams and just days before commencement.

WMATA did not consult DDOT, which has closed the sidewalk on the east side of Connecticut Avenue (across from UDC’s School of Law) until the end of December — after carefully weighing multiple interests and seeking balanced accommodations.

 
In closing, he writes, “Please consider that UDC plans to dedicate its new Student Center – adjacent to your project – this Fall and the continuing impacts of DDOT’s sidewalk closure. Please the emulate DDOT’s transparent, deliberative approach and make an effort to consult before rushing ahead.”

Do you want to send your own letter? Jack Requa’s address is JRequa@wmata.com. Bardin copied Council members Cheh, Evans, Silverman, DDOT Director Dormsjo, UDC Interim President Lyons, and the seven commissioners of ANC 3F.