DDOT has signed off on WMATA’s original plan to replace four escalators at the Van Ness Metro station. And so, WMATA says work will begin one week from today, on Monday, June 22nd.
That means the west entrance to the station will close for most, if not all, of the project’s three-year timeline so WMATA’s contractor can use it as a conduit to remove old escalator parts and bring in the new.
The District Department of Transportation had blocked the project from starting on May 4th, as Metro had intended, after the community raised concerns about the lack of notice and about pedestrian safety during at least the first six months of the three-year project. That’s because a section of sidewalk to the north of the station on Connecticut Avenue is closed until the end of the year, and it will force many people to cross busy Connecticut Avenue twice during trips to and from the Metro station. This increases the potential for conflicts with drivers trying to turn onto Connecticut.
And those conflicts won’t be much reduced even after the sidewalk reopens. UDC students will need to cross from the eastern entrance to the west side of Connecticut, or crowd the Metro escalator that emerges on the west side of the street. The southbound busloads of Metrobus commuters that normally pour into the western entrance each morning will need to cross over to the east.
Matthew Marcou, head of public space regulation at the District Department of Transportation, alerted ANC 3F commissioners of the agency’s latest decision on Friday afternoon. He explained in an email that “at this point, DDOT is satisfied that the method WMATA originally proposed for performing the work is the best option and is preparing to move forward.”
Alternative options included using Veazey Terrace as a staging area and closing the station on certain weekends in an effort to accelerate the work. During a May 29th walkthrough of the Van Ness station with DDOT and ANC officials, Metro said that closures would not shorten the project enough to make them worth the trouble. Metro has also said that moving on to another station due for an escalator overhaul (Cleveland Park is next in line) is impossible because many of the escalator parts intended for the Van Ness station cannot be used anywhere else.
The condition of these stairs at the Van Ness Metro station’s west entrance could determine if the entrance can reopen at times during the escalator replacement project. (WMATA photo)
The east entrance at Van Ness closed for 4.5 months in 2013 while both escalators to the street were replaced. Metro has said this project will take three years because each escalator is being removed and replaced one at a time, and because the work will be done only when the station is closed. Outside of setup and cleanup time, that will leave Metro’s contractor with a maximum 4.5 hours each weeknight.
Marcou’s email and WMATA’s public notice still leave us with questions. What accommodations are being made for pedestrians? Has Metro determined whether the staircase at the west entrance can reopen at intervals throughout the project?
These are questions we hope Metro will answer tomorrow (Tuesday) night. Representatives will give a presentation at the ANC 3F meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Forest Hills of DC (4901 Connecticut Avenue). Plan to attend or listen in on Livestream to hear about how they propose to handle the closure of the west entrance to the station.
Andrew Glass says
We should make an effort to postpone this work until there is a safe passage available for Metro riders walking south on the west side of Connecticut Avenue,
GreenEyeshades says
It looks like Metro has decided to “postpone this work” all by itself. Nothing has been done at the Van Ness station except to put up barricades. As of June 25, three work nights after the June 22 “start,” there is no evidence that any old escalator parts have been removed or that any new escalator parts have been delivered, let alone installed. We should start a pool to bet on when Metro removes the first old escalator. I say after July 4.
Adrian Salsgiver says
When approaching the Van Ness- UDC Metro West entrance you see a sign reading: “THIS EXIT CLOSED Please use the exit behind you.” I am not kidding this time. I was not looking for an exit as I’m already outside. Where am I supposed to be exiting from? I was looking for an entrance. Entrance not exit. There is no exit or entrance behind me.
Van Ness Metro Entrance Not Exit
https://youtu.be/tXySgarXoBE
GreenEyeshades says
No, the EAST side of Connecticut lacks “a safe passage” for Metro riders because the EAST sidewalk is closed for two blocks in front of the Park Van Ness construction site and will apparently remain closed until January. Mary Cheh asked DDOT to attempt to restore a pedestrian walkway, but DDOT has apparently made no effort to restore it, based on the lack of any mention of it in this story.
GreenEyeshades says
The only rationale for Metro refusing to start first at Cleveland Park offered in this blogpost is this sentence: “Metro has also said that moving on to another station due for an escalator overhaul (Cleveland Park is next in line) is impossible because many of the escalator parts intended for the Van Ness station cannot be used anywhere else.”
That sentence is a complete non-sequitur, of course. No one is asking Metro to use “parts intended for Van Ness station” at Cleveland Park. We are asking Metro to start work at Cleveland Park first. The “parts” won’t be disturbed. Metro already admitted that “portions” of the parts for the escalators slated to be replaced have already been manufactured. Nothing is preventing Metro from starting at Cleveland Park first.
GreenEyeshades says
WMATA’s credibility has been destroyed. They have no idea how to run a subway system that doesn’t kill riders. They will barely function for most of the summer. Apparently the only thing they can do is pay millions of dollars to a contractor to replace escalators so passengers can go down to platforms and stand in packed crowds waiting for shorter, more crowded trains running on only one track at a time, and sometimes no tracks at a time, while they replace or repair electrical cable connectors that are inherently life threatening.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/fta-report-metro-failed-to-follow-through-on-safety-efforts/2015/06/17/9c8be738-146c-11e5-9518-f9e0a8959f32_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/fta-report-metro-failed-to-follow-through-on-safety-efforts/2015/06/17/9c8be738-146c-11e5-9518-f9e0a8959f32_story.html
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/local/fta-report-on-metro-safety/1581/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/metros-4000-series-rail-cars-still-out-of-service/2015/06/16/5fbf2124-c393-4e92-a195-b35beda97942_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/federal-transit-officials-find-significant-flaws-in-metros-system-for-ensuring-safety/2015/06/16/4b125f22-143a-11e5-9518-f9e0a8959f32_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metros-trouble-with-power-cables-could-become-a-headache-for-riders/2015/06/11/89351d02-106c-11e5-adec-e82f8395c032_story.html
John says
“Metro has also said that moving on to another station due for an escalator overhaul (Cleveland Park is next in line) is impossible because many of the escalator parts intended for the Van Ness station cannot be used anywhere else.”
Screw up first, ask for forgiveness later.
Adrian Salsgiver says
It’s time to fix the bus stops too. Metro will be closing alternate sides of Connecticut Avenue between Chevy Chase Circle and Albemarle Street NW to install new real time bus arrival signs (supposedly to display when the next few buses are due to arrive, but only say there will be a bus at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning). Pedestrians will have to zig zag their way down the Avenue risking their lives at every intersection. Metro says it is necessary, there is nothing you can do about it, etc.
Tracy Johnke says
Adrian, can you link to a source? This is the first I’ve heard upper Connecticut stops are getting the displays. Also, Metro has installed these signs at stops all over the city and I haven’t heard of them closing sidewalks to get it done.
Adrian Salsgiver says
I was just kidding. I do not like the useless electronic signs at the bus stops along Wisconsin Ave. They are inaccurate, confusing, frustrating, and a waste of money. Close alternating sidewalks along Connecticut Avenue? Metro would never do anything so ridiculous, would they?
Tracy Johnke says
Ha! Any more, truth is stranger than fiction. It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference!