Steve Burns
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The announcement of a new Metro shutdown, planned for 98 days over the summer of 2019, is bringing at least one ardent Metro supporter to his wits’ end.
“We were kind of promised that the SafeTrack shutdowns would be a one-time thing,” Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly told WMAL. “I think it’s very difficult, with a straight face, to make the case to the public that we’re ‘Back to Good’ when we really are back to shutdowns.”
Connolly said he would like to see a full accounting of the decision-making process that led Metro to believe the full shutdown was the best plan of action. Metro, in a release, said keeping the station open during the work could extend the construction period to three years.
“I’d rather they extend it, drag it out,” Connolly said. “It may be a little bit inconvenient, but at least it’s not a shutdown for 98 days.”
The brunt of the effects will be felt in Alexandria, which stands to lose valuable summer tourist traffic as all four of its stations – Braddock Road, King Street, Eisenhower Avenue, and Van Dorn Street (straddling the Alexandria-Fairfax line) will be closed.
Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg said the city will find workarounds.
“We’re committed to ensuring that there will be transportation alternatives for riders,” Silberberg told WMAL. “This is clearly needed. I just wish that we could figure out a way where all systems don’t have to be shut down for so long.”
Platforms at Braddock Road, King Street and Eisenhower Avenue will be demolished and rebuilt during the shutdown, Metro said. In the following few months, Van Dorn Street, Franconia-Springfield, Huntington, and Reagan National’s platforms will be rebuilt, but the stations will remain open. 13 more stations are set to see platform renovations between 2020 and 2021.
The 98-day shutdown planned for next summer would be the longest shutdown in the system’s history.
“I think it’s going to lead to less confidence in Metro, less confidence in their reliability and communication skills, and you’re going to see a fall in ridership,” Connolly said. “That becomes a vicious cycle at some point.”
Copyright 2018 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: WMATA)
