WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Metro has announced on Friday in a press release that work to install new pipes to provide chilled air service to Dupont Circle and Farragut North Metrorail stations will begin Nov. 5.
The work is scheduled to continue through late March, taking approximately 20 weeks to install the new pipes under Connecticut Ave. NW. The installation is necessary to reestablish a connection between a remote cooling tower, located on top of an office building on Connecticut Avenue, with the two stations, according to Metro.
The project will take place in three phases: During the first phase of the project, expected to last two weeks, crews will work between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., closing sections of Connecticut Ave between Desales and L streets NW to prepare for excavation work. In the second phase, crews will work around the clock to excavate beneath Connecticut Avenue and prepare for the installation of new pipes. Finally, in the third phase, crews will work overnight only to install new pipes beneath the roadway.
In addition, on Saturday, November 10, Metro will use a crane to lift pipes to the rooftop cooling tower in the 1100 block of Connecticut Avenue, which will result in the temporary closure of the bike lane on L Street.
Metro, along with its contractor and the District of Columbia, will work to complete the project as quickly as possible to minimize the impact to the community and restore chilled air service for the start of the cooling season in May.
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