[Archived] Rethink Your Commute: Metro SafeTrack Surge #8 Begins August 27

The City of Alexandria and DASH have been working with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the region's localities to assist travelers as WMATA's SafeTrack initiative continues.

SafeTrack's "Safety Surges" involve long-duration track outages for major projects in key parts of the system that will cause delays throughout the region. The City of Alexandria urges commuters to telework and use alternative ways to commute that do not involve driving alone. 

Surge #8: August 27- September 11:

WMATA has announced changes to Surge #8, which will now begin Saturday, August 27, through Sunday, September 11, and include:

Weekdays: Blue Line trains will continuously single track between Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations

Weekends: Three consecutive weekend shutdowns where free shuttle buses replace trains along segments of the Blue Line to complete necessary switch rehabilitation work:

• August 27-28: Franconia-Springfield Station will be closed.
• September 3-5: Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations will be closed, including Labor Day.
• September 10-11: Franconia-Springfield Station will be closed.

Passengers can expect extreme crowding and delays in each direction for travel to and from the Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street stations.

Travel Alternatives:

Rail

• Amtrak and   Virginia Railway Express (VRE) serve Alexandria Union Station (  110 Callahan Dr.), which is adjacent to the King Street-Old Town Metro Station but does not use MetroRail tracks.

Bus

• DASH
  • AT7 – connecting Van Dorn, Eisenhower Ave, and King St Metro stations 
    Westbound to Landmark Mall 
    Eastbound to King Street Metro / Old Town / Lee Center
  • AT5 – weekend connection between Van Dorn and Eisenhower Avenue Metro 
    Westbound to Landmark Mall / Van Dorn Metro 
    Eastbound to Braddock Metro via Old Town
• Metrobus
  • 11Y – Metrobus service from Mt. Vernon / Hunting Point to DC
  • 21 A/D – Metrobus service from Landmark Area to Pentagon
  • 25B – Van Dorn Metro to Ballston Metro
• Fairfax Connector
  • Connector 321/322
  • Saratoga Park & Ride to Pentagon services – Route 393 serves Mark Center and Pentagon

Bike

• Bike to work using Alexandria's extensive bike routes and paths.  For more information,  see the Alexandria Bike Map
• If you don't have a bike, check out   Capital Bikeshare.  There are 29 stations in Alexandria, with three more  coming soon!  During SafeTrack, Capital Bikeshare is offering  single rides of up to 30 minutes for $2, in addition to the existing  membership options.

Telework

• The best way to commute is not to!  Learn more about how to  telework from home or a remote work center.  For more information, see  CommuterConnections.

The Alexandria Police Department will provide additional traffic control at key intersections impacted by the surge. The City's Traffic Management Center will be fully staffed and ready to assist and adjust traffic signal timing based on traffic needs.  

For more information about SafeTrack and Alexandria's plans to help, visit alexandriava.gov/SafeTrack. To receive travel updates by email and text message, subscribe to the free  MetroAlerts and  Alexandria eNews services.

For media inquiries, contact Melissa Riddy, Communications Officer, at melissa.riddy@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3961.