City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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Consideration of Mitigation Measures for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Planned Three-Month Platform Reconstruction Closure of Arlington Cemetery Station.
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ISSUE: Consideration of the mitigation measures for a three-month Blue Line closure between the Pentagon and Rosslyn Metrorail stations due to closure for platform reconstruction at Arlington Cemetery Station.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve the attached letter (Attachment 1) to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) regarding mitigation for the planned temporary closure of the Arlington Cemetery Station.
BACKGROUND: WMATA's Platform Improvement Project is a multi-year effort to improve the safety of platforms at 20 exterior stations with significant deterioration due to exposure to weather and the agents used during de-icing. This effort is being conducted in four phases. The first phase was the closure of six stations south of National Airport on the Blue and Yellow lines, impacting Alexandria during the summer of 2019. The second phase is being conducted during the summer of 2020 with the closure of four stations at the end of the Orange Line, which is not impacting normal travel in Alexandria. Phase 3, planned for mid-February 2021 to mid-May 2021, includes the Arlington Cemetery Station. This period was selected because it is a lower ridership period for the Phase 3 stations and it avoids the major events held at Arlington Cemetery. With the closure of Arlington Cemetery, trains cannot travel through the station, requiring that rail riders transfer at L'Enfant Station to travel to Blue Line stations in Arlington or District of Columbia.
DISCUSSION: To mitigate the impact of the Arl...
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