Metro to Set Up Special SmarTrip Sales Kiosks
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Anacostia Ballston Brookland Columbia Heights Minnesota Ave Potomac Ave Silver Spring Union Station
AS METRO GEARS UP to make its fare hikes a reality next month, the transit agency is also working to make it easier to buy one of its rechargeable SmarTrip fare cards.
Bus riders will be especially interested in SmarTrip cards. After the new rates go into effect on Jan. 6, riding the bus will still cost $1.25 if you pay with a card, but fares will rise to $1.35 for those paying in cash.
No surprise, then, that the special kiosks Metro officials are setting up to sell the cards next week will be in rail stations that they say cater to a large number of bus riders. The special sales of SmarTrip cards, which cost $5 to buy, are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at these dates and locations, according to a Metro press release:
» Jan. 3 at the Anacostia Metrorail station (near the bus bays)
» Jan. 4 at the Minnesota Avenue station
» Jan. 7 at the Columbia Heights station
» Jan. 8 at the Union Station and Potomac Avenue stations
» Jan. 9 at the Silver Spring and Ballston-MU stations
» Jan. 10 at the Brookland-CUA station
Riders can also pick up SmarTrip cards online, as well as at Metro sales offices, some Giant stores, commuter stores and vending machines at Metrorail stations that have parking facilities, Metro says.
DRIVERS WHO CROSS the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge regularly know that there's a movable concrete barrier that changes position depending on the inbound or outbound flow of traffic. Now, the District has a new stretch of highway that uses a similar system: The Kenilworth Avenue section of DC-295 in Northeast.
The limited-access highway is undergoing major reconstruction that will last into 2009, and the D.C. Department of Transportation has installed the movable barrier to better accommodate rush-hour traffic. From DDOT's announcement:
The intent of the system is to continue to maintain three lanes of traffic in the rush hour direction and two lanes in the opposite direction. In other words, there are three lanes southbound open in the morning inbound rush hour. Then the lanes are shifted mid-day to to accommodate three lanes open in the afternoon outbound rush hour. Specific time[s] for the traffic switch are mid-day, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The lanes are then switched back after 7 p.m. each evening.The project involves the reconstruction of the roadway itself and several bridges. When completed, the movable barrier will be removed, according to DDOT.
File photo of the Roosevelt Bridge movable barrier vehicle by John Kelly/The Washington Post
IS IT HIP to be square? Metro will be introducing a new element to its stations, known for their concrete vaults, seemingly floating mezzanines and hexagonal terra cotta floor tiles: The square. During the transit agency's regular board meeeting, members approved new 12-inch square warm-reddish brown porcelain tile for use in a handful of stations. But it's not for looks.
From a Metro release:
After receiving input from the Riders Advisory Council and the Elderly and Disabled Committee, it was decided the new square porcelain tile was the most economical configuration as the tiles will prove to be more durable and will decrease future maintenance costs.But don't expect the new tiles, which have been used in the New York City subway, to roll out systemwide anytime soon.
The tile replacement will start at the Deanwood and Minnesota Avenue stations on the Orange Line and then move to other stations as Metro deems platform fixes necessary. New stations will also use the new tile.
IT'S FRIDAY, so that means it's time to preview this weekend's D.C. Metrorail track work. There's only one project scheduled, but it's a big one, involving the partial closure of the Blue and Orange lines.
Be aware that your journey from the Stadium-Armory station to points east of the Anacostia River and in Prince George's County will be significantly impacted. Because crews will be replacing 900 feet of rail, cross ties, traction power cables and other important items for operating a railroad, trains cannot go from Stadium-Armory to the Benning Road station on the Blue Line nor the Minnesota Avenue station on the Orange Line. Free shuttle bus service will ferry passengers between the stations. So if you're planning on driving to an outlying Metrorail station in Prince George's County to head downtown or elsewhere, you might consider parking at a Green Line station like Greenbelt or Branch Avenue.
» TALK TO TANGHERLINI: In taped public address announcements, Metro's interim general manager, Dan Tangherlini, says that he has a one-point plan for Metro service: making customers his No. 1 priority. So if you have a question to ask, he'll be online today starting at noon to talk about Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess. Log in here to ask Tangherlini a question.
» "Weekend Track Work to Cause Blue and Orange Line Delays" [WMATA]
» "Online Chats with Metro Guests" [WMATA]
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