DDOT Traffic Alert

***TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE***
Two Lanes on New Hampshire Avenue Open For Evening Rush Hour



(Washington, D.C.) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) plans to reopen at least two lanes of New Hampshire Avenue, between Eastern Avenue and North Capitol Street, for outbound traffic during this evening’s rush hour. One lane was opened this morning in the southbound direction for inbound traffic. At 2 p.m. this afternoon, traffic will be reversed for northbound traffic and DDOT anticipates 2 lanes will be open outbound. At this time, it is anticipated that southbound New Hampshire will be closed until 7 p.m. although that is subject to change.



Please note, these plans may change depending on the requirements of the public safety operations at the scene of the Metro train collision. Motorists are strongly advised to use alternate routes and marked detours including:

o Piney Branch Road
o Missouri Avenue
o New York Avenue
o Rhode Island Avenue
o Bladensburg Road

o Riggs Road
o Michigan Avenue
o Georgia Avenue
o 16th Street
o I-295

DDOT Road Operations Patrols and Traffic Control Officers have been deployed to assist with traffic backups. Drivers are encouraged to use the major alternate routes instead of neighborhood streets to get around the affected area.

Metro has released the following information for rail and bus passengers:

Tuesday Red Line service altered as a result of Monday collision
Red Line service will be severely impacted on Tuesday, June 23, as a result of a fatal collision on the Red Line on Monday, June 22, between the Fort Totten and Takoma Metrorail starions.

Red Line riders will have several options on Tuesday morning, however if they are able to avoid the Red Line, that may be the best option for Tuesday.

The Red Line will be operating in two sections on Tuesday. Trains will run back and forth between the Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and between the Shady Grove and the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metrorail station. All trains will be six- and eight-car trains on the Red Line and they will be running about 8 to 10 minutes apart. Trains are expected to be very crowded. The Takoma Metrorail station will be closed to Red Line traffic.

Free Metrobus shuttles will be available to take customers around the incident between the Silver Spring, Fort Totten, Brookland-CUA, Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood and Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metrorail stations. People can expect long waits for buses as a full Metrorail train often carries 100 people or more per car and a bus can only hold about 50 people at a time.

Metro officials recommend that customers who normally use the Red Line between the Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations should commute to Metrorail stations between the Shady Grove and Grosvenor-Strathmore Metrorail stations, or to use the following Metrobus lines to avoid the service disruption:

• Metrobus C8 line (Glenmont to White Flint)
• Metrobus Q2 line (Wheaton to Rockville)
• Metrobus C2, C4 line (Wheaton to Twinbrook)
• Metrobus J1 line (Silver Spring to Medical Center)
• Metrobus J2, J3, J4 line (Silver Spring to Bethesda)
• Metrobus L7, L8 line (Friendship Heights)

Metro officials also recommend that people utilize the Green Line from Greenbelt to the Fort Totten Metrorail station for service into downtown DC.

MARC’s Brunswick Line service will be suspended on Tuesday due to the proximity of its tracks to the accident scene.

Metro safety and operations officials are working hand-in-hand with the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the cause of the accident.

People who believe that their relatives may have been on board the train can call 311 to find out which hospital they have been taken to for medical assistance. A family reunification center has been established at 501 Riggs Road, NE in Washington.

“This is an incredibly tragic day and our hearts go out to the families of those who suffered fatalities and to those whose loved ones are injured,” said Metro General Manager John Catoe. “We are committed to investigate this accident until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again.”

Metro officials do not know the cause of the 5 p.m. Monday collision and are not likely to know the cause for several days as the investigation unfolds. Both trains were on the same track headed toward Shady Grove Metrorail station, according to preliminary reports. The female operator was on the trailing train.

The only other time in Metrorail’s 33-year history that there were customer fatalities was in January 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment between the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian Metrorail stations. The only other time that Metrorail had a collision was in 2004 when two trains collided at the Woodley Park/Zoo-Adams Morgan Metrorail station, in which there were some minor injuries.

For more information on Metrorail and Metrobus operations and delays, please visit the Metro web site at www.wmata.com.