Dr. Gridlock’s traffic, transit tips

University Blvd. bridge

The Maryland State Highway Administration is planning to rebuild the University Boulevard bridge over the Capital Beltway in Silver Spring. The bridge, near Montgomery Blair High School, is on a major east-west commuter route linking Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The project is scheduled to begin this fall and take up to two years.

The number of lanes in each direction over the bridge will be reduced from three to two. The section of exit ramp that leads from the outer loop to eastbound University Boulevard will be closed.

Drivers on the outer loop who want to reach eastbound University, toward Langley Park and College Park, can follow a detour of about two miles that will take them one more exit on the Beltway to Colesville Road. From there, they will go south to Franklin Avenue, turn left and reconnect with University Boulevard.

Metro’s holiday schedule

For the Presidents’ Day holiday, Metrorail will open at 5 a.m. Monday and close at midnight, operating with a Saturday level of service. Don’t forget that extensive track work continues through Monday.

Metrobuses also will be on a Saturday-style schedule, with some extra service.Some post-midnight trips will be canceled. See a full list of the Metrobus service changes.

MetroAccess service will operate on normal hours, but subscription trips will be canceled unless specifically requested.

Metro’s customer information call center will be closed for the holiday.

Alexandria’s parade

Alexandria’s George Washington’s Birthday Parade is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Monday in Old Town. Parking in the parade area will be tough, but there will be free parking at some lots by the Eisenhower Avenue Metro station.

Free DASH shuttle buses will carry paradegoers between the station area and the intersection of Prince and Washington streets, a block from the parade route, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday.

For Metrorail riders getting off at the King Street station, there’s the free King Street Trolley service between the station and Washington Street. The trolley will operate until 11 p.m.

Parking will be prohibited on the parade route from 10 a.m.until the march is over. Only residents and vehicles with permits will be allowed in that area.

New Megabus stop

A traveler wrote in to tell us that Megabus has changed the pickup point that it has been using for a long time in New York City. The new departure spot in Manhattan for both Baltimore and the District is on 41st Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues.

Manassas Park & Ride

The Virginia Department of Transportation is set to begin building a 433-space park-and-ride lot just south of Interstate 66 at the Route 234 Bypass in Manassas. Work is scheduled to begin in April and be complete by July 2013. The lot will be accessible from Balls Ford Road via Cushing Road, VDOT said.

Vienna bus stops

On Monday, Feb. 27, Metro will relocate the bus stops at the Vienna station for about six months to make room for transit and roadway improvements in the area of the south-side bus bays and Saintsbury Road.

Metrobus routes W99, 2B, 2G, 1A and 1Z will operate from interim bus bays T4, T5 and T6 on the south side of the station, Metro says. Shuttle buses, the DC2NY bus and PRTC will operate from interim bus bays T1, T2 and T3 on the south side of the station. The Fair Lakes/Willowood shuttle will move to bus bay A on the north side of the station.

Fairfax Connector will operate from interim bus stops T7 through T10 on Virginia Center Drive on the north side of the station as well as existing bus bay F on the north side of the station. CUE and the GMU shuttle will continue to operate from bus bays on the north side of the station.

For transportation news, visit washingtonpost.com/transportation.