Demonstrators will once again flock to Washington on Saturday. This time for the People’s Climate March, which in addition to crowds will also bring rolling street closures to the nation’s capital.
The warm temperature also promise to encourage travel as summerlike weather returns. According to the Capital Weather Gang forecast, Saturday will be cloudy but with highs in the mid-80s, if not higher, though isolated thunderstorms are possible. Sunday’s temperatures are likely to hold in the upper 70s to lower 80s.
Elsewhere in the region, travelers should be mindful of smaller events that will affect traffic and bus service, including Saturday’s Fairlington 5K Run and Walk in Arlington and the City of Hyattsville Parade in Prince George’s County. In the District’s Tenleytown neighborhood, roads will closed for the Janney Elementary School 5K and Fun Run from 9 a.m. to noon.
Transit riders should expect Metrobus detours as a result of these events. Meanwhile, Metro has schedules track work this weekend in nearly all rail lines. See details below.
The People’s Climate March
Demonstrators from across the country are expected to arrive as early as 9 a.m. by bus at RFK Stadium, which means there could be crowds from the Stadium Armory station and Blue and Orange trains to the Capitol South and Federal Center SW stations.
Visitors using Metro should load their SmarTrip cards in advance to avoid potentially long lines at the station. About a dozen Metrobus routes will be detoured for about eight hours because of the march, Metro said.
The crowds will gather in front of the Capitol at 3rd and Jefferson Streets SW and will begin marching toward the White House at 12:30 p.m.
- The march will start on 3rd Street NW/SW, between Independence Avenue SW & Pennsylvania Avenue NW
- Demonstrators will travel westbound on Pennsylvania Avenue. Then north on 15th Street NW to the White House.
- The group will then walk to 17th Street NW and south to the Mall, where they will have gather for music and other activities.
Metro
Track work will affect the Orange, Blue, Silver, Yellow and Green lines this weekend.
Earlier this week Metro said Red Line trains would operate regular weekend services, but the agency is adding single-tracking to allow work in a section of downtown where a piece of smoking rail created service disruptions on Thursday. Here are the details of the affected lines:
Red Line. Metro is scheduling single track work around major events, saying regular service will be available to serve crowds going to the Capitals and Wizards games at Verizon Center and to Saturday’s Climate March. Trains will share a track between Judiciary Square and Farragut North during the following times: On Friday from 8 p.m. through closing. On Saturday, from opening until 3 p.m., just as the People’s Climate March is wrapping up. And on Sunday, from opening until two hours before the start time of the Wizards game. If the game starts at 1 p.m., single-tracking will end at 11 a.m. If it starts at 7 p.m., single-tracking will end at 5 p.m. Normal service will then continue through closing.
Orange Line. Buses will replace trains between Federal Triangle and Foggy Bottom from 7 a.m. Saturday until closing Sunday. The line will operate in two segments: between Vienna and Foggy Bottom every 20 minutes and between Federal Triangle and New Carrollton every 15 minutes. There will be no service to Farragut West, McPherson Square and Metro Center. Also pay attention to changes to the train schedules, particularly the last trains, which will depart Vienna and New Carrollton a few minutes earlier.
Blue Line. Trains will also skip Farragut West, McPherson Square and Metro Center stations. Shuttle buses will provide a bridge between Federal Triangle and Foggy Bottom from 10 p.m. Friday until closing Sunday. Blue Line trains will operate between Franconia-Springfield and Foggy Bottom every 20 minutes and between Federal Triangle and Largo Town Center every 15 minutes. The last trains will also depart earlier. Trains will be single-tracking between National Airport and Braddock Road to allow for rail fastener renewal.
Silver Line. Trains will run every 20 minutes between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston only from 10 p.m. Friday until closing Sunday. If traveling to and from other stations, you will need to transfer to the Orange or Blue lines.
Yellow Line. Trains will operate every 20 minutes between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square from 10 p.m. Friday to closing Sunday. Trains will be sharing a track between National Airport and Braddock Road.
Green Line. SafeTrack Surge #14 continues on the Green Line, which means service will be shut down between Greenbelt and Prince George’s Plaza on Saturday and between Greenbelt and College Park on Sunday. Trains will run every 20 minutes between Branch Avenue and Prince George’s Plaza stations on Saturday and every 20 minutes between Branch Avenue and College Park on Sunday.
Metro officials say riders should look for alternate options including Metrobus service. Find alternatives using Trip Planner.
Road work
There is a lot of road work scheduled for this weekend.
In Northern Virginia, drivers on Interstate 95 South should be prepared for extra delays around the Dale City area. Deck repairs scheduled on the bridge over Neabsco Creek, just south of Potomac Mills Mall, will require some lane closures. Traffic will get by on two of the three southbound lanes from 9 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday.
On the Reston Parkway, drivers will find lane closures along the bridges over the Dulles Toll Road. From 10 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Sunday two southbound left lanes will be closed. And from 8 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Monday, two left northbound lanes will be closed.
In Maryland, the bridge over Interstate 495 at Bradley Boulevard will undergo a routine inspection and single- and double-lane closures will be held in each direction of I-495 between 4 a.m. and noon. Drivers in Montgomery County will also encounter lane closures on MD 355 (Rockville Pike) between Wilson Drive and Woodmont Avenue beginning 9 p.m. Sunday until 5 a.m. Monday and on Georgia Avenue at U.S. 29 (Colesville Road) from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
In Prince George’s County, driver will encounter total traffic stops of up to 15 minutes on Sunday from 1 to 5 a.m. in the northbound and southbound lanes of the Capital Beltway between MD 337 (Allentown Road) and MD 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) while crews work on overhead utility cables.