We just got word from WMATA: Metro will reopen the stairway at the west entrance at the Van Ness station this Monday, October 19th. And it will remain open for about four months.
The entire entrance has been closed since June so it could be used to remove one of three long escalators inside the station and bring in replacement parts. The delivery, WMATA says, has been completed, so the stairs can now reopen for about four months. In February or March, work on the second long escalator will begin, and the entrance will close again. The process will repeat until all three long escalators have been replaced.
By the time the west stairway entrance closes again, it’ll be a lot easier for pedestrians to reach the east entrance from points north. ANC 3F Commissioner Sally Gresham announced at the September ANC meeting that the closed sidewalk alongside the Park Van Ness project was still on schedule to reopen at the end of the year.