The second new escalator to be installed at the Van Ness Metro station is up and running. That means the next phase of WMATA’s escalator replacement project at Van Ness will begin soon, and that means closing the west entrance to the station again for a few more months.
WMATA tells us the stairway at the west entrance will close on Monday, September 19th and remain closed until spring. During this time, the third long escalator will be removed and new parts brought in. The short escalator at the west entrance will also be replaced during this time.
The project is scheduled for completion a year from now, which means what WMATA had estimated would be a three-year project (because the bulk of the work is performed while the system is closed) will be done in a little more than two years.