Escalator project at Van Ness station is underway

Preparations for a major escalator replacement project are underway at the Van Ness station, along Connecticut Avenue. The west entrance will be shut down for the next three years, so riders will have to use the east entrance on Connecticut to enter and exit the station. One street level escalator will be replaced, as will three longer escalators that lead into the station. The longest escalators at the Van Ness station are 270 feet long. According to Metro, the ambitious project will replace escalators that are thirty-five years old, and have far exceeded their useful life. Each escalator replacement will take approximately forty weeks, including preparation, demolition, construction, installation, and testing. Metro will replace the escalators in succession, rather than simultaneously to enable the station to remain open. Nearly 6,400 passengers use Van Ness on an average weekday.