Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) will begin a project to install two brand new escalators to benefit customers at Stadium-Armory Station starting on May 15, 2017. The project is part of a major capital investment by Metro to provide customers with better, more reliable escalators.
The two new escalators will be installed at the south entrance near 19th Street SE and C Street, replacing the old units which are nearly 40 years old and have reached the end of their useful life.
The entrance will be temporarily closed to allow Metro's contractor, Kone, to install both escalators at the same time cutting the duration of the project by half and reducing the impact to customers. Construction is expected to take six months. During this time, the entrance elevator and the station's north entrance closest to RFK Stadium will remain open.
Metro staff conducted outreach with government officials, community leaders and neighbors to notify customers about the temporary entrance closure and construction.
Since 2005, Metro has installed 71 new escalators across the system resulting in a significant improvement in reliability. In addition Metro has rehabilitated more than 300 escalators to like-new condition.
By the end of this year, Metro will have completed two-thirds of a $151 million campaign to replace more than 130 escalators by the end of the decade.
