The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has released plans for repairs on some of the worst parts of its system, which are anticipated to last the next six years and cause a number of 24/7 shutdowns and single-tracking.

The $8.53 billion plan is part of a move to reduce the repair backlog for the nation's capital's transit system to $2 billion by 2026, reports WTOP. Funding must still be determined, however.

Metro Repairs

Major projects include repairs to a number of bridges, expanding efforts to keep water from getting into more tunnel areas, station fixes and vent shaft repairs.

AgnosticPreachersKid,  CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Washington D.C. Metro has released plans for repairs on some of the worst parts of the system, which are anticipated to last the next six years and cause a number of 24/7 shutdowns and single-tracking.

Metro has marked the Rhode Island Avenue bridge as its highest priority in terms of structural repairs, followed closely by an Orange Line bridge. A Blue Line bridge in Virginia, originally constructed in the 1990s, is also in need of repairs.

“Future bridge structure rehabilitation needs have been identified, including the aerial structure at Grosvenor-Strathmore on the Red Line and the aerial structure on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines near Stadium Armory,” Metro said in the budget proposal.

Bridges near Stadium-Armory were part of Metro’s series of 24/7 surges. An internal review completed in the fall of 2017 detailed that challenging conditions in the area led to a high number of continued track defects and service delays.

A board committee was briefed Thursday (Jan. 25) on the capital spending plan. A public hearing regarding the full Metro budget is scheduled for Jan. 31.

The board is expected to approve the budget in March.

Metro’s 2018 budget year ends June 30.