Metro Girds for NATO Summit

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By Alice Reid
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 21, 1999; Page B8

Metro announced plans yesterday to run longer trains and provide thousands more commuter parking spaces near outlying rail stations on Friday, as the region girds for extensive traffic disruptions during the 50th-anniversary NATO summit.

With 1,700 delegates, including many European heads of government, expected to arrive in Washington on Thursday afternoon for three days of ceremonies, meetings and social events, transportation planners are preparing for the worst, especially on Friday when 19 heads of government will be converging on a single downtown meeting. Motorcades and heavy security will create traffic problems in much of downtown Washington.

"I would like to mention our very real concern with traffic congestion on Friday," said Army Maj. Gen. Joseph G. Garrett III, vice director of the NATO summit, at a joint news conference with Metro's general manager, Richard A. White, and Pete Dowling, the Secret Service special agent in charge of summit security.

"I really would hope that people would stay away from downtown Washington," Garrett said, urging those who do have to come into the city to take the subway.

Like the federal and city governments, the D.C. school system will give all but essential security personnel, including headquarters staff members, the day off Friday. The U.S. Capitol will be closed to the public but not to Capitol workers. The Rotunda will close at 4 p.m. Thursday, and by Friday at 2 p.m., the entire building will be closed for the day.

But thousands of other Washington workers will be on the job Friday. And springtime tourists are expected to continue with their sightseeing plans.

Only those people with special credentials will be allowed within a tightly cordoned area of the Federal Triangle. Pedestrians in other areas where streets are closed will be able to move around freely, but should be prepared for crowd control measures should motorcades pass nearby. Additional parking restrictions will be in effect on some downtown streets outside the main security zone.

Metro officials said they are not sure what to expect on Friday but are preparing to deal with heavy ridership all weekend. "It's pretty hard to anticipate what the demand will be," White said. "But we have really prepared ourselves to put our best foot forward."

Metro is emerging from a period of unprecedented breakdowns and delays during the Cherry Blossom Festival earlier this month. Service glitches have continued. Yesterday, four morning rush-hour trains and one evening train had to be taken out of service.

White said there will be extra personnel in stations, more staff in mechanical shops, and more transit police and other Metro employees riding trains and helping out on the rail line. On Friday, six-car trains, Metro's longest, will run most of the day, not just during rush hour. The system will open two hours early, at 6 a.m., Saturday and Sunday. For security reasons, the Federal Triangle station will be closed from 5:30 a.m. Friday until 5:30 a.m. Monday. Trains will pass through the station but will not stop.

Metro has arranged for 10,000 additional parking spaces near outlying stations to absorb any overflow should its 40,000 station parking spaces fill up Friday. Most of the spaces, some of which will be free, will be within walking distance of stations. Shuttle buses, some of them free as well, will serve those farther from stations.

Bus riders whose trips are blocked by street closures will be able to complete their journeys on the subway at no extra charge by showing a transfer to station managers at L'Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, Farragut West, Farragut North, Federal Center SW, Archives, Gallery Place and the Pentagon.

Dozens of bus routes through downtown are expected to be rerouted Friday and over the weekend.

Metro officials ask riders with questions on specific routes and parking to call a special-events hot line at 202-783-1070 or the transit agency's customer service line at 202-637-7000. Metro's Web site, www.wmata.com, also lists information about service changes.

In tomorrow's editions, The Post will publish more detailed information about the summit and how it will affect traffic, services and activities.

Staff writers Spencer S. Hsu, Alan Sipress and Debbi Wilgoren contributed to this report.