Motorists Advised to Seek Alternate Routes Tuesday and Wednesday due to H Street/Benning Road Streetcar Movements

From a press release:

“As part of the DC Streetcar Project, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is advising the public of significant streetcar vehicle movements this week that may cause congestion along H Street NE and Benning Road, NE and near the DC Streetcar Testing and Commissioning Site on South Capitol Street.

On Tuesday, March 11, 2014, the DC Streetcar Operations and Maintenance Team will switch out the current streetcar vehicle parked on H Street N E for another one. First, a second Inekon streetcar vehicle will be delivered to the H/Benning corridor to begin its System Integration Testing. Then, the streetcar vehicle that has been undergoing testing on the H/Benning corridor since December will be transported back to the Testing and Commissioning Site on South Capitol Street SE to receive scheduled maintenance.

On Wednesday, March 12, one of the District’s United Streetcar vehicles manufactured by U.S.-based Oregon Iron Works (OIW), will be transported from the Testing and Commissioning Site to the H/Benning corridor. By the end of Wednesday, two streetcar vehicles will be undergoing System Integration Testing on the corridor.

Motorists are advised to take alternate routes if possible on Tuesday or Wednesday, as added congestion is expected on South Capitol Street SE, Firth Sterling Avenue SE, Howard Road SE, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, Good Hope Road SE, Minnesota Avenue SE and NE, as well as H Street NE, Benning Road NE and Oklahoma Avenue NE.

Metrobus will maintain their regular bus routes this week, but riders traveling eastbound and westbound on the H/Benning corridor or along any of the above-mentioned streets should expect delays.”