“New faregate installation will temporarily close M St entrance at NoMa Station, beginning today”

From WMATA:

“As Metro works to modernize its fare system, construction is set to begin on Monday, August 8 at the NoMa-Gallaudet U Station and will require the entrances to be closed one at a time, starting with the south entrance at M St NW. Once the work is completed and the south entrance reopens, Metro will move to the north entrance on Florida Ave.

Construction will result in each entrance closing for approximately two weeks.

During the closure, the elevator and alternate entrance will remain open for customers to access the station.

The entrance closures are necessary because of unique challenges at the NoMa Station requiring Metro to repair and replace the under-floor infrastructure. This will require the entire array of faregates to be removed at once, rather than in sections. During construction, crews will cut and remove the concrete, lay new conduit and ducts, run all new wiring, refill the concrete and lay new tiles. Once the infrastructure work is complete, the new faregates can be installed and tested and the entrance reopened.

The new faregates are made from brush-finished stainless steel and include advanced safety features, modernized displays and allow for quicker pass-through at the gate. Since launching the replacement project last year, Metro has replaced approximately 75 percent of faregates across the system, with all 91 stations expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Metro’s faregate replacement project is part of an overall fare modernization program that also includes mobile payment options with Apple Pay for iPhone and Apple Watch and Google Pay for Android devices, new fareboxes on Metro’s 1600-bus fleet, and the replacement of cash and coin only parking meters with new modern pay stations.”