WMATA to begin multiyear escalator replacement project

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will begin work to replace the oldest, least reliable escalators in the Washington, D.C., system starting with Gallery Place Station today. 

It will be the first of 130 escalators to be replaced over seven years as part of a $179 million investment to improve safety and reliability, according to a WMATA news release.

Construction on the 9th and G streets entrance escalators near the National Museum of American Art and National Portrait Gallery is expected to last approximately six months, and will require the entrance to be closed. 

The new escalators will be spread across 32 different stations, with the next replacement expected to begin at New Carrollton Station in late May.