Metro says the weekend escalator work that closed the Bethesda Metro station was a success and the first of three escalator replacements is about 60 percent done.
Metro closed the station on Saturday and Sunday in order to install a new escalator truss for one of the three, 212-foot long entrance escalators going from the bus bay to the mezzanine level.
The escalators are the second longest in the Western Hemisphere, behind only the escalators at the Wheaton Metro station. The replacement project started in October and is expected to last at least another two years.
Metro will keep two escalators operating at the station at all times.
On Monday, Metro said the installation of the first new escalator truss was successful, but the work isn’t done yet:
Working in four 12-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday, crews used gantries to move and position large sections of escalator truss that were delivered to Bethesda by flatbed trucks. The crews then aligned and mechanically fastened the sections and positioned the unit’s two motors, each the size of a small car.
In the coming weeks, crews will install the new escalator’s steps, handrails and lighting, and connect the motors.
While the station was closed, Metro ran free shuttle buses between the Bethesda and Medical Center stations.
The first four months of the project were dedicated to demolishing and removing the first original escalator. Metro says it hopes the new escalator will start working this summer.
Then, Metro will restart the process on the next old escalator.
Video/Photos via Metro
