Nuclear Summit Limits Access to Metro Station, Roads

The next big Washington event will make getting around tough for some in the region. Fresh off the heels of the National Cherry Blossom Festival comes a traffic killer with a more serious tone. 

The Nuclear Security Summit will be held at the Washington Convention Center in Northwest. Some experts are expecting the worst traffic gridlock since President Barack Obama's inauguration, and DDOT is doing its part to help out by monitoring questions, complaints, concerns and comments e-mailed to nuclearsecuritysummit@dc.gov.

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There will be static road closures as well as rolling closures as Obama plays host to leaders of more than 40 countries for the two-day summit aimed at finding ways to secure the world's nuclear stockpile.

Obama will hold separate bilateral meetings with several leaders, including the king of Jordan and the president of China.
In the evening, Obama welcomes each delegation to the summit and hosts a working dinner.

The District and the Feds have released a comprehensive plan for road closures, restricted parking and changes to public transportation routes and public works services.

The following road closures will be coordinated by the DC Metropolitan Police Department and will begin at about 10 p.m. Sunday and continue through 8 p.m. Tuesday.

  • New York Avenue NW, eastbound and westbound from 6th Street NW to 7th Street NW and 9th Street NW to 11th Street NW.
  • K Street NW, eastbound and westbound from 6th Street NW to 7th Street NW and 9th Street NW to 10th Street NW
  • Traffic will be allowed to run eastbound and westbound on K Street NW between 7th Street NW and 9th Street NW but will then be diverted southbound on one of those two streets.
  • Massachusetts Avenue NW, eastbound and westbound from 9th Street NW to 11th Street NW.
  • L Street NW, eastbound and westbound from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW.
  • M Street NW, eastbound and westbound from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW.
  • N Street NW, eastbound and westbound from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW.
  • 7th Street NW, northbound and southbound from O Street NW to Massachusetts Avenue NW.
  • 8th Street NW, northbound and southbound from O Street NW to N Street NW.
  • 9th Street NW, northbound and southbound from O Street NW to New York Avenue NW.
  • 10th Street NW, southbound from L Street NW to New York Avenue NW.

Intermittent closures of other intersections in the vicinity will temporarily affect vehicular and pedestrian movement.

Pedestrian traffic in the restricted areas will be limited to residents and owners/employees of local businesses that fall within the secure area. Government issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license, non-driver photo ID or passport will be required to gain access.
 
Vehicular parking restrictions will be coordinated and enforced by the District Department of Transportation and police beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, but some parking may be taken by vendors beginning Friday evening. These restrictions will end on Wednesday at noon.

  • 7th Street NW from Massachusetts Avenue NW to O Street NW
  • 8th Street NW from N Street NW to O Street NW
  • 9th Street NW from New York Avenue NW to O Street NW
  • 10th Street NW from New York Avenue NW to N Street NW
  • 11th Street NW from H Street NW to I Street NW and K Street NW to L Street NW (1150 mid-block)
  • 12th Street NW from H Street NW to I Street NW and K Street NW to L Street NW (1150 mid-block)
  • 13th Street NW from H Street NW to I Street NW and the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW
  • 14th Street NW near the intersection of New York Avenue NW
  • N Street NW from 6th Street NW to 12th Street NW
  • M Street NW from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW
  • L Street NW from 6th Street NW to 12th Street NW
  • K Street NW from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW Massachusetts Avenue NW from 6th Street NW to 13th Street NW
  • New York Avenue NW from 6th Street NW to 14th Street NW (mid-block)
  • H Street NW from 13th Street NW to 14th Street NW (mid-block)
  • I Street NW and intersection of 11th Street NW
  • Rhode Island Avenue NW (1100 block – Connecticut Avenue NW, including Logan Circle from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 12 and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13

Pedestrians approaching the secure perimeter fencing around the convention center will be subject to a visual inspection for weapons.

Residents of McCollough Terrace Apartments will have access to the complex facilitated through a security checkpoint at 7th Street NW and O Street NW. They will be required to show photo identification to prove residence and be required to escort their guests. Packagess, bags and people will be subjected to screenings. School-age residents will be allowed into the complex only after they are screened. McCoullough Terrace apartment residents who are being displaced from their parking lot may park on O Street NW (north and south side of 600 block).

For security reasons, the Mt. Vernon Square/7th Street-Convention Center station on the Yellow and Green lines will close at 9 p.m. Sunday while the gathering is under way. The station will reopen at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, April 14. Trains will be able to pass through the station, but passengers will not be allowed to get on or off trains.

Because several streets around the convention center will be closed, Metrobus service will be affected. Riders should expect major delays because buses will have to detour around the road closures, Metro said. The routes affected: 42, 63, 64, 70, 71, 79, 80, D4, G8, P6, S2, S4, X2. Regular Metrobus service will resume on Wednesday, April 14.

To prevent long lines at fare card machines, Metro is encouraging people to buy a SmarTrip card or round trip fare card before entering the system.

Metro is taking other steps to keep things safe during the summit meeting.

Riders will see extra police officers patrolling the system. They’ll be armed and accompanied by specially trained dogs. If you see anything suspicious – like an unattended bag – be sure to alert one of the officers.

In addition, all Metrorail station restrooms will be closed.

Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

  • Parking is free at Metrorail parking facilities on Sunday.
  • Regular parking rates will apply on Monday, April 12, and Tuesday, April 13.
  • Because of the road closures around the convention center, Metro anticipates that parking at its facilities will be extremely tight. 
For more information, including a map of the street closures, visit Metro’s Web site or call (202) 637-7000.

D.C. Circulator buses will be detoured and rerouted from 8 a.m. on Monday through 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The Georgetown-Union Station route will be divided into two sroutes. Route A will be the east/west route from Georgetown but will stop prior to the convention center and turn around instead of continuing to Union Station. To continue, passengers will need to get off the bus and walk to the other side of the convention center to connect to another Circulator bus. The turnaround for this route includes:

  • East/West (from Georgetown)
  • K Street (heading east)
  • Right onto 13th Street NW
  • Right onto I Street NW
  • Right onto 14th Street NW
  • Left onto K Street NW

Route B will be the west/east route from Union Station to the Convention Center, not continuing to Georgetown. The turnaround for this route includes:

  • West/East (from Union Station)
  • Massachusetts Avenue NW (heading west)
  • Right onto 6th Street NW
  • Right onto K Street NW
  • Right onto 5th Street NW
  • Left onto Massachusetts Avenue NW

The Convention Center/SW Waterfront route will terminate at I Street NW. The turnaround for this route includes:

  • 7th Street (heading north)
  • Left onto I Street NW
  • Left onto 9th Street NW
  • The Woodley Park/Adams Morgan/McPherson Square route and Union Station/Navy Yard via Capitol Hill route are not affected.

There will be an increased U.S. Coast Guard presence on the water April 12 and 13 as units of the Coast Guard Station, Washington, D.C., operate an increased patrol schedule. The increased homeland security initiatives will include extra patrols and the deployment of additional crewmembers and resources. The Coast Guard will work closely with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to protect the waters of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The Coast Guard's initiatives are one of many layers of increased security during the NSS. The Coast Guard will continue to perform its standard missions of search, rescue and law enforcement in addition to their homeland security responsibilities.

An interagency airspace security plan will be implemented to secure airspace over the metropolitan area. A Federal Aviation Administration advisory listing enhanced restrictions was released March 19. The NOTAM discussed in the March 19 advisory may change with little or no notice. Pilots are advised to check NOTAMs frequently for possible changes prior to operations in the area. Pilots are strongly advised to contact a Flight Service Station at 1-800-992-7433 prior to flight to check for all current NOTAMs. Pilots may also contact FAA Air Traffic Systems Operations Security at 1-866-598-9522 or through the FAA’s Web site.

The summitt also will affect some services delivered by the District’s Department of Public Works (DPW). Residential trash and recycling collections along the restricted streets within the perimeter will be suspended Tuesday. The normal collection schedule will be followed April 9 and 16. The next recycling collection will be made on Tuesday, April 20. Residents are asked to check the map of streets within the perimeter to determine if their street will be affected.

Newspaper bins and trashcans will be removed from sidewalks on the following east-west streets:

  • 6th Street NW from H Street NW to O Street NW
  • 7th Street NW from H Street NW to O Street NW
  • 8th Street NW from N Street NW to O Street NW
  • 9th Street NW from H Street NW to O Street NW
  • 10th Street NW from H Street NW to O Street NW
  • 11th Street NW from H Street NW to L Street NW
  • 12th Street NW from H Street NW to I Street NW
  • 13th Street NW from H Street NW to I Street NW
  • 14th Street NW from G Street NW to H Street NW

And the north–south streets

  • O Street NW from 6th Street NW to 9th Street NW
  • N Street NW from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW
  • M Street. NW from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW
  • L Street NW from 6th Street NW to 12th Street NW
  • K Street NW from 6th Street NW to 10th Street NW
  • Massachusetts Avenue NW from 7th Street NW to 13th Street NW
  • New York Avenue NW from 6th Street NW to 15th Street NW
  • I Street NW from 11th Street NW to 12th Street NW
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