Weekend Wakeup Call – Friday, Nov. 18 to Monday, Nov. 21

WASHINGTON – Metro track work will once again be the big story for the weekend, with full closures of the Crystal City, Reagan National and Braddock Road stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The Help the Homeless Walkathon will take place on Saturday, Dreamworks’ ICE! event kicks off Friday at National Harbor, and construction in Virginia could cause some delays. If any of these items sound like fun (or an annoyance) to you, read on!

Help the Homeless Walkathon

On Saturday beginning at 7 a.m., the 2011 Help the Homeless Walkathon kicks off on the National Mall between 9th and 12th Streets NW.  Walkers will have the chance to get their picture taken with mascots from the Nationals and Redskins teams, get autographs from Redskins cheerleaders, and enjoy performances from local student bands and cheer teams. Check out the walk map here.

Gaylord National’s ICE!

National Harbor is likely to be a hot spot this Friday, with the opening of Gaylord National’s ICE!,  a walk-through attraction featuring characters from Dreamworks’ Merry Madagascar brought to life in the form of giant ice sculptures. The event will run through January 8th.

Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade

The Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. The parade begins in front of the Silver Spring Civic Building on Ellsworth Drive and ends on Georgia Avenue at Silver Spring Avenue. Check out the parade map here. 

Hunter Mill Road closed in Virginia

In Reston, Hunter Mill Road is closed between Hunter Station Road and Lawyers Road for bridge work over Difficult Run. The closure will remain in place until Nov. 21, with a 3.2-mile detour in place. Crews will be installing a temporary bridge until plans for a permanent bridge are approved.

George Washington Parkway repairs

Northbound on the George Washington Parkway before Spout Run, the left lane will remain blocked at all times while crews work to repair the rock wall in that area.

Last weekend, there was a full closure of the northbound George Washington Parkway after the Spout Run Parkway to Route 123 for repairs. The National Park Service may put the closure back in place between 6 a.m. Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday. If the closure does occur, northbound traffic will be diverted onto the Spout Run Parkway.

Weekend Metro closures

Get ready for another tough weekend using Metro, with full closures of the Crystal City, Reagan National and Braddock Road stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The only way to get to Reagan National via Metro will be by bus. The following shuttle bus routes will be running all weekend:

• Downtown Express: Non-stop service between Metro Center (12th & G streets) and Reagan National Airport
• Airport Route 1: King Street – Reagan National Airport
• Airport Route 2: Pentagon City – Crystal City – Reagan National Airport
• Local Route: Pentagon City – Crystal City – Braddock Road – King Street (Note: The local route will not stop at the airport.)

Here are the details for the rest of this weekend’s scheduled track work:

Red Line – 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, through closing Sunday, Nov. 20

• Red Line trains will share one track between Dupont Circle and Judiciary Square stations to allow for utility line stabilization at Farragut North station and installation of new emergency phones.
• On Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Red Line trains will depart every 10 minutes from Shady Grove and Glenmont stations. Every other train from Shady Grove station will terminate at Dupont Circle. Every other train from Glenmont will terminate at Union Station.
• At all other times during the weekend, Red Line trains will depart approximately every 20 minutes from Shady Grove and Glenmont stations.
• Trains operating through the work zone between Dupont Circle and Judiciary Square will operate every 20 minutes in each direction.
• The last train departing Glenmont station will leave 11 minutes earlier than usual — at 2:26 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 11:26 p.m. on Sunday.
• Customers should allow about 30 minutes of additional travel time and expect crowding conditions.

Blue Line – 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 through closing on Sunday, Nov. 20

• Blue Line trains will share one track between Stadium-Armory and Addison Road stations as personnel make repairs to the floating slabs underneath the rails to provide a smoother ride.
• Throughout the weekend, Blue Line trains will operate every 20 minutes.
• Customers should allow about 20 minutes of additional travel time.

Orange Line – 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 through closing on Sunday, Nov. 20:

• Orange Line trains will share one track between Ballston and East Falls Church stations while personnel install new track.
• Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will depart endpoint terminals approximately every 20 minutes.
• Customers should allow about 20 minutes of additional travel time.