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Weekend Wakeup Call: Closures, work throughout I-495, Metro

By WTOP Staff

Tim Bracken, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – This weekend brings lots of construction. The Beltway will see a Saturday night closure at Interstate 66, big delays are expected on the Beltway near the Wilson Bridge all weekend and overnight work at the Springfield Interchange will temporarily stop traffic.

To top it all off, all Metro lines will be affected by ongoing construction, including two station closures on the Red Line.

Read on for the details, and have a great weekend!

Beltway to Close Overnight

VDOT will close all lanes of the Beltway Inner Loop at I-66, Exit 49 from 9:30 p.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Sunday.

This closure is part of the 495 Express Lanes Project and will allow for needed milling and paving. There will be a posted detour.

Telegraph Road Interchange Construction

  • Starting at 8 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Saturday, the ramp from Telegraph Road to the Inner Loop of the Beltway LOCAL lanes will be closed.
  • Starting at 9 p.m. Friday through 8 p.m. Saturday, the Beltway I-495 Outer Loop THRU lanes will be reduced to a single travel lane.
  • Starting at 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday, Telegraph Road will be completely closed between the Beltway and Duke Street. All ramps from the Beltway to Telegraph Road will be closed as well.

Springfield Interchange Construction

  • Starting at 11 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday, two left lanes of the Outer Loop will be closed between the Springfield Interchange and Van Dorn Street to hang overhead signs.
  • Traffic will be completely stopped for 15 minutes periodically after midnight.

Metro Construction

All lines will be affected by Metro’s construction efforts. Work begins at 10 p.m. Friday and continues through system closing on Sunday. Check out this summary from Metro:

Red Line

  • Buses will replace Red Line trains between Grosvenor and Friendship Heights stations
  • Medical Center and Bethesda stations will be closed.
  • Red Line trains will operate in two segments: between Shady Grove and Grosvenor and between Friendship Heights and Glenmont.
  • On each segment, trains will operate every 10 minutes between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. and at regular weekend intervals at other times.
  • Delays of at least 30 minutes are expected.

Blue Line

  • Buses will replace Blue Line trains at Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street
  • Blue Line trains will operate between Largo Town Center and Huntington stations at regular weekend service intervals.
  • Free shuttle buses will operate between Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street and Eisenhower Avenue stations.
  • Delays of 30 minutes are expected.

Orange Line

  • Orange Line trains will single track between East Falls Church and West Falls Church.
  • Throughout the weekend, Orange Line trains will depart Vienna and New Carrollton every 24 minutes.
  • On Saturday and Sunday between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., additional trains will operate between Vienna and Stadium-Armory, providing service an average of every 12 minutes.

Green Line

  • Green Line trains will single track between Fort Totten and Prince George’s Plaza.
  • As a result of the work zone, all Yellow Line trains will operate between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square only. Customers traveling to/from stations north of Mount Vernon Square should use Green Line trains to complete their trip.
  • Delays of 10 minutes are expected.

Lane Closures in the District

Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., northbound DC-295 after Pennsylvania Avenue will have a single right lane closure. Delays are expected there.

On Saturday between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m., the ramp to Howard Road from southbound DC- 295 will be closed for construction.

Ethiopian Heritage 5k/2k/1.5k

Friday through Sunday at Georgetown University, The Ethiopian Heritage Festival will host the running events, along with arts, crafts, and food.

Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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