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Weekend Wakeup: Road closures, extra hour of Metro service

By Max Smith

Fans heading to FedEx Field on Metro this weekend need to leave a little early, but at least they’ll have an hour of extra sleep.

Buses replace trains on the Blue and Orange lines between Federal Triangle and Eastern Market. Smithsonian, Federal Center S.W. and Capitol South stations will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through closing on Sunday. There will be no Blue or Orange line trains at L’Enfant Plaza either, but the Green and Yellow lines are operating normal weekend service.

There will also be delays on the Red Line as crews work between Twinbrook and Grosvenor. Trains are scheduled to run every 16 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont, with extra trains downtown between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Trains on the open sections of the Blue and Orange lines will run every 15 minutes.

With clocks “falling back” early Sunday morning as Daylight Saving Time ends, party-goers and bar patrons will not only get an extra hour to have fun, but also an extra hour of Metro. Metro will close at 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Because of the time change, the 1 a.m. hour is repeated, so the 3 a.m. closing extends Metrorail’s service day by one hour.

Lane closures

The 95/395 HOV lanes are closed all weekend.

From 10 p.m. Friday to 4:30 a.m. Saturday, multiple lanes of I-95 South will be closed at Garrisonville Road (Route 610) for utility work.

From 11 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday, the left and center through lanes of I-66 West will be closed near the West Falls Church Metro station. The following night, the closure will last from 11 p.m. EDT Saturday to 3 a.m. EST Sunday.

The right and center through lanes of I-66 East will be closed from 1 a.m. EDT to 5 a.m. EST Sunday only.

There will also be other lane closures overnight this weekend on Route 7/Leesburg Pike, the Dulles Toll Road, the Dulles Connector Road, and other streets in the Tysons area. They are connected to Silver Line construction and repaving.

Weekend events

Watch out for Rhinos and runners in the Ashburn area on Saturday.

The Lace Up for Learning 5K and Kids’ Fun Run starts at 8:30 a.m. at Brambleton Town Center.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office says drivers should avoid Soave Drive, Northstar Boulevard, Creighton Road, Olympia Drive, Ringneck Place, Courtland Park Drive, Regal Wood Drive, Olmstead Drive and Legacy Park Drive until about 11 a.m.

Also on Saturday, the sheriff’s office says the Rhino Chase 6K will impact traffic on Ashburn Village Boulevard, Red Rum Drive, Michener Drive, Fitzgerald Drive, Hemingway Drive and Faulkner Parkway.

In Arlington this weekend, runners hit the streets in the Tuckahoe and H-B Woodlawn 5K and National Race against the Odds 5K.

The Tuckahoe and H-B Woodlawn 5K on Saturday will block these roads near Tuckahoe Elementary School:

  • Williamsburg Boulevard will be closed to eastbound traffic from North Underwood Street to North Sycamore Street from 7:30 a.m. through 10:00 a.m.
  • Little Falls Road will be closed from North Sycamore Street to Washington
  • North 26th Street will be closed from North Sycamore Street to Washington Boulevard from 7:30 a.m. through 10:00 a.m.
  • North Underwood Street will be closed from North 24th Street to Williamsburg Boulevard from 7:30 a.m. through 10:00 a.m.

Some other roads along the course may be closed briefly during the race. All should reopen by 10 a.m. People who live in the neighborhood are being asked to park in driveways if possible, so the runners have more room.

On Sunday, the Race against the Odds 5K will close the same roads from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

In the District on Sunday, the Race to End Women’s Cancer 8K will block roads around the National Mall. The main staging area is near Freedom Plaza, blocking Pennsylvania Avenue NW all morning between 13th and 14th streets.

The race is also scheduled to close these roads between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.:

  • Start at 13th and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
  • East on Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. to Constitution Ave N.W.
  • East on Constitution Ave to Louisiana Ave
  • Northeast on Louisiana Ave to D Street N.W.
  • East on D Street to First Street, N.W.
  • U-turn prior to Columbus Circle then south on First Street to U.S. Capitol’s Police Barricade at C Street N.W. To turn around, head westbound D Street to southwest Louisiana Ave N.W.
  • West on Constitution Ave to 3rd Street
  • South on 3rd Street to Independence Avenue S.W.
  • East on Independence Avenue S.W. to 2nd Street S.W.
  • South on 2ndStreet to E Street, S.W.
  • West on E Street to 3rd Street, S.W.
  • North on 3rd Street to Independence Avenue S.W.
  • West on Independence Avenue S.W.
  • U-turn prior to 7th Street S.W., and travel east on Independence Avenue S.W. to 3rd Street
  • North on 3rd Street and west on Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. to the start/finish line.

Also expect to see extra traffic and pedestrians around the Washington Convention Center for the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show and the Washington Craft Show.

Sports delays

There could be extra traffic around the Verizon Center as the Wizards host the Sixers Friday night, and the Capitals host the Panthers Saturday night.

On Sunday afternoon, the Redskins host the Chargers at 1 p.m., so expect slowdowns on the Beltway and other roads in the Landover area.

Several local college basketball teams tip off their seasons with exhibition games this weekend. George Washington University hosts Bowie State at the Smith Center at 2 p.m. Saturday, and University of Maryland hosts Catholic University at the Comcast Center at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Looking ahead

On Tuesday only, VDOT says daytime lane closures on I-95 South will be lifted by noon due to Election Day.

Overnight next week, up to two lanes at a time will be blocked in each direction on I-66 for a repaving project. The work near the Dulles Connector Road is similar to the weekend work, but will alternate between the left and right lanes both eastbound and westbound.

Other work tied to the Silver Line will block ramps to and from Route 7 in Tysons. The Dulles Metrorail Project is urging all drivers to avoid Route 7 in both directions during overnight hours next week between Route 7 and Route 123 because of the lane and ramp closures. There will also be continued lanes closed during off-peak hours on other roads in the area.

On I-95 in Virginia, there will be alternating double-lane closures in both directions between the Beltway and Prince William Parkway next week. The overnight closures will last until 4:30 a.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. on the weekend. Similar closures are also scheduled on 395 North and South between Seminary Road and the Beltway.

The ramp from the southbound Fairfax County Parkway to I-95 South will also be closed overnights. The posted detour will put drivers on I-95 North to the Fairfax County Parkway to turn around and head south.

Drivers on Suitland Parkway should expect overnight lane closures all week beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday. The National Park Service says at least one lane will always remain open in each direction.

In Rock Creek Park, Beach Drive will be closed south of Porter Street from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so crews can make repairs and clean a tunnel.

The final stages of construction on the D.C. Streetcar will lead to rolling lane closures on H Street N.E. next week. The project will close the curb lane between 4th Street and 10th Street as crews install parts needed for the overhead wires. The work and rolling parking restrictions will last a few weeks.

Also next week, DDOT will close lanes during the day (10 a.m. to 3 p.m) along several streets for bridge and tunnel safety inspections. Weather permitting, crews will be working on Connecticut Avenue and Q Street N.W. in the Dupont Circle area on Monday, K Street N.W. near the Whitehurst Freeway on Wednesday and Thursday.

The parking lot across from MARC’s Germantown station could fully reopen by Thursday. Montgomery County began repaving the bank lot this week, and MARC is encouraging passengers to drive to the Metropolitan Grove station in the meantime since there is ample parking there.

VRE has announced there will be no service next Monday, Nov. 11, due to Veterans Day. VRE says there were not enough riders on Columbus Day to justify operating service on similar “soft” holidays in the future.

Follow @amaxsmith Max and WTOP on Twitter.

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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