Dupont Escalator Upgrades Completed; South Entrance Reopens

Sunday marked the end of nearly nine months of construction at the south entrance to Dupont Circle where crews replaced three escalators, ranked among the "least reliable" in the entire system, according to a Metro press release.

The escalators were notorious for breaking and repairing them was challenging because they were custom-made and the company that made them went out of business.

The new "transit-grade" escalators took nearly nine months to install, during which time customers had to rely on the north entrance to access the red line Metro station.

"Too often, customers who use this station were faced with the unpleasant choice of climbing 85 feet and more than 100 steps to the surface, or turning back and using the north entrance instead," said District of Columbia Councilmember and Metro Board Member Muriel Bowser in a press release.

According to Metro, the project finished on time and on budget. The Dupont repairs began in February of this year and followed close on the heels of the Foggy Bottom upgrades, which were completed last November.

"Thanks to projects like this, along with improved maintenance across the system, we are seeing results. Escalator availability today is above 90 percent, an increase of 8 percent over last year," said Metro General Manager and CEO Richard Sarles in a press release.

Related Content:

• Escalator Replacement Planned at Foggy Bottom Metro
• Foggy Bottom and Dupont Metros Part of Accelerated Escalator Fixes
• Dupont Metro South Entrance Closes Wednesday