Metro News Release
For immediate release: September 22, 2010
New pedestrian traffic pattern around Pentagon Transit Center, Metrorail station
Signage will guide pedestrians to Metrorail station escalators, elevators
Pentagon Metrorail station and Pentagon Transit Center customers will encounter a new pedestrian traffic pattern near the Pentagon’s main visitor entrance starting on Monday, Sept. 27, as Pentagon officials adjust their security measures.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency will extend Pentagon employee checkpoints farther away from the building entrance from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. This security enhancement will limit public access to two center walkways leading to the Pentagon’s visitor entrance. The restrictions will be in place until new Pentagon visitor and employee screening facilities are constructed in 2012.
Metro, Pentagon and local elected officials worked together to ensure the security enhancements provide safeguards for Pentagon employees, visitors and Metro customers, while minimizing the impact on Metro riders.
Signs around the Metrorail station and Pentagon Transit Center will help guide customers between the station and Pentagon bus platform. Customers will continue to exit or enter the station using either the north or south escalators, or the elevator, which is near the north escalators. Signs inside the station will direct visitors to both the Pentagon and Pentagon Memorial to exit the station via the south escalators, which provide the most direct route to the Pentagon visitor screening area and the memorial.
When approaching the Metrorail station escalators from the Pentagon Transit Center’s upper bus platform, pedestrians will continue to have unrestricted access to the walkways that lead directly to the rail station’s north and south escalators. However, Metro customers will no longer have access to the left center walkway (near the station’s south escalators), which leads directly to the Pentagon’s visitor entrance. That walkway will be accessible only to Pentagon building pass holders. Metro customers will continue to have access to the right, center walkway (near the station’s north escalators); however, barriers will restrict Metro customers to one side of the walkway. This path is covered by a canopy and provides the most direct route to the Metrorail station’s elevators. Customers can use all walkways on weekends and after 8 p.m. on weekdays.
Next month, Pentagon officials will install a temporary canopy over the walkway that leads to the south escalators. Until the canopy is installed, a temporary sign inside of the station will direct customers to the north escalators during inclement weather.
About 32,000 trips are taken to/from the Pentagon Metrorail station each weekday. About 1,500 weekday bus trips are taken via the Pentagon Transit Center, which serves Metrobus riders.
News release issued at 4:36 pm, September 22, 2010.