Van Ness–UDC station

This article is about the Washington Metro station. For the San Francisco Muni station, see Van Ness station.

Van Ness–UDC station is a Washington Metro station serving the Forest Hills and North Cleveland Park neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., United States. The island platformed station was opened on December 5, 1981, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Providing service for the Red Line, the station is on the 4200 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, with exits on either side of the street. The station is also close to the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), as well as to both Howard University School of Law and the Edmund Burke School. ^[2]

Van Ness–UDC
Van Ness–UDC station platform in June 2004
General information
Location	4200 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°56′40.4″N 77°3′48.7″W
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Metrobus: H2, L2, W45, W47
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Bicycle facilities	Capital Bikeshare, 9 racks and 8 lockers
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	A06
History
Opened	December 5, 1981 (December 5, 1981)
Passengers
2023	2,424 daily[1]
Rank	43 out of 98
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station Tenleytown–AU toward Shady Grove Red Line Cleveland Park toward Glenmont
Location

Station layout

Van Ness–UDC station is the northernmost station in the tunnel beneath Connecticut Avenue, one of Washington's busiest thoroughfares. After northbound trains leave the station, the tunnel shifts westwards underneath Yuma Street^[2] and at the next station, Tenleytown–AU, the tunnel then parallels the route of Wisconsin Avenue into Maryland.

Architecturally, Van Ness–UDC is similar to other stations along the underground stretch of the Red Line between Woodley Park and Medical Center. Because of the high cost of the four-coffer waffle design and the relative large depth of these stations, pre-fabricated concrete segments were shipped to the construction site and placed together to form the structure of the station.^[3] This resulted in what is now known as the "Arch I" station design of the Washington Metro.^[4]

Access to the station is provided by banks of escalators on either side of Connecticut Avenue, north of Veazey Terrace, which meet in an upper mezzanine and connect to a set of three long escalators to reach fare control. An elevator on the southwest corner of the intersection connects directly to the main mezzanine.

History

The station opened on December 5, 1981.^[3][5] Its opening coincided with the completion of 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of rail northwest of the Dupont Circle station and the opening of the Cleveland Park and Woodley Park stations.^[3][5][6] It would serve as the northwestern terminus of the Red Line until the opening of an extension to the then-named Grosvenor station on August 25, 1984.^[7]

References

1. "Metrorail Ridership Summary". Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
2. Wayne Whitehorne (January 17, 2009). "The Red Line". Retrieved August 1, 2010.
3. Burgess, John (December 4, 1981), "The new northwest passage; 3 more stops on the Red Line...", The Washington Post, p. B1
4. Washington, D.C. Metro by NYC Subway
5. Burgess, John (December 5, 1981), "3 Metro stations opening today", The Washington Post, p. B7
6. "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). WMATA. 2017. p. 3. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
7. Brisbane, Arthur S. (August 26, 1984), "All aboard; Metro festivities welcome latest Red Line extension", The Washington Post, p. A1

External links

• WMATA Van Ness–UDC station page

• Station entrances on Google Maps Street View