The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will begin major track work on Saturday, August 11, that will affect the Orange, Blue, and Silver lines through Sunday, August 26.  WMATA will single-track trains through downtown Washington, DC, between the McPherson Square and Smithsonian metro stations.  WMATA is advising that this will lead to extensive delays and crowding in the system.  WMATA has encouraged all Orange, Blue, and Silver line riders to use alternate transportation and to only use Metrorail if they have no other option throughout this period of track work.  For more information, see this WMATA service advisory. 

The impact on agencies and employees in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area will vary.  As a result, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) would like to take this opportunity to remind agencies to review the policies and procedures on workplace flexibilities that they established during the 2016 WMATA SafeTrack project and update them as necessary.  OPM strongly encourages agencies to allow affected employees to utilize various workplace flexibilities throughout the upcoming improvement project.  Ultimately, individual agencies are responsible for ensuring continuity of operations and are in the best position to determine which flexibilities are appropriate for their workforce. 

Additional Information

Agency headquarters-level human resources offices may contact OPM at pay-leave-policy@opm.gov.  Employees must contact their agency human resources office for further information on this memo.  For additional information on workplace flexibilities available for the Major Capital Improvement Project, see our guidance on alternative work schedules and telework.  See our leave fact sheets for general information on leave programs. 

cc:  Human Resources Directors, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officers, and Work-Life Coordinators