Metro escalator repairs drive commuters mad

It took the government eight months to build the Pentagon. Construction of the Empire State Building took just over 11 months. And it can take Metro just as long, if not longer, to fix a single escalator. The issue is nothing new to Metro riders, who regularly encounter escalators throughout the subway system blocked by barriers, forcing them to walk up and down adjacent escalators-turned-staircases for months on end.

An escalator between the mezzanine and platform at Farragut North station — one that normally carries riders up to the K Street exit fare gates — is among the repair jobs that has been regularly extended. The repairs were supposed to be done in March. That was delayed until April. It’s now expected to reopen in May.