Metro summer shutdown extended by one week on blue and yellow lines south of Reagan National Airport

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - The Metro summer shut down we've been telling you about just got even longer.

Six blue and yellow line stations south of Reagan National Airport were set to be closed from May 25 to September 2, but that's now been extended through Sept. 8.

The stations that will be closed are Braddock Rd., King St., Eisenhower Ave., Van Dorn St., Franconia-Springfield and Huntington.

There will be free express and local shuttle bus service.

This is for a project that will repair metro station platforms, and Metro says crews need more time to complete that work.

In a press release, Metro says:

"Following extensive inspections and engineering analysis, Metro and its contractor have identified additional structural modifications necessary to address a longstanding design issue at Braddock Road Station. The repairs are needed to ensure a safe platform surface that is level with train doors, a requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To address the issue, Metro today announced the summer shutdown of six Blue and Yellow line stations south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will be extended by six days (four commuting days), through Sunday, September 8.

Train service south of National Airport is now expected to resume on Monday, September 9. This aggressive but achievable schedule is predicated on support from local jurisdictions that enables Metro's contractors to work around the clock. When stations reopen to customers and rail service resumes, residual construction activities such as new tile installation and other station work will likely continue at all six stations south of Washington National Airport."

Those six Metro lines will also be closed for the weekend of May 4 and 5.

Metro says additional weekend outages may be necessary before the start of around-the-clock construction.