ARLINGTON, Va. - Metro says its track work on the Blue and Yellow lines is proceeding on schedule.

The Reagan National Airport (web | news) , Pentagon City and Crystal City stations have been closed all weekend. They are expected to open on time Tuesday - at 5 a.m.

Track workers are replacing switches, 2,000 feet of rail and more than 700 ties. They're also installing cable for better cell phone service and making other upgrades.

The closure of the airport stop is a huge inconvenience for travelers like Jennifer Novak. Metro was a big factor when she chose which airport to fly out of this weekend.

"I looked at the price for BWI (web | news) and it was cheaper but I thought maybe it won't be cheaper if I have to drive to BWI and have to pay for parking. But now I may have to drive and pay for parking anyways. I'm very annoyed at Metro," she said.

Adnan Yucel planned to take Metro back to the airport for his return flight Monday. He now plans to shell out more money for a cab. "It's not really good planning but I suppose if they had to do it, they had to do it," he said.

Metro commuters like the Halls family also say the closures are a huge inconvenience. This weekend, the couple is heading to Florida to celebrate their 22nd wedding anniversary. They had planned to use Metro to get to and from Reagan National Airport, but changed their minds after hearing that they would need to catch a free shuttle bus instead.

Metro says, "The equipment is here, the materials are here, and we have to get the work done."

"Had we not used a three-day weekend to do this, it would've required four consecutive weekends of very long, lengthy single tracking," said Steve Taubenkibel, Metro Public Affairs.

As many as 50 buses will shuttle passengers from the Pentagon Transit Center to Pentagon and Crystal City, the airport stop, Braddock Road and the Franconia/Springfield stations. The buses will run about 10 minutes apart during the day and 15 to 20 minutes apart in the evenings.

Metro officials say customers on the blue and yellow lines should add 45 minutes to their travel plans during the weekend closures.

Baggage handler Shahn Hammond just learned about the shut down and consequently the bus he'll have to take to work on Monday.

"I don't know where it's going to drop us off here. They said they have one going from the Pentagon to the airport so I guess that's what I'm going to have to do. I'm going to have to leave the house a little earlier than I usually do," he said.

Metro says the closures this weekend are a way to save them time and money. Officials estimate that the shut down will save $1 million in late-night maintenance costs and 150 days of single tracking.

However, commuter Thomasine Foggie says that despite the holiday, she still has to work this weekend and the closures will make her ride to work very difficult.

Foggie, who uses Metro to commute to work daily, along with other travelers will have to allow an extra 45 minutes into their commute times this weekend.

"It's [going to] be harder to get home," said Thomasine Foggie, a Metro rider. "I'm thinking those people aren't going to be very happy."

"It seems like a really bad decision to do it over a holiday weekend," added Caroline Hall, a Metro rider.

After mapping out his entire father-son vacation using Metro, Phoenix resident Andy Hiller nearly canceled his trip when he learned of Metro's plans. Said Hiller, "Well this is how we get around -- with the Metro!"

But Alexandria (web | news) resident Arrison Martin says if the work means the trains are safer in the long run, the last thing he'll do is complain. "I don't want what happened on the Red Line -- the crash -- that was so tragic -- to happen on the Yellow or Blue Line," he said.

Metro says they have fewer riders during this particular holiday weekend. AAA Mid Atlantic projects that 14% fewer Washingtonians will travel away during the holiday and they expect a significant 21% drop in airline passengers at the local airports.

However, AAA Mid Atlantic predicts that 850,000 people are planning to travel this holiday, making it the busiest Labor Day in a decade.

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