Photo by Scott Ableman.

After their original dedication was washed away by Hurricane Irene, organizers for the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial are planning a much smaller ceremony on October 16. But the effect the event will have on mass transit will remain just as noticeable.

WMATA announced this morning that they will put aside plans to work on the Red, Blue, Yellow and Orange lines that day — including a scheduled closure between New York Avenue and Fort Totten — in order to accomodate those who would like to attend the dedication. In a statement, Metro GM/CEO Richard Sarles said that the agency decided to shuffle their maintenance plans because the dedication was a “once-in-a-lifetime event.” Metrorail will also begin operating two hours early that day, at 5 a.m.

Organizers are expecting around 50,000 people to attend the ceremony — no small potatoes, but about one-fifth of the crowds which were expected to attend on August 28, the anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.