Traffic

Civic Associations Requesting County Address Congestion around Uber, Lyft Airport Parking

By Airey

The civic association for Aurora Highlands and Crystal City are requesting the county officials take action on traffic caused by the Uber and Lyft waiting area along S. Eads Street.

The area, sometimes called the “TNC lot,” comprises two parking lots located at 2799 S. Eads St. where Uber and Lyft drivers must park while queuing for passengers at Reagan Airport.

The associations say there have been persistent traffic problems caused by the lot, and discussions about solutions have “stalled.”

The neighborhood groups wrote a letter to Arlington Department of Environmental Services (DES) Director of Transportation Dennis Leach this week citing ongoing congestion woes caused by “7,800 additional vehicles per day” on Eads Street northbound.

That’s despite the county opening an entrance to and exit from the lot along Route 1, to ease traffic near the residential neighborhoods along Eads.

Aurora Highlands Civic Association President Scott Miles told ARLnow that as of last night (Thursday at 5 p.m.) the associations have not received a response from county officials.

Miles and Crystal City Civic Association President Carol Fuller signed the letter, which proposed two solutions for DES and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority:

  1. Allow ride-hailing drivers to enter, but not exit, the lot via Eads Street.
  2. Turn the lot into airport employee parking and make Uber and Lyft drivers wait at a new lot on airport property instead.

Today, Uber’s guide for drivers picking up at DCA features a section how vehicles should queue in the waiting area, noting that, “When exiting the lot, left turns only are permitted in an effort to reduce traffic congestion along S. Eads St.”

Before picking the Eads space for the lot, the Airport Authority had set up a temporary parking space a block northward at Crystal Drive and 26th Street S. which also caused traffic headaches.

Image via Google Maps

TRAFFIC ALERT: Beltway Crash May Again Cause Spillover Traffic in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Update at 5 p.m. — All lanes of the Beltway have reopened, though residual delays remain.

Earlier: A crash has closed most lanes of the Beltway near S. Van Dorn Street in Fairfax County, creating yet another traffic mess in Northern Virginia.

A truck crash and subsequent fire led to the complete closure of the Beltway just before 2 p.m. today. Since then, a single lane of traffic has reopened on the Inner Loop and two lanes have reopened on the Outer Loop.

Virginia State Police say they’re investigating the crash, which involved a truck carrying insulation:

At 1:38 p.m. Thursday (April 4, 2019), Virginia State Police responded to an overturned tractor-trailer in the westbound lanes of I-495 at the 172 mile marker in Fairfax County. The impact of the crash caused the vehicle to catch fire. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured in the crash. The tractor-trailer’s load is insulation, which is not deemed as a hazardous material. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Motorists are advised to plan ahead and avoid travel through this particular area. State police, VDOT and Fairfax Fire and EMS are on scene.

The crash could have major traffic implications into the evening rush hour. WMATA has already announced that it will run additional Blue Line trains to help.

The situation is reminiscent of last week’s Beltway crash that shut down the Inner Loop just before the American Legion Bridge, sending tens of thousands of commuters trying to get to Maryland and D.C. into Arlington.

Thus far, traffic impacts in Arlington do not appear to be nearly as severe, although as of 3:45 p.m. delays on northbound I-395 heading into D.C. were starting to extend past Pentagon City.

More via social media:

Construction Underway on Next Stage of Crystal Drive Two-Way Project

By ARLnow.com
1/6

An ongoing project to convert nearly the entire stretch of Crystal Drive to a two-way road has entered another phase of construction.

Work is underway on Phase 3 of the project, which is converting one-way portions of Crystal City’s main street to more transit-and-bike-friendly two-lane configurations.

Phase 3 will reconfigure a one-way stretch of Crystal Drive between 26th and 27th streets, near the EPA headquarters, as well as a portion of 27th Street S. Construction started earlier this year and is expected to last about nine months, with the early work focused on the Route 1 and 27th Street intersection.

More from the project website:

The Crystal Drive Two-Way Conversion project is beginning to establish the street network needed to support future development and transit improvements planned by the Crystal City Sector Plan and Crystal City Multimodal Transportation Study. Upon completion, Crystal Drive will be a two-way street from South Potomac Avenue/27th Street South through 12th Street South.

Improvements for Phase 3 will include a loading area near the Hyatt Regency hotel, a new right-turn pocket for northbound Crystal Drive onto 26th Street, a bike lane on southbound Crystal Drive and sharrows on northbound Crystal Drive. 27th Street South will also be converted to two-way traffic from Crystal Drive to Route 1.

The intent of the project is to improve the navigability of Crystal City and improve safety for all modes of transportation. In addition to the street work, the project includes the installation of:

  • New traffic signals
  • Street trees
  • Intersection upgrades to include ADA-compliant crosswalk markings and ramps

Temporary lane and sidewalk closures are expected during construction, but no complete road closures are planned.

Portion of Wilson Blvd in Ballston Closed for Crane Removal

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) Wilson Blvd is closed between N. Quincy and Randolph streets, just east of Ballston Quarter mall, for the removal of a massive construction crane.

Crews appear to be in the process of disassembling the crane piece-by-piece and hauling away the pieces.

Police are on scene and traffic is being re-routed to roads parallel to Wilson. As of 11 a.m., traffic was light in the area. The westbound lanes of Wilson are expected to reopen in time for the evening rush hour, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage, while the eastbound lanes are set to remain closed through Sunday.

The crane was in place to assist with the construction of the new Liberty Center building at 4040 Wilson Blvd.

The mixed-use residential, retail, and office space is scheduled to open later this year and will be the final piece of a five-building development. VIDA Fitness, a “high end fitness center and spa,” is set to open its first non-D.C. location in the building by the end of 2019, while publicly-traded apartment developer AvalonBay is expected to move from its current Ballston office to the new building.

The road closure is not the only notable closure on the block. The Sweetgreen restaurant at 4075 Wilson Blvd is closed for the second day in a row, for unspecified reasons. Some sort of a clean-up effort appears to be underway in the store, though a county spokesman noted that the temporary closure is “not related to any Health Department action.”

BREAKING: Traffic Nightmare Continues As I-495 Inner Loop Remains Closed

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 9:45 p.m.) Traffic throughout Arlington has reached apocalyptic levels as the closure of the Beltway’s Inner Loop continues well into the night.

Shortly before 2 p.m., a tanker truck overturned as part of a multi-vehicle crash just prior the American Legion Bridge. The cleanup from the crash and the hazmat response from a fuel spill prompted the complete closure of I-495 northbound before the bridge, sending tens of thousands of drivers bound for Maryland and D.C. into Arlington to try to make it across the remaining Potomac bridges.

In Fairfax County, that has meant gridlock on main eastbound arteries like Chain Bridge Road and Georgetown Pike. In Arlington, it has resulted in the following almost unthinkable traffic scenarios as of 9 p.m. on an otherwise clear and calm day:

  • Both directions of I-66 are jammed between Glebe Road and the Roosevelt Bridge.
  • Northbound N. Glebe Road is a virtual parking lot for more than two miles from just past Washington Golf and Country Club to Chain Bridge. The backups have been getting longer as the night goes on.
  • Northbound Military Road is a solid line of traffic from Zachary Taylor Park to the Glebe Road on-ramp. Police have shut down access to the road at Nelly Custis Drive, according to a tipster.
  • Side streets in the Old Glebe neighborhood are filled with cars attempting to find shortcuts.
  • Eastbound Route 50 is “in gridlock from Pershing Drive.”
  • Numerous highway on-ramps throughout Arlington have been closed by police to try to control traffic.
  • Eastbound Lee Highway is backed up to the MOM’s Organic Market.
  • Multiple intersections in Rosslyn are reported to be near-gridlock near Key Bridge, with police on scene directing traffic.
  • Northbound I-395 is crawling past Pentagon City.

The Inner Loop remains completely closed and is expected to remain closed until midnight or later.

The nightmare traffic has led to hours in the car for commuters and some frayed nerves. Police have responded to numerous reports of road rage incidents, as well as crashes on traffic-clogged streets.

More from social media:

https://twitter.com/mlymllr/status/1111401393691070464

https://twitter.com/NPRNedWharton/status/1111398477529907201

https://twitter.com/sandybeach28/status/1111432291295723526

Maps via Google Maps

Vehicle Overturns Near Pentagon City Costco

By ARLnow.com

Police and firefighters are on scene of a crash involving an overturned vehicle in Pentagon City.

The crash happened at the intersection of S. Fern Street and 13th Street S., near a busy entrance to the Costco parking lot. Fern Street is currently closed to traffic in both directions between 12th and 15th streets.

The crash involved at least two vehicles, one of which flipped on its side, and at least one reported minor injury. The occupant or occupants of the flipped vehicle were able to get out without the assistance of any of the fire department’s heavy rescue equipment.

Coming Soon: No Left Turn at a Busy Clarendon Intersection

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Arlington County will soon be adding a permanent turn restriction at a busy Clarendon intersection.

As part of the changes to the “Clarendon Circle” intersection of Clarendon, Washington and Wilson boulevards, westbound traffic on Washington Blvd will no longer be allowed to turn left onto Wilson Blvd.

The move will eliminate a tricky turn but will mean that some drivers will have to adjust their routes to get to their destinations.

The restriction is set to go into effect a bit later this month, county officials say. Other, temporary restrictions will also be put into place.

More from a press release:

In late March, the left turn from westbound Washington Boulevard to Wilson Boulevard will be permanently removed during construction to improve the Clarendon Circle intersection.

Construction will soon start on sidewalk improvements along Washington Boulevard between Clarendon Boulevard and North Hudson Street. Travel lanes on this section of Washington Boulevard will be reduced from two lanes to one and the left turn to Wilson Boulevard will be removed. Once this work is complete, the road will be restored to two through lanes but left turns to Wilson Boulevard will remain prohibited.

Drivers on westbound Washington Boulevard will have other options for reaching Wilson Boulevard. Before Clarendon Circle, drivers can turn left onto 10th Street North and then make a left to Wilson Boulevard. If they continue through the Clarendon Circle intersection, drivers can turn left onto North Kirkwood Road and then make a right onto Wilson Boulevard.

The County is redesigning the Clarendon Circle intersection and reducing its overall size to improve access and safety for people walking, biking and driving. Wider sidewalks and medians will make it safer and easier for people traveling around the intersection and shorten crossing distances.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Multi-Vehicle Crash along I-395

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Drivers should expect police activity along I-395 and the GW Parkway following a reported multi-vehicle crash and police foot chase.

A suspect ran from the five-vehicle crash along northbound I-395 near the 14th Street Bridge, according to scanner traffic. He was reportedly apprehended by police along the GW Parkway.

Traffic is heavy and building approaching the crash scene. Two northbound lanes are blocked. Police are also planning a rolling closure on southbound I-395 to assist with the investigation.

At least one injury was reported in the crash.

UPDATE: More Than 3 Inches of Snow So Far in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Update at 12:30 p.m. — The National Weather Service reports 3.3 inches of snow accumulation in Ballston as of about 12:20 p.m.

Earlier: It’s a winter wonderland out there, but most roads remain passable.

Traffic is light around Arlington, with schools, the federal government and all county facilities like community centers closed. But with 2 inches of snow on the ground as of 8:30 a.m., no major crashes or problems have been reported on the county’s mostly snow-covered roads.

Residential trash and recycling collection has been cancelled for the day and will resume Thursday, delayed by a day for the rest of the week.

Metro is operating under its severe snow service plan for buses, and as is Arlington Transit. Metro trains are running every 12 minutes.

VDOT is still urging drivers to stay inside today, with snow changing to sleet, freezing rain and then just rain this afternoon.

“Drivers are asked to avoid travel for safety today as a winter storm moves through the region with a range of precipitation,” VDOT said. “Pockets of heavier snow may limit visibility and stick to the pavement, and a mix of freezing rain may quickly make roads slick.”

More Traffic Changes Coming for S. Eads Street As Road Runs Near Pentagon Parking Lots

By Alex Koma
1/2

Construction work around some of the Pentagon’s parking lots is prompting a new round of traffic changes and detours in the area.

Work focused on the new I-395 express lanes previously prompted the closure of the west side of S. Eads Street from Army Navy Drive to where it nears the Pentagon’s south parking lot at S. Rotary Road. Starting yesterday (Tuesday), workers are now moving to the east side of S. Eads instead, allowing traffic to use both sides of the street once more in the area.

Drivers will now be able to access the 395 HOV lanes as normal once more, but there are still some detours planned for the area, according to a press release.

During the morning rush hour, from 6-9 a.m., drivers will be able to use S. Rotary Road to access I-395’s southbound HOV lanes, but won’t be able to access a section of the western side of S. Eads Street. Anyone on 395 will be able to turn left to reach the Pentagon’s south parking lot, or turn right onto S. Eads.

During the afternoon rush hour, from 3-8 p.m., both sides of S. Eads Street will be fully accessible.

Signs will be posted to guide drivers about all these changes, and construction is expected to continue through the spring.

A full 395 HOV shutdown is also scheduled for this weekend, starting at Friday (Jan. 25) at 11 p.m and concluding Monday (Jan. 28) at 4 a.m.

TRAFFIC ALERT: 14th Street Bridge HOV Lanes Blocked by Crash

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 11:35 a.m.) All lanes of the HOV span of the 14th Street Bridge are blocked by a serious crash.

Four vehicles are involved, one person is trapped in their vehicle and four people are injured, D.C. Fire and EMS said via Twitter. Of the four injuries, one is considered serious while the other three are considered minor.

Firefighters are currently working to free the person trapped in a vehicle.

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