Traffic

Roads Treacherous As Storm Continues

By ARLnow.com

Snow on Dec. 8, 2013 by J. SonderRoads around Arlington are reported to be icy and treacherous as more freezing rain is expected to fall overnight.

The area is under a Winter Storm Warning through 10:00 a.m. Monday as forecasters call for a quarter inch of ice. Via Twitter, readers have reported slick roads, especially on neighborhood streets. A Domino’s delivery driver in south Arlington told ARLnow.com that side streets were “very bad,” and that another driver had been involved in an accident. Bridges were also said to be particularly icy.

VDOT, which is responsible for maintaining highways and certain major roads in Arlington, says Monday’s morning rush hour could be impacted by the slick conditions.

“Crews are plowing as well as heavily salting roads and will continue to do so through tomorrow morning’s rush hours,” VDOT said in a tweet.

Arlington canceled evening activities and closed all schools and government buildings at 6:00 p.m. tonight (Sunday).

Freezing temperatures might have been responsible for a water main break near Lee Highway. The water main break happened at 20th Road N. and N. Woodstock Street.

Fairfax and Loudoun County schools will be closed Monday. So far, there has been no announcement from Arlington Public Schools.

Flickr pool photo by J. Sonder

Washington Blvd Bridge Over Columbia Pike Now Open

By Ethan Rothstein

Washington Blvd bridge over Columbia PikeNorthbound traffic on Washington Blvd is now going over the newly-constructed overpass over Columbia Pike.

The bridge, which has been under construction since 2012, was built to replace the previous structure. The old bridge was built in the 1940s as part of the original Pentagon Roadway Network and had been in “poor condition,” according to VDOT.

Construction on the project is still expected to wrap up at some point in 2015, according to VDOT’s project website.

Lane closures will continue on Columbia Pike into 2014 while the new bridge is finished and the old bridge is demolished. Demolition is expected to happen as soon as January.

UPDATE: Repairs on 16-Inch Water Main Continue

By Ethan Rothstein
16-inch water main breaks in Shirlington
16-inch water main breaks in Shirlington
16-inch water main breaks in Shirlington
16-inch water main breaks in Shirlington
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Two water mains in south Arlington broke this morning, requiring major repairs and closing roads and county buildings in the process.

A 16-inch water main burst on S. Arlington Mill Drive at the entrance to the Village at Shirlington early Tuesday, closing the road from S. Randolph Street to S. Taylor Street. The break caused Abingdon Elementary School and Fairlington Community Center to close for the day.

Some neighborhoods around the area lost water service this morning, but according to Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services (DES) spokeswoman Myllisa Kennedy water has since been restored to all residents, as well as the school, as repairs continue. The line is being excavated and repairs are expected to last until late afternoon, Kennedy said.

A separate, smaller water main also broke in Nauck this morning. Repairs have closed S. Monroe Street between 24th and 25th Streets as a result.

Update at 3:55 p.m. — Repairs on the 16-inch line are taking longer than expected. Residents in Fairlington will have little or no water pressure until the repairs are complete, according to DES spokeswoman Robyn Mincher.

The leaked 16 inch pipe has been exposed and workers found a long split. It may take another 5 to 6 hours from now to complete repairs. The traffic on Arlington Mill Drive will remain closed through early evening. The north entrance from Arlington Mill Drive to the garage located in Harris Teeter will be open by 4 p.m. to accommodate the tree lighting event. The attempts to open the other feed to Fairlington area were not successful. More repairs on valves will be done at a later date. As of now, Fairlington has no water or may be experiencing very low pressure. This situation will last until the 16 inch main is repaired.

Update at 7:15 p.m. — Repairs are continuing, Mincher says, but might stretch into Wednesday.

The intersection from Arlington Mill Drive to the north entrance of Harris Teeter’s Garage will remain closed. The traffic will stop at S. Randolph St. on Arlington Mill Drive.

The repair has run into complications with excessive water draining from the pipe that required more time to pump out. The replacement will be for two sections of pipe instead of one. These complications have added time to completion. The projected time of completion is approximately 5 ½ hours from now. The crew is complying with 16 safe-hour limit and will stop to continue in the morning if work is not completed by 10 pm. Night crew is working on a valve repair to restore water to Fairlington. If they finish early, they will supplement work on the pipe repair.

Update at 10:15 p.m. — County repair crews are calling it a day. Repairs will resume after rush hour tomorrow.

Crews will resume repair work tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. after the rush hour. This is due to the complications mentioned earlier and the 16 safe-hour limit. There will be one westbound lane open to traffic on Arlington Mill Drive and police will control the traffic throughout the night.

The Fairlington area will remain on low water pressure until the valve on the other line can be fixed.

Shirlington Tree Lighting to Close Streets Tonight

By Ethan Rothstein

Shirlington tree lighting event in 2010Shirlington’s “Light Up the Village” festival will take place tonight (Tuesday), and some roads in the Village at Shirlington will be closed for the festivities.

From 4:00 to 10:00 p.m., Campbell Avenue, from Arlington Mill Drive to S. Quincy Street and S. Randolph Street, from Arlington Mill Drive to the alley behind Charlie Chang’s Restaurant (roughly the 3000 block), will be closed for the event.

During that time, vehicles will not be allowed to leave Harris Teeter’s covered parking lot onto Campbell Avenue. Parking in the area is also restricted, so drivers should be on the lookout for spaces with “No Parking” signs.

Light Up the Village will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The tree lighting should begin at 6:30, hosted by WTTG’s Allison Seymour. There will also be horse and carriage rides available for those donating non-perishable goods to the Arlington Food Assistance Center, photos with Santa at the UPS Store (2776 S. Arlington Mill Drive), free face painting and live holiday music.

Two Injured in Taxi-Tow Truck Crash

By ARLnow.com
1/8

Two passengers of a Red Top taxi cab were injured in a three-vehicle collision today.

The crash happened around noon in the southbound lanes of George Mason Drive, in front of the Army National Guard Readiness Center. Initial reports suggest an Arlington County work truck and the Red Top Cab sedan were stopped in the right-hand lane when the cab was rear-ended by an Advanced Towing truck. The cab was sandwiched between the other two vehicles, causing front- and rear-end damage.

An Arlington couple in their 60s were in the backseat of the cab at the time of the crash, according to Tanvir Ahmed, their son. Ahmed said his mother, who was returning home from cancer treatment at Virginia Hospital Center, suffered a head injury and was bleeding when she was taken via ambulance back to the hospital. His father suffered minor injuries, he said.

All three drivers remained on scene following the wreck. Only minor damage was visible on the rear bumper of the county truck. The tow truck had moderate front-end damage.

So far, there’s no official word from police regarding the cause of the crash. No other injuries were reported.

Road Closures Planned for Arlington Turkey Trot 5K

By ARLnow.com

Turkey Trot 5K logoSeveral road closures are planned in Lyon Park and Ashton Heights on Thanksgiving morning for the eighth annual Arlington Turkey Trot 5K race.

The race is hosted by Christ Church of Arlington. All 3,100 registration spots have been claimed, according to the church’s website.

Arlington police issued the following press release about closures associated with the event.

The Arlington County Police Department will close N. Pershing Drive between N. Fillmore Street and N. Glebe Road from 7:50 a.m. until approximately 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 28, 2013 for the 2013 Turkey Trot 5K.

Neighborhood roadways north and south of N. Pershing Drive will be affected briefly as the runners move through the course.  It is anticipated N. Pershing Drive will be reopened completely by 9:30 a.m.

Additionally, certain areas will be designated as “no parking” along the route between midnight and 10:00 a.m. on November 28, 2013.  These areas are identified below:

  • N Highland Street between N Pershing Drive & 7th Street N
  • 7th Street N between N Highland Street & N Irving Street
  • N Irving Street between 7th Street N & 9th Street N
  • 9th Street N between N Irving Street & N Fillmore Street

Metro bus service will be temporarily unavailable along N. Pershing Drive.  Routes have been adjusted to provide pickup at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Washington Boulevard along N. Pershing Drive.

All questions should be directed to Lieutenant Robert Medairos at (703)228-4160.

Tips for Thanksgiving Travel

By Ethan Rothstein

Traffic on the 14th Street Bridge (7/14/11)Today is perhaps the busiest travel day of the year — in the middle of the busiest travel week of the year — travel experts have some advice for travelers to make their journeys home as smooth as possible.

For those flying on Thanksgiving, expect crowded airports and airport parking lots until Monday, Dec. 2, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The peak times for holiday flights is early in the morning, between 5:30 and 8:00 a.m., and late afternoon, between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Because of the heavy volume of passengers, MWAA recommends getting to the airport two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights. Because planes will be so full, MWAA recommends packing lightly to ensure carry-on luggage fits in on-board compartments and under the seats.

For those leaving the area in their cars, the Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock writes that on the I-95 corridor, traffic will only begin to ease up tonight after 11:00 p.m., and it will start to get heavy again on Thursday at around 9:00 a.m.

Those going south on I-95 should remember that there’s a 29-mile work zone south of Springfield, so drivers can take a 20-mile workaround by taking I-66 West to Route 28 South in Centreville, then to Route 17, which meets up with I-95 around Fredericksburg.

File photo

Multi-Vehicle Accident Slowing I-395 Traffic

By Ethan Rothstein

I- 395 accident with injuryThree cars were involved in an accident on northbound I-395 just after 2:00 p.m. this afternoon.

The accident happened right in front of the on-ramp from the George Washington Parkway. Multiple lanes were blocked as fire trucks and police cruisers responded, but the cars have been moved so they are blocking only the right lane.

No significant injuries were reported.

SB Washington Blvd Closed After Bicyclist Struck

By ARLnow.com

Updated at 4:08 p.m. — All lanes of Washington Blvd are now open to traffic.

The southbound lanes of Washington Blvd are temporarily closed near the Arlington Blvd overpass due to an accident involving a bicyclist.

Initial reports suggest the cyclist was struck by a vehicle and suffered a broken left leg. The southbound lanes are closed due to the emergency response.

Drivers should avoid the area if possible.

Gov’t Shutdown Helped Arlington Dems ‘Export Votes’

By ARLnow.com

Barrett Elementary School polling placeIn the Virginia gubernatorial race, Democrat Terry McAuliffe defeated Republican Ken Cuccinelli by a margin of about 56,000 votes. Arlington, meanwhile, contributed about 33,000 surplus Democratic votes to that total.

Arlington’s importance to securing Democratic victories in statewide races cannot be underestimated, county Treasurer Frank O’Leary told the party faithful at last night’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.

“We are exporting votes that are desperately needed… throughout Virginia,” he said, lauding the party’s get-out-the-vote efforts, which helped lead to McAuliffe’s 72 percent to 22 percent shellacking over Cuccinelli in Arlington.

O’Leary said the nearly 67,000 votes cast in the governor’s race in Arlington were a record, smashing the previous record of about 57,000 and pointing to an overall upward trend in overall turnout for statewide, congressional and presidential races in Arlington. (Turnout in purely local elections — County Board, etc. — remains flat.)

Frank O'LearyEspecially important to the get-out-the-vote efforts of Arlington Democrats, O’Leary said, was absentee voting.

Arlingtonians cast about 7,250 absentee ballots this year, a record for a non-presidential year. The previous record was 7,077, set in 2006. While some of the increase can be attributed to a broader upward trend in absentee voting, O’Leary said the federal government shutdown also played a significant role.

“An interesting thing happened in early October,” O’Leary said. “A whole lot of people were furloughed… and they were mad as hell and weren’t going to talk it any more.”

“My theory that the absentee vote was swollen by angry federal workers, using their unappreciated furlough to come in and vote, may be sustained by the fact that McAuliffe received 79.5% of their vote versus 70.6% in the 52 precincts,” O’Leary said in a subsequent email. “Thus, McAuliffe garnered 650 more votes at the absentee level than might have been expected based on his performance in the precincts.”

The Libertarian candidate running for governor in Virginia, Robert Sarvis, captured about 6.5 percent of the vote statewide, and about 5.8 percent in Arlington. Contrary to the conventional wisdom of some Virginia political watchers, who argued that Sarvis largely siphoned off votes that would have otherwise gone to Cuccinelli, O’Leary said he has reason to believe Sarvis actually hurt McAuliffe in Arlington.

“In my opinion, Mr. Sarvis actually cost our gubernatorial candidates some votes,” he said.

Two Hospitalized After Wreck on George Mason Drive

By Ethan Rothstein
Two-car crash in front of Virginia Hospital Center
Two-car crash in front of Virginia Hospital Center
Two-car crash in front of Virginia Hospital Center
Two-car crash in front of Virginia Hospital Center
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Two cars collided in front of Virginia Hospital Center this morning, and two people involved in the crash were taken inside with injuries.

Just before 11:30 a.m., the two black sedans crashed at the intersection of N. George Mason Drive and 17th Street. According to police on the scene, a black Lincoln collided with a Mitsubishi Lancer as it was trying to turn left out of the hospital.

The Lincoln’s driver was uninjured, while the driver of the Mitsubishi and a passenger in the Lancer were suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.

One lane of northbound George Mason Drive was closed while police investigated the accident and waited for the tow trucks to remove the cars.

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