Traffic

Water Main Break Shuts Down Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:30 p.m. — Columbia Pike has reopened.

A water main break prompted authorities to shut down a large section of Columbia Pike for most of the morning.

Columbia Pike is currently closed to through traffic  from George Mason Drive to Four Mile Run. One worker on the scene estimated that the closure would last until around noon.

A break in an 8-inch water main under Columbia Pike across from the Whitemore Apartments (4301 Columbia Pike) was reported around 4:00 a.m. The water was quickly shut off, but Arlington County crews have had to dig a six foot deep hole in the westbound lanes in order to reach the burst pipe.

No one has lost water as a result of the water main break, we’re told.

 

Walter Reed Drive Closed After Possible Grenade Found

By ARLnow.com

Walter Reed Drive has been shut down between S. 13th and 14th Streets due to police and fire department activity.

A grenade might have been found in a storage unit in the area, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl.

The road has been closed as a precaution while authorities wait for the bomb squad to examine the object.

Accident on Wilson Blvd Ties Up Morning Traffic

By ARLnow.com

An accident on Wilson Boulevard tied up traffic heading toward Courthouse and Clarendon this morning.

We’re told the accident involved two vehicles. No injuries were reported.

One of the vehicles involved, a dark-colored sedan, wound up on a sidewalk adjacent to the drive-through lane of the Wendy’s restaurant at 2038 Wilson Blvd.

Photo courtesy Lowell Perry

Terrible Traffic Tuesday Arrives for I-395 Drivers

By ARLnow.com

Supposedly, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic, the Tuesday after Labor Day was “Terrible Traffic Tuesday.”

But while traffic last Tuesday was actually fairly manageable, traffic today on this Tuesday seems a bit more terrible, at least on one local highway.

Traffic is heavy — moving slowly but steadily — for most of the stretch of northbound I-95/I-395 all the way from Newington to the 14th Street Bridge, according to traffic cameras.

UPDATED: Glebe Road Reopens Near Chain Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6:10 p.m. — Glebe Road has reopened, according to scanner traffic.

Update at 4:05 p.m. — Crews are hoping to have Glebe Road clear and reopened by 6:00 p.m., we’re told.

Glebe Road is completely blocked in north Arlington near Chain Bridge due to a large downed tree.

According to initial reports, traffic is being diverted on to Old Glebe Road and Chain Bridge Road.

No word yet on whether the road is expected to be back open in time for the evening rush hour.

SUV Overturns in Tara-Leeway Heights Crash

By ARLnow.com

A two-vehicle accident resulted in an SUV flipping on its side at the intersection of 15th Street and N. Greenbrier Street this morning in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood, near Virginia Hospital Center.

The accident happened around 8:15 a.m. and involved a Toyota Camry and a Toyota RAV4 SUV. It appears that the Camry somehow broadsided the RAV4, causing it to flip on its side. The intersection is a two-way stop, with the stop signs in place for traffic on 15th Street.

The driver of the RAV4 was trapped in the vehicle after the accident and had to be extricated by the fire department. The driver was then transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

A neighbor tells ARLnow.com that there are “a ton” of accidents at the intersection due to drivers rolling through the stop signs on 15th Street.

 

 

Road Closures Planned for Weekend Events

By Katie Pyzyk

A couple of events this weekend involve road closures that could cause some traffic headaches.

The Arlington County Police Department will close streets this Saturday, September 8, for the 11th Annual Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff 9-11 Memorial 5K, which starts at 6:00 p.m.

ACPD advises drivers to avoid the following areas on Saturday:

  • 5:30-7:00 p.m. — Army Navy Drive between S. Fern Street and S. 12th Street will be closed.
  • 5:30-6:30 p.m. — S. 12th Street between Amy Navy Drive and Crystal Drive will be closed.
  • 5:30-6:30 p.m. — Crystal Drive will be closed to from S. 23rd Street to S. 12th Street.
  • 5:30-7:00 p.m. — Traffic at the Pentagon South parking area will be disrupted.

Drivers should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs in the area. Illegally parked vehicles may be ticketed or towed. If your vehicle is towed from a public street, call 703-228-4252.

On Sunday, September 9, ACPD will assist with road closures for the 2012 Nation’s Triathlon. Due to road closures in Washington, D.C., Chain Bridge Road will be closed to all traffic from 6:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. All northbound Glebe Road traffic will be directed to Route 123.

UPDATED: Water Main Break in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) A major water main break has shut down a number of roads in Crystal City.

For at least an hour, water was spraying about 5 feet in the air out from buckled pavement at the intersection of 12th Street and S. Clark Street. Arlington County crews managed to shut off several valves, which reduced but did not stop the water flow for several hours. As of now, the water flow has been stopped, but not before it created a large pond in and around the intersection.

The water came from a rupture in a 12-inch water main, according to Arlington County Department of Environmental Services spokeswoman Shannon Whalen McDaniel. As a result of work to stop the water flow, several large nearby buildings — 200 and 201 12th Street S.; 1215, 1225 and 1235 S. Clark Street; and the North Tract Loft apartments — had their water supply cut.

“They’re working right now to isolate the break so that they can restore water to the buildings and any affected businesses,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck earlier.  Water has since been restored to all but one of the buildings.

During the height of the water main break, workers were encouraged to move their cars from nearby underground parking garages, as a precaution due to flooding, Sternbeck said.

The water also flowed down Long Bridge Drive toward 10th Street S. and “gushed” into the Boeing construction site for several hours, officials say. Crews deployed measures to stop the water from flowing into the site and are now pumping water out from the construction pit.

In a statement, authorities said the construction site will need to be stabilized before work can continue on the large, economically significant project.

Arlington County’s Chief Building Official, Shahriar Amiri, today ordered the Boeing Co.’s Crystal City construction site, located near 10th St. S and S. Ball Street, closed in the wake of this morning’s water main break. The break in a 12-inch water main sent water gushing into the site this morning. Construction is halted while the water is pumped out and structural engineers assess the damage and take whatever measures necessary to stabilize the shoring and sheeting, Amiri said. No evaculation orders have been issued at this time for surrounding buildings. County inspectors will continue to monitor the site and work with the structural engineers.

The latest list of road closures include Long Bridge Drive from 12th Street to a private driveway being used to divert traffic from Crystal Drive, 12th Street from Army Navy Drive to 15th Street, 10th Street at Long Bridge Drive, and S. Clark Street at the intersection with 12th.

Work to dig up the street and repair the water main could take up to one or two days. The intersection is expected to remain at least partially closed until the work is complete.

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AAA Forecasts Busy Weekend for Labor Day Travel

By ARLnow.com

About 800,000 D.C. area residents are expected to hit the roads, rails and airports this Labor Day weekend, according to a travel forecast by AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Despite quickly rising gas prices — jumping at least 40 cents in the past two months — AAA says this will be the busiest Labor Day weekend in terms of travel since 2008 and the start of the recession. It’s the third summer holiday travel period this year projected to set a post-recession record.

Some 799,900 Washington area residents are expected to travel more than 50 miles for Labor Day, up 3.5 percent from 2011. Of those travelers, 86.8 percent are expected to travel by car, 7.9 percent by air, and 5.3 percent by other means.

AAA is cautioning travelers to check weather forecasts before they leave, however, as Tropical Storm Isaac continues to head north from the Gulf coast

“As they prepare to embark on their Labor Day vacation trips, local residents are urged to stay abreast of local forecasts both at their departure city and at their points of destinations,” said Lon Anderson, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Managing Director of Public and Government Affairs. “While it is challenging to predict the impact that Hurricane Isaac may have on Labor Day travel plans, tropical storms and hurricanes, like this one, typically do not negatively influence travel at the national level.”

“It’s very encouraging that the total number of 2012 Labor Day holiday travelers across the nation and the Washington metro region is expected to reach a new post-recession high,” Anderson continued. “Even more encouraging, this is a travel ‘trifecta’ or the third such increase in holiday travel during this summertime. Clearly, Americans and Washingtonians are trying to put the recession behind them.”

Police Situation Blocks Lanes on 14th Street Bridge

By Katie Pyzyk

Two lanes of the inbound 14th Street Bridge are blocked due to a police situation.

A man who had parked mid-span and was sitting on the ledge was taken into police custody just before 4:00 this afternoon. D.C. and Arlington police, along with a police boat, were all said to be on the scene.

D.C. police have jurisdiction over the incident and are reportedly in the process of clearing the scene.

Police Investigating Bicyclist Accident Near Westover

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Police are investigating an unusual accident near Westover involving a bicyclist.

Initial reports said the cyclist was unconscious when police arrived, after being struck by a vehicle that left the scene. However, a police spokesman now says there might not have been a vehicle involved at all.

Police believe the cyclist may have suffered some sort of medical emergency and then fell onto the road, unconscious. However, the investigation is still ongoing and details are still coming in.

A tipster said the cyclist was transported to Fairfax Inova Hospital.

Earlier, Patrick Henry Drive was closed between 9th Road North and 11th Street North, and 10th Street North was blocked off where the accident occurred. All roads have been reopened.

There’s no word so far on the cyclist’s condition or the nature of the possible medical emergency.

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