A car caught on fire on eastbound I-66 near Rosslyn tonight.
The car, said to be a Volkswagen bug, was fully engulfed between I-66 and the entrance ramp from Lee Highway when firefighters arrived on the scene, just before 8:45 p.m.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before causing a backup. All lanes of eastbound I-66 were blocked for a time.
(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) The traffic light at the busy intersection of Army Navy Drive and S. Hayes Street is dark after a older model Mercedes sedan crashed into the traffic signal control box.
Police were directing traffic at the busy intersection, which is located across from the Pentagon City mall. The intersection handles Pentagon City traffic exiting and entering I-395. Backups are minor at this time, but police are not allowing drivers to make left-hand turns. County crews were seen erecting portable stop signs just before noon.
Dominion has reportedly been delayed in responding to the scene due to a power outage in Alexandria. Police have been told the repairs may last for much of the day.
Traffic is especially slow approaching the 14th Street Bridge this morning due to a sinkhole on the D.C. side of the bridge.
The ramp to northbound I-395 from the northbound HOV lanes is blocked due to a collapsed storm drain. Crews are on scene trying to repair the drain and reopen the roadway.
Drivers heading toward Capitol Hill via I-395 are advised to head into the District on the main line instead of the HOV lanes.
Update at 11:35 a.m. — Route 50 has reopened.
A collision between a pickup truck and an SUV blocked both lanes of westbound Route 50 at S. Columbus Street around 10:45 this morning.
The two drivers were treated on the scene and taken to the hospital with injuries described as “minor.” A small fire broke out in one of the vehicle’s engine compartments, but was quickly extinguished by police.
Westbound Route 50 traffic was diverted onto Park Drive, near the Outback Steakhouse. A flatbed truck arrived on scene and towed both vehicles away.
Update at 4:45 p.m. — Two lanes are now getting by the accident scene.
Traffic on the westbound lanes of I-66 is heavy from Spout Run to the eastern border of Fairfax County due to an accident.
Two cars were involved in an accident near Williamsburg Boulevard. At least one person was injured and transported to a hospital.
One lane is blocked while crews work to clean up the wreck. A Twitter user said the westbound lanes of I-66 are like “a parking lot” before the accident.
South Frederick Street has been shut down between Columbia Pike and 10th Street S. after a truck knocked down a utility pole and became entangled in power lines.
A garbage truck reportedly knocked down the pole just after 3:00 p.m. today. The road will be closed for awhile to allow crews time to clean up the broken pole and a tangle of wires.
Update at 7:20 p.m. — As of 6:45 p.m., all lanes on I-66 have reopened.
A tractor trailer fire in Fairfax County may tie up rush hour traffic on I-66 this evening.
A truck carrying hay caught fire near Route 123 this afternoon. The hay quickly became fully-engulfed, leaving a smoldering mess that forced authorities to close all westbound lanes of I-66. At least two Bobcat front loaders have been brought in to help with the firefighting and clean-up efforts.
Backups on westbound I-66 now extend to the Beltway. The backups may worsen as rush hour approaches. Cars have been spotted crossing the median on I-66 in an attempt to get out of the miles-long traffic jam.
Westbound Route 50, a possible alternate route, is also backed up to the Beltway.
Photo courtesy @DavidLyonHall
A truck has overturned on the ramp from northbound I-395 to King Street.
The ramp and one lane of I-395 is currently blocked.
Firefighters and paramedics from Arlington and Alexandria are responding to the scene. So far, no injuries have been reported.
Drivers should expect some delays in the area.
Route 110 will be closed near the Pentagon tomorrow morning due to an “Armed Forces Farewell Tribute” to retiring Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
President Obama will be among the dignitaries in attendance at the ceremony, which is expected to get underway at the Pentagon around 9:45 a.m. A military spokesman was unable to release any other details about the event.
Route 110 will be closed tomorrow from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Northbound traffic will be diverted to I-395 and southbound traffic will be diverted to Washington Boulevard, according to Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management.
Construction blocked the sole northbound lane of N. Randolph Street at the Glebe Road intersection around lunchtime today.
A dump truck and a backhoe made travel on both northbound Randolph Street and northbound Glebe Road a bit tricky for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. A lone worker with a florescent vest tried to get southbound traffic on Randolph to stay out of the turn lane so northbound traffic could get around the construction. Meanwhile, a lane was also blocked on northbound Glebe Road.
Crews appeared to be doing some sort of work on the sidewalk.
The issue is presented as a set of two mutually-exclusive options: either continue to support transportation policies that make it easy to own and drive a car, at the expense of bike and pedestrian safety; or support policies that make it easier and safer to walk and bike, at the expense of drivers.
Yesterday on the Arlington’s Commuter Page Blog, county Commuter Services Transportation Bureau Chief Chris Hamilton lauded Europe’s pro-pedestrian and anti-car policies, which have “reduced traffic and the number of cars in cities… re-conquering space for pedestrians.”
The policies, outlined in a New York Times article, include “making it harder and more costly to park… capping the number of parking spaces in new buildings rather than providing minimums… slowing cars down and closing streets to cars altogether and creating pedestrian plazas… synchronizing signal priority for people and transit, not cars… and giving people on foot the right to cross a street anywhere they like.”
“By following these examples we can make the Washington, DC region an even greater place to live,” Hamilton concluded.
Arlington’s stated transportation policy is to focus future street improvements on facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders. One example of this in action is the the proposed improvements to the Meade Street Bridge in Rosslyn. The current plan, as outlined at a public meeting last week, calls for the addition of dedicated bicycle lanes, the conversion of a free-flowing off ramp from westbound Route 50 to a square intersection and the addition of two traffic signals on either side of the bridge
If the choice is limited to pro-car or pro-bike-and-pedestrian policies — as opposed to policies that attempt to benefit both cars and alternative transportation choices — which would you support?
