Traffic

Accident on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

(Update at 12:20 p.m.) An SUV ran off the road and crashed through an iron fence near the intersection of S. Manchester Street and Route 50 just after 10:30 this morning.

Firefighters had to rescue the driver of the SUV, who was trapped in the vehicle after the wreck. The driver was brought to a local hospital with unspecified injuries.

So far there’s no official word on what caused the accident. Tire tracks suggest the SUV and a tractor trailer somehow ran off of eastbound Route 50 and onto a parallel side street. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured and the truck appeared largely undamaged. The scene has since been cleared.

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VDOT’s Detours During Route 50 Interchange Project

By ARLnow.com

Construction on the new Route 50 / Courthouse Road interchange is set to begin this month.

The project, which is expected to wrap up in 2013, will result in major improvements to what is now a rather confusing and even dangerous series of on and off-ramps. In the meantime, however, drivers will have to put up with some minor headaches as the project forces the closure of some busy routes and ramps, starting later this year.

Among the closures, according to VDOT:

  • Westbound 50 ramp to N. Courthouse Road (Winter 2011 to Spring 2012)
  • Fairfax Drive between N. Troy Street and N. Scott Street (Winter 2011 to Spring 2012)
  • Ramp from southbound 10th Street to eastbound Rt. 50 (Spring 2012 to Winter 2012/Spring 2013)
  • Ramp from eastbound Route 50 to Courthouse Road (Fall 2012 to Winter 2012/Spring 2013)

For each closure, there will be a signed detour. Some local residents have expressed concern that the detours would siphon highway traffic onto residential streets, but we’re told that transportation planners expect the impact on residential streets to be minimal.

See maps of each detour, after the jump.

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Power Outage Along Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

A power outage affected about 1,350 Dominion customers along Lee Highway this morning.

The outage created some dangerous conditions where traffic lights were dark or malfunctioning along Lee Highway. Police had to direct traffic at the intersection of Lee Highway and Spout Run.

The power just came back on for most Dominion customers, but police are reporting at least one remaining problem. The green arrow at the intersection of westbound Lee Highway and I-66 is said to be not cycling, backing up traffic all the way to Kirkwood Road.

Water Main Break in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management issued the following statement tonight regarding a water main break in Lyon Park.

Commuters should avoid the intersection of Pershing Drive and N. Barton Street due to a water main repair now underway. Pershing Drive between Wayne Street and N. Barton Street is one travel lane with flaggers. Access from Barton Street onto Pershing Drive is affected. The break occured today during the installation of a new 12-inch water main. One residential block of N. Barton Street from Pershing Drive to N. 9th Street and a small number of businesses in the 2200 block of N. Pershing Drive have been notified that they will remain without water while repairs are made into the evening.

Accident Involving ART Bus Near Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:00 p.m. — The driver of the van has been charged with reckless driving, according to Arlington County police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. A passenger from the bus and the van driver were both taken to the hospital after the accident, Nosal said.

A minivan slammed into the back of an Arlington Transit (ART) bus at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and 4th Street, near Ballston, just after 11:30 this morning.

The accident happened while the bus was stopped at a bus stop, with at least a dozen passengers on board. The driver of the van has been taken to the hospital, but is expected to be okay. Several bus passengers were evaluated by paramedics on the scene for minor injuries.

Northbound Glebe Road was completely blocked at 3rd Street for more than 45 minutes, but has since reopened. The bus suffered only minor damage and was driven away.

Overturned Vehicle Shuts Down NB I-395

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:20 a.m. — One lane of NB I-395 has reopened.

Update at 11:05 a.m. — All traffic is being diverted onto King Street and being re-routed back onto I-395 past the accident scene. Expect major backups.

As of 10:30 a.m., northbound I-395 was shut down at King Street due to an accident involving an overturned vehicle.

Arlington firefighters on the scene report three injuries, including two with head injuries. All of the injured people were responsive, firefighters said.

Another Deer Hit on I-66

By ARLnow.com

Police are on the scene of a deer found lying in the middle of I-66.

The deer was hit and killed by a vehicle near Sycamore Street, where I-66 was shut down yesterday morning due to multiple accidents caused by deer in the roadway.

Police are in the process of moving the carcass to the side of the road. No word on the fate of the vehicle that hit the deer and apparently continued on its way.

BREAKING NEWS — Multi-Vehicle Accident On GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com

A multi-vehicle accident has been reported in the northbound lanes of the GW Parkway near Lady Bird Johnson Park. Arlington County firefighters and paramedics are on the scene.

Initial reports suggest a jogger may have been struck by one of the accident vehicles. Two people are reported to be injured, one critically.

Drivers should expect significant backups on the northbound GW Parkway approaching Memorial Bridge.

Car Catches Fire After GW Parkway Crash

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:10 p.m. — All lanes have reopened but traffic is moving very slowly, according to the U.S. Park Police Twitter account.

Several people were injured after a car ran off the GW Parkway and into a ravine, then caught fire.

The crash happened around 3:00 p.m., in the northbound lanes just after Memorial Bridge. As of 3:25 p.m., both lanes of the northbound GW Parkway were blocked by emergency vehicles near the crash site.

Initial reports suggest the car occupants were still trapped in the vehicle when it started to catch fire in the ravine. They were apparently pulled out of the wreckage and three people are now being treated by paramedics. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the car fire.

Repaving, Electrical Work Causes Pike Traffic Headaches

By ARLnow.com

The construction cone slalom on Columbia Pike has converged into one relatively narrow, pock-marked chute of two-way traffic.

On one side of the Pike, two lanes are blocked by much-needed repaving work. On the other side, next to the still under-construction Penrose Square development, one lane is blocked by Dominion trucks that are preparing to replace an underground transformer that apparently blew this morning (a tipster reports hearing a large bang and seeing a flash in the area around 9:30 a.m.).

In the middle of the mess is the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Barton Street, where traffic lights are dark thanks to the aforementioned power problems.

Traffic and construction vehicles on the Pike are treating the intersection as if there was no stop light at all and simply driving through it. As of 1:45 p.m., no one was there trying to instruct them otherwise.

Dump Truck Hits Traffic Light in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

A dump truck reportedly hit a traffic light at the intersection of Army Navy Drive and South Hayes Street this afternoon.

The collision knocked the light from its pole, causing it to dangle precariously over the intersection by an electrical line. As of 1:30 p.m. a county light crew was working to repair the light as police directed traffic at the intersection. A backup quickly formed at the busy intersection, which also serves as a connector to I-395.

No word on whether police were able to find the dump truck that hit the light.

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