Traffic

Slick Roads Lead to Accidents, Slow Traffic

By ARLnow.com

Heavy rain is making for a slow go this morning. Nearly the entire length of northbound I-395 is slow, and multiple accidents have been reported.

One accident, seen above, is blocking a left-hand lane on southbound I-395. Another accident, now cleared, caused a car to flip over in the westbound lanes of the Roosevelt Bridge, blocking traffic heading toward Virginia from DC.

Update at 10:20 a.m. — A three-vehicle accident involving a tractor trailer has been reported on Route 110 near the Pentagon. No injuries have been reported, but the accident is causing major backups on Route 110.

Columbia Pike Now Under County Control

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:20 p.m.) This winter, the sight of VDOT plows clearing snow on Columbia Pike will be replaced with the sight of Arlington County plows doing the same.

On Oct. 1, following final approval by the county board and the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Columbia Pike was officially transferred from state control to county control.

The transfer is intended to speed up redevelopment along the Pike, as the county no longer has to go through a bottleneck of VDOT approvals to complete its Columbia Pike projects.

From a more practical standpoint, the change will mean that maintenance tasks once handled by VDOT will now be handled by the county. VDOT was formerly responsible for signs, storm water, sewers, paving, lane striping and snow removal on the Pike. Arlington will now assume control of those tasks, in addition to its existing commitment to maintain the streetscape, traffic lights and street lights.

The added responsibility will cost the county about $660,000 per year.

Despite the transfer, the intersection with Glebe Road and the Washington Boulevard interchange will remain under VDOT control.

Route 50 Ramp to Courthouse Road Reopens

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) Repairs are complete and the ramp has reopened.

“Repairs are temporary until they find out exactly what caused the sinkhole,” said VDOT spokesperson Joan Morris. Workers think a “bad pipe” may be to blame.

Original post from 2:38 p.m. on 10/12 — The ramp from westbound Route 50 to Courthouse Road will likely be shut down throughout the rush hour due to a sinkhole that’s about the size of a tire in diameter and 4-5 feet deep.

Arlington police have blocked off the ramp with orange barrels from the adjacent VDOT utility relocation project, which already had the far left-hand lane of Route 50 shut down.

Two VDOT workers are on the scene evaluating the sinkhole. A VDOT spokesperson is checking to see how long repair work is expected to take.

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Lynn Street to Get Its Stripes… Starting Tuesday

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 6:30 p.m.) For the past couple of weeks, drivers heading north on Lynn Street from Route 50 have had to guess what constitutes a lane on the large expanse of newly-paved but unmarked asphalt.

But Rosslyn’s vehicular Wild West is about to be tamed. Lane markings are set to be installed starting on Tuesday night, according to Wayne Wentz, the county’s transportation engineering chief. The work is expected to wrap up “by the end of the week.”

Why wasn’t it done earlier? Wentz told TBD the road was repaved before a lane striping plan was in place due to “a scheduling challenge.”

In an earlier version of this article, another county official erroneously said the work was to begin Saturday.

Motorcyclist Wipes Out On I-395

By ARLnow.com

A motorcyclist was injured after wiping out on I-395 around 8:00 this morning.

The accident happened in the southbound HOV lanes of I-395. Police on the scene reported that the man had taken out at least one of the gates used to prevent traffic from going the wrong way on the combined HOV lanes.

The extent of the man’s injuries are unknown. A repair crew from VDOT has been dispatched to repair the gate.

The motorcycle was described as a black Harley-Davidson with a West Virginia license plate.

Rosslyn Traffic Patterns Change Saturday

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 12:50 p.m.) Get ready for some changes in the way buses, cars and people move around Rosslyn.

Thanks to the construction of a new Metro entrance and the 1812 North Moore Street office tower, traffic patterns are changing and won’t go back to normal for another three years.

Starting Saturday, North Moore Street will become a one-way street heading south from 19th Street North to Wilson Boulevard. North Moore will remain two-way north of 19th Street.

As a result, taxi stands and bus stops will be relocated to other parts of North Moore Street. Also, passenger pickup and drop-off will be prohibited on North Moore Street — it will only be allowed on the Fort Myer Drive side of the station.

To make way for the new Metro entrance between North Moore and North Lynn Streets, Annie’s Park, next to the McDonald’s, will be permanently closed later this month.

Bus Fire Reported on I-395

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 6:00 p.m.) Arlington firefighters are on the scene of a reported bus fire on Washington Boulevard near I-395. Heavy smoke could be seen in the area through traffic cameras.

The bus appears to be on northbound Washington Boulevard, near the ramp from I-395.

The fire — or whatever was causing all the smoke — appears to now be under control. Traffic in the area is moving, albeit slowly.

BREAKING TRAFFIC — Accident Before 14th Street Bridge

By ARLnow.com

An accident between a BMW and a Mercedes currently has traffic at a near–standstill approaching the 14th Street Bridge on northbound I-395.

Emergency responders from Arlington and DC are on the scene. Only one lane is getting by.

There’s no word on injuries at this time.

Update at 6:25 p.m. — All lanes are now getting by.

Watch Out for the Sinkhole on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

It’s now surrounded by a small army of orange barrels, but this sinkhole on Columbia Pike at the intersection with South Wakefield Street claimed at least one car’s muffler this morning.

Heavy rains apparently caused the patched-up section of roadway to sink, while the older, existing road stayed at the same level. So it must have been quite the jolt when one driver we talked to hit it at full speed, causing his muffler to fly off.

The barrels are currently blocking the left-hand lane of westbound Columbia Pike.

BREAKING NEWS — SUV Rollover Crash on I-395

By ARLnow.com

An SUV rolled over several times on southbound I-395 near the ramp to Washington Boulevard. All lanes are currently blocked.

At least two other cars are reported to be involved in the accident.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Update at 9:10 a.m. — One lane is now squeezing by.

Update at 9:30 a.m. — Two lanes are now getting by the accident scene. The SUV is currently being loaded onto a flatbed tow truck. Traffic backing up to the Pentagon.

Update at 10:05 a.m. — The accident has been cleared.

Update at 10:10 a.m. — WTOP’s Adam Tuss is confirming scanner reports that a mom and her two kids were in the SUV at the time of the accident. They were taken to Fairfax Hospital.

BREAKING NEWS — Woman Rescued from Flipped SUV on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

A small SUV crashed and rolled onto its side at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Four Mile Run Drive just after 3:00 this afternoon. As a crowd of nearly 100 onlookers watched and captured cell phone videos, firefighters used the jaws of life and brute strength to pry off the vehicle’s roof and free the woman in the driver’s seat.

Bloodied but alert, the woman was placed on a stretcher and wheeled to a waiting ambulance. As she was freed, the crowd broke into applause.

As of 4:15 p.m, traffic was blocked on Four Mile Run Drive and on eastbound Columbia Pike near the accident. There were significant delays on westbound Columbia Pike approaching the accident.

The woman’s exact condition is unknown, as are the circumstances surrounding the crash. There did not appear to be any other passengers in the vehicle.

More photos after the jump.

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