A motorcyclist somehow lost control of his bike and skidded across westbound I-66 in the Rosslyn tunnel this afternoon.
The accident happened around 3:30 p.m. Initial reports suggest the biker’s injuries are minor.
The right-hand lane of I-66 is temporarily blocked.
WAMU’s David Schultz reports that Arlington officials are worried that the Base Realignment and Closure Act, which is costing Arlington thousands of military jobs, may also cause “crippling traffic jams.”
Arlington BRAC coordinator Andrea Morris tells WAMU that she expects that many workers who have been relocated to Alexandria will have to make trips back and forth from the Pentagon. Those trips will increase traffic on I-395 and, as I-395 becomes backed up, overflow traffic may spill onto Arlington’s residential streets, Morris suggests.
It seems that one solution to the problem — if it is, in fact, a problem — could be to increase capacity on I-395. What do you think?
Update on 8/20 — The water main repair work has been completed, but crews are now working on a gas main leak in the same area. One lane is blocked in each direction.
Expect a slowdown on South Glebe Road between Columbia Pike and the Route 50 tonight, as crews work to repair a water main.
The work will begin around 8:00 near 8th Street South, the county says. One lane of South Glebe Road will be blocked in each direction.
The work is expected to wrap up tomorrow morning.
The drive around Arlington wasn’t terrible during this morning’s deluge — nothing like the dozen drivers who had to be rescued due to rising water in the District.
There were patches of bad traffic, though.
The ART 41 route was delayed due to slow traffic on Glebe Road.
Currently, as the rain has returned for a brief reprise, I-66 westbound is very slow through Arlington. At 10:00 the Key Bridge remains backed up, along with traffic in Rosslyn.
And in sad news for hungry office workers, the District Taco cart is sitting today out because of the rain.
How was your commute this morning?
Drivers and cyclists in the Courthouse/Clarendon area should expect a bumpy ride on Wilson Boulevard over the next couple of days. Wilson has been milled between North Barton Street and North Fillmore Street ahead of a scheduled repaving.
The repaving is expected to begin on Thursday, depending on weather conditions and logistical issues.
Later this week, another stretch of Wilson Boulevard — from North Highland Street to Washington Boulevard, near the Clarendon Metro Station — is scheduled to be milled, with repaving to follow. Next week the same work will take place on Washington Boulevard from Pershing Drive to North Highland Street, according to Department of Environmental Services spokesperson Karen Acar.
Drivers should expect parking restriction in the area during the construction.
Between on-going utility relocation work and construction on several large-scale developments, Columbia Pike has lately been riddled with construction bottlenecks and rough sections of road.
That’s to be expected. But one area of the Pike is particularly hazardous for drivers at the moment.
The asphalt on two patched-up sections of road between South Barton Street and South Wayne Street has begun to sink, causing a violent jolt for motorists traveling at speed. Some drivers who spot the big bumps early suddenly hit the brakes, presenting the risk of a rear-end collision.
The ruts — one in the far eastbound lane and one in the far westbound lane — are located across from the under-construction Adams Square development.
We’ve posted video of one of the ruts after the jump.
The traffic light at South Courthouse Road and 2nd Street is malfunctioning, causing backups near Fort Myer.
The light is only staying green for a few seconds for motorists traveling north or south on Courthouse Road. Police have checked out the intersection and requested that Arlington’s traffic engineering department reset the light.
The intersection was flooded by a water main break one month ago.
Update at 11:20 a.m. — Per DC Fire & EMS: The injured worker has been extricated and is being taken via fire boat to a waiting ambulance at the Columbia Island Marina. Most of the emergency vehicles on the bridge have cleared out, although the lane restrictions have not been lifted yet.
Update at 11:45 a.m. — All lanes on the bridge have reopened.
Arlington Alert and DC Fire & EMS are reporting that a rescue operation is underway on the outbound (southbound) side of the 14th Street Bridge. An injured construction worker is being evaluated by medics and will be lowered via roping and hoist to a DC fire boat below.
Traffic is down to one lane on the southbound span. The Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock is reporting heavy traffic on the DC side as a result.
Update: Power was restored around 6:35 p.m.
Photo of a Gold’s Gym step aerobics class being held outside during the power outage courtesy Matthew Henneman.
More than 3,600 Dominion customers are without power in the Clarendon area this evening. Police are reporting that numerous traffic lights are dark on Wilson, Clarendon and Washington Boulevards, causing traffic tie-ups in the area.
It’s not clear what’s causing the power outage (Dominion says “a circuit line is down”) or when the lights might come back on. A line of storms is approaching the area from the southwest, which could compound traffic problems if the lights remain out when the rain starts.
Police have blocked a stretch of North George Mason Drive between 16th Street and 15th Street after utility lines fell across the roadway.
The closure is adjacent to Virginia Hospital Center. George Mason Drive is a key route for ambulances heading to the hospital.
Crews are working to fix a second break in a 12-inch water main near Ft. Myer.
The first break occurred around 7:30 this morning at South Courthouse Road and 2nd Street. Water from the break flooded the intersection and nearby Washington Boulevard, snarling rush hour traffic.
Arlington County crews just finished repairing the break and patching up the road. Now, they’re beginning to work on a second break that occurred at South Wayne Street and 2nd Street. Drivers should expect road and lane closures in the area. The repairs should wrap up around 10:00 tonight.
We’re told the second break happened during the repair of the first break. Both breaks, a county employee said, were the result of blown valves.
The water main is thought to date back to the 1960s.
Residents in the area should expect reduced water pressure and possible sediment in the water. To be safe, those with low water pressure should either boil the water or wait for repairs to be completed.
