14th Street Bridge

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Boat Capsizes Under 14th Street Bridge — A boat capsized under the 14th Street Bridge just before Saturday afternoon’s storms. D.C. police rescued 19 people from the water. No injuries were reported. [Associated Press]

Work on Memorial Bridge Begins — The National Park Service is beginning a project to repair the concrete deck, curbs and sidewalks of the Memorial Bridge today. Drivers can expect lane closures on the bridge between 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on weekdays, and throughout the weekend. [WJLA]

Yorktown Routs Wakefield — The Yorktown High School Patriots defeated the Wakefield Warriors 59-6 on Friday night. Arlington’s other high school, Washington-Lee, defeated Fairfax by a score of 13-7. [Sun Gazette, MaxPreps]

Upgrades Planned for Reagan National — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is planning to spend $45 million to upgrade the aging Terminal A at Reagan National Airport. Planned upgrades include wider security checkpoints, more baggage handling areas, updated ticket counters and better bathrooms. The MWAA is also studying the possibility of adding more parking spaces at the airport. [Washington Examiner]

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.

I-395 HOV Lanes Blocked by Accident on Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:45 p.m. — All lanes have reopened, according to WTOP.

The inbound (northbound) HOV lanes of I-395 are blocked over the Potomac River due to an accident.

The accident reportedly involves at least one overturned vehicle and two injuries. Arlington firefighters and medics are on the scene, though the accident is closer to the D.C. side of the river.

HOV traffic is at a standstill approaching the 14th Street Bridge. Drivers should use the mainline of I-395 as an alternative, avoiding the HOV lanes.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

30th Anniversary of Air Florida Crash — Thirty years ago today Air Florida Flight 90 took off from Reagan National Airport, slammed into the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the icy Potomac River, killing 78 people. Only five people on the plane survived the crash. [Wikipedia, Washington Post]

Bondi Releases Statement on Tax Lien — County Board candidate Melissa Bondi has released a statement to supporters regarding the recent revelation of her tax troubles. “Blog commenters very recently have begun attacking me about two issues,” Bondi began. “The attacks have been sudden, nasty, highly personal, and intended to derail the excellent work we have done together as a campaign.” Bondi said that she has hired a tax advisor “to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible.”

Il Radicchio Back Open After Sewage Backup — Il Radicchio (1801 Clarendon Blvd) closed temporarily on Jan. 3 due to a sewage backup, according to public records. The Italian restaurant reopened on Jan. 6. [Washington Post]

Seller’s Market in Arlington — Only 0.5 percent of all homes in Arlington were listed for sale late last year — a statistic that is a likely indicator of stiff competition between home buyers. [Washington Times]

Flickr pool photo by Divaknevil

Flooding in D.C. Jams 14th Street Bridge

By ARLnow.com

(Updated 12:50 p.m.) The 14th Street Bridge is jammed heading into the District as flooding has blocked several major arteries into the city.

DDOT has reported the ramp to I-395 eastbound is closed at the 14th Street Bridge due to high standing water. Traffic is being directed onto 14th Street. As a result, major delays have formed across the bridge here in Virginia.

Traffic is moving very slowly approaching the bridge. Cars are backed up to Pentagon City on I-395, and police report that on-ramps in the area are also jammed. In fact, we’ve observed cars heading the wrong way on ramps to I-395 in order to get out of the backup. (See traffic camera image, above right.)

Drivers are encouraged to avoid the 14th Street Bridge if at all possible.

TRAFFIC ALERT — Very Heavy Traffic on NB I-395

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6:00 p.m. — Traffic has largely cleared out on I-395.

Earlier: Traffic is moving at a crawl on northbound I-395, from Alexandria to the 14th Street Bridge.

Commuters heading from Virginia to the District following today’s earthquake have jammed the highway, causing major delays. The southbound GW Parkway is also reported to be slow heading toward interchange with I-395.

Traffic is relatively light on Route 50, I-66 and Columbia Pike as of 5:10 p.m.

I-395 HOV Lane Blocked in D.C.

By ARLnow.com

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.

Several Injured in 14th Street Bridge HOV Wreck

By ARLnow.com

Update at 10:40 a.m. — The accident has been cleared and traffic is moving smoothly.

Four people have been injured, two seriously, in a wreck in the northbound HOV lanes of the 14th Street Bridge.

Nearly a dozen police, fire and medic units from Arlington and the District have responded to the accident scene. Northbound HOV traffic on I-395 is backed up to Washington Boulevard.

Several vehicles were involved in the collision.

Police Shut Down 14th Street Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:45 p.m. — News outlets are reporting that the officer’s injuries are not life-threatening.

Update at 3:15 p.m. — All lanes of I-395 in D.C. have been reopened.

Update at 12:00 p.m. — D.C. is telling Arlington that the accident was fatal (this has NOT been confirmed). Police are blocking I-395 on the D.C. side of the 14th Street Bridge to allow for an extended investigation. Traffic is being diverted onto 14th Street in D.C.

Update at 11:45 a.m. — The bridge has been shut down again. Traffic is being diverted onto Boundary Channel Drive.

Update at 11:20 a.m. — All lanes of the 14th Street Bridge have reopened. Traffic issues remain in D.C., where eastbound I-395 is still blocked.

Earlier: Arlington police have shut down the northbound lanes of the 14th Street Bridge at the request of D.C. officials.

The closure is due to the landing of a Medevac helicopter in D.C. The helicopter will be landing in the area of I-395 and 7th Street SW, where a U.S. Park Police motorcycle officer (per WTOP’s Adam Tuss) was injured in a collision.

Northbound I-395 traffic is being diverted onto the George Washington Parkway.

Officials Warn of Flashing Lights on 14th Street Bridge

By ARLnow.com

The flashing lights on the 14th Street Bridge tonight are not a sign there’s a dance party happening over the Potomac River. Rather, the lights will be flickering on and off as part of the on-going 14th Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project.

DDOT and PEPCO say they’ll be testing power circuits on the bridge between midnight and 2:00 a.m. They’re warning that the testing “will cause streetlights and overhead sign lights to turn off at various times throughout the test period.”

All three spans — northbound, southbound and HOV — will be affected.

The timing, it seems, is a bit unfortunate. The testing will be taking place just as many party-goers start leaving bars and clubs in the District to return home to Virginia.

“Travelers are urged to slow down and use caution on the bridge and the impacted streets during the outage,” Arlington County’s Office of Emergency Management advised this morning.

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