Chain Bridge will be closed from 8:00 tonight to 5:00 Monday morning, Arlington County said today.

“There will be no access to the bridge from either the District of Columbia or Arlington, including access for cyclists and pedestrians,” the county advises.

Crews will be performing structural work under the bridge deck.

The bridge will also be closed on the weekends of October 1, 8 and 15.


Three-Year-Old Boy Drowns Near Chain Bridge — The Arlington County Fire Department pulled the lifeless body of a 3-year-old boy from the Potomac River yesterday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at Virginia Hospital Center. The boy had been picnicking with his family near Chain Bridge when he somehow ended up in the water. More from TBD/ABC 7.

Alaska Plane Crash Survivor from Arlington Back in Va. — Friends and family were on hand at Dulles Airport to welcome Arlington resident Jim Morhard back to Virginia. The 54-year-old lobbyist is still recovering from injuries he sustained in the plane crash that killed former Alaska senator Ted Stevens. More from WUSA 9.

Students Will Have Option to Transfer from Certain Elementary Schools — After their neighborhood elementary schools failed to meet federal No Child Left Behind standards for two years in a row, parents will have the option of sending their kids to nearby schools with a better track record. More from the Sun Gazette.


Update on 5/25: All lanes will be reopened tonight, according to WTOP’s Adam Tuss.

There will only be one traffic lane open in each direction on Chain Bridge to start the week. Rainy weekend weather prevented crews from painting lane dividers on the newly-repaved bridge deck.

Once the painting is completed by midweek, a third lane will be open to drivers.

This weekend’s complete closure of Chain Bridge was the last of the year-long bridge rehabilitation project.


Last Chain Bridge Closure — Starting around 9:00 tonight Chain Bridge will once again close completely to traffic and pedestrians. Crews will be working to repave the bridge deck, the Washington Post reports. The bridge is expected to reopen on Monday morning. This should be the last full closure of the bridge, which has been undergoing a year-long rehabilitation process.

Berry Officially Joins Young Guns List — GOP congressional candidate Matthew Berry has been officially listed as “On the Radar” on the National Republican Congressional Campaign’s “Young Guns” website. The list recognizes congressional contenders who have achieved certain fundraising goals.

Murray Objects to Straw Poll — Patrick Murray, Berry’s competitor for the eighth district GOP nomination, sent a strongly-worded email to supporters calling a straw poll that will be conducted at Saturday’s district Republican convention “illegitimate.” Murray says charging $20 for votes and not limiting the number of votes conflicts “with many principles for which our Republican Party stands.” Murray’s campaign also objects to the possibility of illegal aliens voting in the straw poll, since identification won’t be required.

Slapsticon Returns to Rosslyn Spectrum — The Slapsticon vintage comedy film festival is returning to Rosslyn this summer. The Spectrum Theater will host the festival from July 15-18. Read more here.

Flickr Pool photo by tadnkat


Just a reminder: as we reported on Tuesday, Chain Bridge will be completely closed to traffic and pedestrians this weekend.

With sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s, it looks like the repair work, which has been delayed three times due to weather, will finally go on as scheduled.

The bad news: when combined with Saturday’s National Marathon and anti-war protests, it’s a recipe for major traffic headaches, especially if you’re trying to drive from Arlington into the District.

Also of note, a planned lane closure on westbound Route 50, which has been delayed nearly a month, will be happening “soon,” according to (of all sources) a road sign. Route 50 does not show up, however, in a list of VDOT’s planned closures for this weekend.


Road crews will try again to perform reconstruction work on the deck of Chain Bridge this weekend. The work will completely close Chain Bridge to traffic and pedestrians from 8:00 p.m. Friday to 5:00 a.m. Monday.

This is the fourth attempt to perform the repair work. The first two scheduled closures were snowed out; this past weekend’s planned closure was rained out.

Motorists are asked to seek alternate routes across the Potomac this weekend. Possible detours include the American Legion, Key, Roosevelt, Memorial and 14th Street Bridges.


A number of road closures will play havoc with traffic in Arlington this weekend.

The Four Courts Four Miler kicks off at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Police will shut down Wilson Blvd from Courthouse Road to North Rhodes Street from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Wilson Blvd from North Rhodes Street to Route 110 in Rosslyn will be closed at 8:45 a.m. Northbound Route 110 from Rosslyn to Route 1 in Crystal City will be shut down from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Click here for a map.

Cars parked along the route will be ticketed and towed. Race participants are urged to use Metro. The Courthouse station is a short distance from the starting line.

Chain Bridge will be completely closed to traffic and pedestrians all weekend. That is, unless the predicted rain prevents reconstruction work on the bridge deck from taking place, which is a distinct possibility. If work goes on as scheduled, expect Chain Bridge to remain closed from Friday night to early Monday morning.

“Motorists are advised to use alternate routes and river crossings including the American Legion, Key, Roosevelt, Memorial and 14th Street Bridges,” VDOT said of the Chain Bridge closure, in a statement.

Finally, the ongoing Humpback Bridge replacement project will result in lane closures during the day on Saturday. One lane of the George Washington Parkway from Memorial Bridge to I-395 will be closed in each direction from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.