heavy traffic

Heavy Traffic on Westbound I-66

By ARLnow.com

Traffic is remarkably heavy on westbound I-66 this afternoon. Traffic is currently backed up from before Glebe Road past Westmoreland Street.

One emergency responder who was trying to get by the traffic called it “a faster version of a parking lot.”

Elsewhere along I-66, an accident on the ramp from I-66 to Route 110 between a dump truck and a passenger vehicle is reported to be causing some slowdowns. Firefighters have just been dispatched to the scene to help clean up fluid spilled as a result of the accident.

Summer Vacations Over, AAA Declares ‘Terrible Traffic Tuesday’

By ARLnow.com

The way AAA Mid-Atlantic tells it, the Tuesday after Labor Day is one of the year’s most “mind-numbing, soul-robbing” days traffic-wise.

The automobile association says that DC-area drivers should “brace themselves” for the one-two punch of kids going back to school and workers returning from summer vacations today. After a two-month respite from the worst of the area’s traffic, things should be back to gridlock-as-usual — a “dreadful day of reckoning” known as “Terrible Traffic Tuesday.”

AAA notes that about 1.5 million local commuters drive to work solo on any given workday. The group says that despite the increasing number of people working from home, Metro’s recent troubles and the new peak-of-the-peak fare may be putting more cars on the road.

“With the recent fare increases and number of breakdowns, more and more people could be shying away from some of the area’s mass transit alternatives,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson John Townsend.

Delays on Westbound I-66 After Accident

By ARLnow.com

There are some big delays on westbound I-66 after an accident near Glebe Road. Paramedics are currently trying to make their way through heavy traffic to the scene of the accident.

At 9:50 a.m., police on the scene said they were temporarily shutting down the highway while they move the accident to the side of the road.

Traffic had slowed to a crawl before the wreck, but is starting to clear out.

Could BRAC Cause Traffic Jams in Arlington?

By ARLnow.com

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?

Arlington Spared From the Worst of the Soggy Commute

By ARLnow.com

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?

Malfunctioning Traffic Light Causes Backups Near Fort Myer

By ARLnow.com

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.

BREAKING TRAFFIC — I-395 Lanes Blocked After Car Flips Over

By ARLnow.com

A car flipped over in the HOV lane of I-395 around 1:30 this afternoon, trapping the driver and snarling traffic. No word on whether the driver is injured.

As of 1:45, the HOV lanes and two lanes northbound and southbound I-395 are blocked between Seminary Road and King Street.

First responders from Arlington and Alexandria are on scene, along with Virginia State Police.

As of 2:15, major delays on southbound I-395 were forming just past the Pentagon. The driver appears to have been freed from the vehicle.

Accident on 14th Street Bridge Causes Big Backups

By ARLnow.com

An accident in the center of the northbound span of the 14th Street Bridge is causing big traffic tie-ups for motorists heading into the District.

Emergency vehicles blocked all but the right-most lane on the bridge for 45 minutes this afternoon. Traffic backed up on I-395 past the Pentagon. There were also backups on Route 1 and Route 110 leading up to the ramps to I-395.

At least one injury was reported as a result of the accident. An ambulance just left the scene.

Defense Bill Would Keep Up To 6,000 Jobs in Arlington, For Now

By ARLnow.com

A bill being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives this week would delay the scheduled move of up to 6,000 defense jobs from Arlington to Alexandria.

The language was included in the 2011 Defense Authorization bill by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), who is a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Moran says he’s concerned about the traffic on I-395 around Alexandria’s Mark Center, the development where the jobs are set to move to by September 2011 as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC)..

“If nothing is done and the relocation continues as scheduled, VDOT has stated there will be ‘complete gridlock’ on Seminary Road and Beauregard Street and ‘severe’ congestion between the King Street and Duke Street exits on I-395,” Moran said in a statement.

The bill now before congress would cap the number of parking spaces at the Mark Center at 1,000 and would ban the lease of additional spaces near the development, effectively preventing the relocation of thousands of jobs. The cap would only be lifted when the Defense Department completes traffic improvements that meet congressional approval. It’s not clear how long such a project would take, but it would probably be measured in years.

About 6,400 defense personnel who now work in Metro-accessible office space in Northern Virginia are slated to move to the Mark Center, which is not near a Metro station. About 6,000 of those jobs are with the Defense Department’s Washington Headquarters Services division, which has offices in Crystal City, Rosslyn and Ballston, according to Arlington Economic Development spokesperson Karen Vasquez. The scheduled relocation of those jobs would be delayed if the bill passes, Vasquez said.

“The Pentagon dropped the ball on transportation planning for the base realignment at the Mark Center. A building of this size with no access to Metro should never have been considered at this location,” Moran said. “Now we’re pulling out all the stops to mitigate the consequences of the Defense Department’s mistakes.”

Major Backups on Washington Boulevard

By ARLnow.com

There are currently major delays on Washington Boulevard due to an incident between Route 50 and Columbia Pike. Numerous police cars and fire/EMS units are on the scene of a pedestrian who is experiencing some sort of medical emergency.

Traffic is backed up to I-395 heading north, and to North Garfield Street heading south. Police will soon start diverting southbound traffic onto Route 50.

Serious Accident Shuts Down Northbound GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com

The northbound George Washington Parkway has been shut down at Spout Run due to a vehicle that skidded off the road and slammed into a tree.

One southbound lane is being blocked by a fire truck. Northbound traffic is being diverted onto Spout Run.

The closures are causing major traffic problems, prompting Arlington County to issue an email alert.

The prolonged closure, with accident investigators on the scene, is usually a sign that at least one person has died or is in grave condition.

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