I-395

Funeral for Park Police Officer Will Close Local Roads

By ARLnow.com

A number of temporary road closures are planned on Wednesday, Dec. 28 to accommodate the funeral procession of a fallen U.S. Park Police officer.

Sergeant Michael Boehm, a 19-year Park Police veteran, suffered an apparent heart attack and collapsed while responding to man found critically injured under the Key Bridge in D.C. on Dec. 16. Boehm, an Army veteran, was rushed to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead. He is survived by a wife and a son.

According to USPP, Boehm’s funeral procession will depart from a Burke, Va. funeral home at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 28. It will head into the District, pass by Park Police headquarters near Hains Point, then head back to a cemetery in Fairfax.

A number of rolling road closures will accompany the funeral procession in Arlington. Closures are expected on I-395, Washington Boulevard/Route 27, and the Memorial Bridge.

“Partnering law enforcement agencies and departments of transportation will assist with the road closures. All roads will be reopened as soon as possible,” USPP said in a media advisory. “The U.S. Park Police anticipates that the procession will take about 1.5 hours. The beginning time is approximate.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Mark Center Parking Capped — A roughly 2,000 spot parking cap is being put in place at the Mark Center in Alexandria, thanks to language placed in a federal appropriations bill. The cap should avert a feared traffic congestion nightmare around the Mark Center, located at the Seminary Road exit off of I-395. Thousands of Department of Defense jobs from Arlington and elsewhere are being transferred to the Mark Center, but transportation infrastructure improvement projects around the Center are still underway. [Rep. Jim Moran]

Ballston BID’s New Director — The new Ballston Business Improvement District formally announced last week that it has hired Tina Leone as its first executive director. Leone was previously president and CEO of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. [Ballston BID]

Cemetery Transfer May Not Be Necessary — A federal review of operations at Arlington National Cemetery concluded last week that a proposed transfer of the cemetery from the Army to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs may no longer be necessary. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

BREAKING NEWS — Pedestrian Dead After I-395 Accident

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 7:20 p.m.) A pedestrian was struck and killed on northbound I-395 near Glebe Road this afternoon, according to Virginia State Police.

The fatal accident happened just after 4:00 p.m. Police say a man had crossed all southbound and HOV lanes of I-395, and was in the midst of crossing the northbound lanes when he was struck.

The victim, identified by police as 64-year-old Arlington resident Fekadu Ledi, was hit by a car in the far right lane. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

All lanes have reopened at the accident scene. The accident caused significant rush hour delays on I-395 and Glebe Road, as police shut down all but one northbound lane of I-395, as well as a heavily-traveled ramp from Glebe Road.

Accident Involving Metrobus on I-395

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Fire Department is on the scene of an accident involving an SUV and a Metrobus on the HOV lanes of I-395 near Pentagon City.

The driver of the SUV was reported to have suffered minor injuries. No injuries were reported on the bus.

Traffic heading toward northbound Washington Boulevard squeezes by the accident scene. No HOV lanes are blocked.

Sunday Road Closures Include I-395, Route 110

By ARLnow.com

Anyone driving in the Pentagon City area on Sunday, the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, should expect numerous road and highway closures.

Arlington County Police, Virginia State Police and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency will be closing numerous routes near the Pentagon at the request of the U.S. Secret Service.

“Motorists are encouraged to make alternate travel arrangements to avoid the area around the Pentagon,” Arlington police said in a statement. “As conditions change it is possible these road closures will be broadened. Those traveling through this area should expect significant delays for the majority of the day and are strongly encouraged to avoid the area.”

According to a list provided by police, the closures include:

Closures from 8:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.:

  • Washington Boulevard eastbound will be closed at exit 8B on 395.
  • Washington Boulevard eastbound will be closed at the split to Northbound I-395.
  • Washington Boulevard southbound from Memorial Bridge.
  • Route 395 Southbound to Pentagon South Parking will be closed. All traffic will be diverted onto southbound Route 1 through Crystal City (Officers will be posted along this route to assist in directing motorists back to I-395 via Glebe Road and South 23rd Street).
  • Columbia Pike will be closed from Joyce Street to Pentagon South Parking (access to Pentagon via Boundary Channel).
  • 395 Northbound HOV – no access to Washington Boulevard from N/B 395.
  • 395 Northbound HOV – access to Eads Street from northbound HOV, only southbound HOV exit will be closed (northbound must exit to Army Navy Drive).
  • Route 110 southbound will be closed at I-66. All access to Route 110 will be blocked along Route 110 at Wilson Boulevard, Marshall Drive, Memorial Drive, George Washington Parkway and Route 27.
  • Route 110 northbound will be closed from Route. All access to Route 110 will be blocked south of Memorial Drive

Closures from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

  • Fern Street from Army Navy to the Pentagon
  • Eads Street  from Army Navy to the Pentagon
  • Rotary Road closed throughout South Parking
  • The North /South Connector road at the Pentagon

Wrong Way Driver on I-395

By ARLnow.com

How exactly does this happen?

Arlington police pulled over a driver that was heading the wrong way this morning on southbound I-395, near Washington Boulevard.

After checking to make sure the car wasn’t stolen, and after making sure its owner wasn’t wanted for a crime, the officer blocked the right-hand traffic lane to allow the driver to safely turn around and head the right way.

It’s not the first time police have responded to a wrong-way driver on this stretch of highway. Back in March a wrong-way driver heading southbound in the northbound HOV lanes of I-395 collided head-on with a northbound vehicle near Arlington Ridge Road. The wrong-way driver fled the scene and the other driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

TRAFFIC ALERT — Flooding Slows Evening Commute

By ARLnow.com

Update at 7:45 p.m. — Adding to the misery on the roads: more than 2,600 Dominion customers are without power in Arlington. Many of the outages are concentrated in the area of Route 50 and Carlin Springs Road. Several traffic lights are reported to be dark as a result.

Thanks to today’s heavy rain, and the resulting flooding in Alexandria, Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church, tonight’s commute can only be described as nightmarish.

Southbound I-395, westbound I-66 and westbound Columbia Pike are all still slow through Arlington, as of 7:00 tonight. Meanwhile, WTOP just reported that the Capital Beltway has been closed at Cameron Run in Alexandria, due to flooding across the roadway.

Due to the continued threat of flooding, local residents are being encouraged to stay off the roads if at all possible.

TRAFFIC ALERT — Major Delays on I-395

By ARLnow.com

Nearly the entire length of northbound I-395 is slow this morning, thanks in part to an accident near the 14th Street Bridge.

Crews are still in the process of cleaning up a multi-vehicle accident in the center lanes of 395, just before the Boundary Channel Drive. Police are on the scene.

Traffic clears out after the accident, but expect a nightmare commute on northbound I-395 if you get on anywhere before Pentagon City.

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.

Three-Vehicle Accident on Southbound I-395

By ARLnow.com

Update at 1:15 p.m. — Another accident has occurred on the same stretch of highway. One minor injury has been reported.

As seems to happen quite often during heavy rains, an accident has occurred on southbound I-395 just past Washington Boulevard.

Three vehicles were involved in the accident. One vehicle ran into the guardrail on the right side of the roadway, while the other two smashed into the barrier on the left side, blocking the lefthand lane.

Currently, only two lanes are getting by the accident scene, producing a small backup.

This curvy stretch of I-395 is particularly accident-prone during rain. We’ve reported at least three accidents there this year, one of which was a roll-over accident.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Car on Fire on I-395 — A car caught fire on southbound I-395 near Boundary Channel around 9:30 last night. The car was fully-engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on scene. No injuries were reported

Sun Gazette: Thumbs Down to Board’s ‘Walmart’ Action — The County Board’s last-minute, unannounced vote at the end of its final meeting before the summer recess is getting a “thumbs down” in the opinion pages of the Sun Gazette. The Board voted to advertise hearings on a zoning ordinance amendment that would prevent large-format retailers like Walmart from building a store without prior Board approval. “County staff so far have been unable to explain what the rush is – they want to get this approved by the County Board later in the month – and exactly what problem they are trying to solve,” the paper opined. [Sun Gazette]

School Board Challenger Drops Out — Independent Green candidate for school board Andrea Ochoa has withdrawn from the race, according to Arlington elections officials. Incumbent Democrat Abby Raphael will now run unopposed.

Street Sign Mistakes — Typos happen, including on street signs in Arlington. Among the examples: “22rd Road,” “Chian Br. Road” and an unspecified misspelling of “school” on a parking sign. [Falls Church News-Press]

Photo courtesy of @cmags44

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