A motorcyclist was injured after wiping out on I-395 around 8:00 this morning.
The accident happened in the southbound HOV lanes of I-395. Police on the scene reported that the man had taken out at least one of the gates used to prevent traffic from going the wrong way on the combined HOV lanes.
The extent of the man’s injuries are unknown. A repair crew from VDOT has been dispatched to repair the gate.
The motorcycle was described as a black Harley-Davidson with a West Virginia license plate.
(Updated at 6:00 p.m.) Arlington firefighters are on the scene of a reported bus fire on Washington Boulevard near I-395. Heavy smoke could be seen in the area through traffic cameras.
The bus appears to be on northbound Washington Boulevard, near the ramp from I-395.
The fire — or whatever was causing all the smoke — appears to now be under control. Traffic in the area is moving, albeit slowly.
An accident between a BMW and a Mercedes currently has traffic at a near–standstill approaching the 14th Street Bridge on northbound I-395.
Emergency responders from Arlington and DC are on the scene. Only one lane is getting by.
There’s no word on injuries at this time.
Update at 6:25 p.m. — All lanes are now getting by.
It’s October — The good news: playoff baseball returns. The bad news: cold temperatures return.
Abuse Charges at Nursing Home — Nearly a dozen employees of the Potomac Center nursing home in Pentagon City have been indicted on charges including neglect and assault. An investigation by the Virginia State Medicare Fraud Office and the FBI determined that employees neglected patient care, forged documents and abused at least one patient. A $10 million lawsuit has also been filed against Potomac Center’s parent company. More from WUSA9.
SUV Rollover Driver Charged — The mother who flipped her SUV on I-395 during yesterday morning’s rain has been charged with failure to maintain control of her vehicle. The 36-year-old woman and her two kids were taken to the hospital after the accident, which temporarily shut down all southbound lanes of the highway. More from the Associated Press.
Whipple Votes Against Costly Revised Liquor Plan — Gov. Bob McDonnell has revised his plan to privatize Virginia’s liquor stores, but has lost the support of an Arlington lawmaker in the process. Responding to criticism from his own party, McDonnell dropped two proposed tax hikes on cocktail sales and wholesale liquor purchases. The change opened a $47 million per year hole in the state’s budget, prompting Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D-Arlington) to vote against it as a member of a state subcommittee on government reform. More from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Flickr pool photo by Picture Perfect
An SUV rolled over several times on southbound I-395 near the ramp to Washington Boulevard. All lanes are currently blocked.
At least two other cars are reported to be involved in the accident.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
Update at 9:10 a.m. — One lane is now squeezing by.
Update at 9:30 a.m. — Two lanes are now getting by the accident scene. The SUV is currently being loaded onto a flatbed tow truck. Traffic backing up to the Pentagon.
Update at 10:05 a.m. — The accident has been cleared.
Update at 10:10 a.m. — WTOP’s Adam Tuss is confirming scanner reports that a mom and her two kids were in the SUV at the time of the accident. They were taken to Fairfax Hospital.
More on Southwest at Reagan National — Southwest Airlines’ deal to acquire AirTran Airways will likely result in Southwest taking over AirTran’s slots at Reagan National Airport. But Greater Greater Washington’s Rob Pitingolo argues that the long-awaited arrival of Southwest at DCA — should the deal go through — won’t have much of effect on fare prices, as some might hope.
Arlington’s Highways Clogged During Evening Commute — Dr. Gridlock reports that the Arlington stretches of I-395 and I-66 were each backed up 3-4 miles during last night’s commute.
Sen. Ted Stevens Buried At Arlington National Cemetery — Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, a military pilot during World War II, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday afternoon. Four F-22 fighter jets roared overhead as a bugler played taps at the private burial. Stevens, who served in the Senate for 40 years, was killed in a plane crash last month. More from McClatchy Newspapers.
Flickr pool photo by Chaita_1
A day after two Virginia legislative leaders — a Democrat and a Republican — sent a letter blasting Arlington’s expensive lawsuit against the planned I-395 HOT lanes project, three members of the Arlington delegation to Richmond have sent a reply.
In subdued, measured language, the letter states support for “properly designed and managed HOT lanes,” but urges the state to “come to the table and negotiate in good faith.” The letter cites “legitimate environmental impact concerns” and “technical issues that must be resolved if the project is to achieve its goal of moving people through the corridor efficiently” as justification for the county’s resistance to the project.
Noticeably absent from the letter is any defense of the lawsuit’s “outrageous claims of conspiracy and racism” that the original letter — sent by Republican House Speaker Bill Howell and Democratic Senate President Pro-Tempore Chuck Colgan — railed against.
The Arlington delegation — Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, Del. Bob Brink, and Del. Patrick Hope — also avoided reference to the controversial decision to sue four state and federal transportation officials in their personal capacity as part of the lawsuit, which Howell and Colan called a “moral error.”
“We are confident that the Board is not pursuing litigation for its own sake,” the Arlington lawmakers wrote. “We hope that you will use your good offices to urge the Governor and VDOT to come to the table and negotiate in good faith; we will do the same on the local level.”
See the full letter here.
Library Sets Summer Reading Record — A record 5,305 Arlington students read 24,782 books over the summer as part of the Arlington Public Library’s “Summer of Reading.” More from the Library Blog.
Moran to Hold “Women’s Issues Conference” — Newscaster Maureen Bunyan will join Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) at a conference on women’s issues next Saturday. The conference will feature workshops like “How Health Insurance Reform Will Affect You” and “Car Care 101.” It’s being held at Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Rd) from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sept. 25. Details here.
Bipartisan Letter Urges Arlington to Drop HOT Lane Lawsuit — The pressure continues to build on Arlington to drop its lawsuit against high occupancy toll lanes on I-395. Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell, a Republican, and Senate President Pro-Tempore Chuck Colgan, a Democrat, jointly signed a letter urging the Arlington County Board “to renounce the outrageous claims of conspiracy and racism in its lawsuit against the I-95/I-395 HOT Lanes.” More from the Washington Post.
Flickr pool photo by Alykat
A car smashed over a guardrail while trying to exit onto Glebe Road from northbound I-395. Initial reports suggest that the car’s two occupants only suffered minor injuries.
The exit ramp is currently closed while medics attend to the occupants and as a tow truck attempts to clear the wreckage.
Traffic on I-395 does not appear to be affected.
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?
Stores and restaurants closed early in Shirlington Village, which lost power during this afternoon’s severe thunderstorms and hasn’t seen the lights come back yet. Small branches and leaves littered the tree-lined main drag of Campbell Avenue.
At least one bar valiantly stayed open, however. Bistro Bistro was serving bar patrons by candlelight and flashlight, while groups of people casually sat drinking beers on the outdoor patio.
Just down the street, a big backup was forming at the intersection of South Quincy Street and Campbell Avenue, where the traffic light was dark. Traffic on a nearby on-ramp to I-395 was moving, but very slowly.
