I-66

Arlington Participating in HOV Awareness Day

By ARLnow.com

Wednesday will not be a good day to try to skirt the HOV restrictions on I-395 or I-66. Not that any day is.

The Arlington County Police Department is coordinating with Virginia State Police, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police and other regional law enforcement agencies for the first “Capitol Region HOV Awareness Day” on May 5.

Police will conduct “saturation patrols” targeting HOV violators on local interstates during the morning and evening rush hours.

As part of the HOV Awareness Day campaign, authorities are also warning Virginia drivers to follow the state’s Move Over law, which requires motorists to change lanes or — if it’s not possible to change lanes — slow down when passing stopped emergency personnel. Violating the law carries a fine of up to $2,500 and/or 12 months in jail.

Another Slow Commute

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:45 AM – I-395 North is still crawling for a three-mile stretch from Arlington to the 14th Street Bridge. Thankfully, congestion has started to clear out through portions of I-395 in Alexandria. The traffic camera image of I-395 at the Pentagon (below) was captured at 11:40 — an extraordinary sight for this time of day.

It’s not quite the traffic nightmare of Friday, but today’s commute is exceptionally slow in Northern Virginia.

The Arlington stretch of I-66 was backed up earlier, but it’s now beginning to clear out. I-395 North, meanwhile, is still jammed almost the entire way to the I-95 Interchange.

Federal Employees Head Back To Work, Clog Roads

By ARLnow.com

Update at 12:30 PM -Congestion on I-395 is finally beginning to thin out near the 14th Street Bridge. Metro, whose web site has crashed, says that an earlier train derailment on the Red Line at Farragut North station (more on that in the next post) has been cleared. Obviously, Metro delays continue.

Update at 12:10 PM – It’s noon and the traffic still looks like it did at 9:30, when the picture to the left was taken. At this point don’t you just turn around and head home?

Update at 10:10 AM – Metro trains on the Orange Line are running about once every 45 minutes, resulting in a huge crowd of waiting passengers at Ballston station, according to a reader via Twitter.

As most federal employees head to work for the first time this week, the primary worry for DC-area drivers has gone from snow-covered roads to traffic-clogged highways. Call it a return to normalcy.

Currently, there’s heavy traffic throughout the entire length of I-395 North. VDOT cameras show a continuous stretch of slow traffic on I-66 East from DC to well beyond the Beltway. And the GW Parkway is also backed-up.

WTOP is blaming the back-ups on the limited Metrorail service. In an interview,  Virginia Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly told the station that Metro needs more funding so it can recover more quickly from events like this week’s blizzard.

Connolly said the federal government should share part of the burden for Metro’s budget.

I-66 and Glebe Road at 12:20 PM on 2/12/10

I-66 Remains Shut Down

By ARLnow.com

VDOT completely shut down I-66 around 11:30 PM. As of right now it remains shut down and snow-covered.

I-395 also appears completely snow-covered. Of the VDOT cameras still in operation along I-395, no cars can be seen at this time.