lane closure

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Complaint Begets No Parking Signs Begets Complaints — Residents of a dead-end street in the Woodmont neighborhood are complaining after Arlington took eight street parking spaces away, and WaPo is on it. The no parking signs went up in response to a resident’s complaint about the street being too narrow. [Washington Post]

Driverless Van Update — Who or what is behind the driverless van spotted cruising around Clarendon yesterday evening? We still don’t know for sure, but a Virginia Tech spokeswoman offered “no comment” this morning in response to our inquiry. [ARLnow]

Route 110 Lane Closures — “Route 110 at the Route 27 interchange and local ramps will have nighttime closures from Monday, Aug. 7 to Thursday, Aug. 24 in order to install bridge beams, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.” [VDOT]

Yelp Says Nope to Arlington — Online review site Yelp has leased 52,000 square feet of office space near the Verizon Center in D.C. for a new East Coast hub. The company was also considering office space in Rosslyn but, despite its CEO’s Arlington connection, decided against it. [Washington Business Journal]

Photo courtesy Ed S.

Motorcycle Crash Closes Lanes on Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A crash involving a motorcyclist sent one person to the hospital and closed lanes on Glebe Road this morning.

The crash happened around 10 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Glebe near an on-ramp to Route 50. Initial reports suggest a driver in a silver Mercedes-Benz struck the motorcycle, sending its rider tumbling onto the street.

The rider reportedly suffered only minor injuries and was transported via ambulance to the hospital.

An Arlington County Fire Department hazmat crew witnessed the crash and was the first to call it in to dispatchers, according to scanner traffic.

The southbound lanes of Glebe were blocked immediately following the crash. As of 10:55 a.m. one lane remains blocked as the motorcycle is loaded onto a flatbed tow truck.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Perriello Campaigns in Arlington — Democratic Virginia gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello canvassed in Arlington yesterday with former Obama speechwriter and Pod Save America co-host Jon Lovett. [Twitter]

Key Bridge Lane Closure — One southbound lane of the Key Bridge, heading from D.C. to Rosslyn, is scheduled to be closed from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. today through Friday. The closure is part of the Key Bridge Rehabilitation Project. [DDOT]

Beyer Blasts Trump, Again — “Have you no decency?” was the Twitter response of Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) to President Donald Trump’s tweet criticizing the mayor of London in the aftermath of Saturday’s terror attack there. [Twitter]

‘Jungle Book’ at Encore — DC Metro Theater Arts has a review of Encore Stage & Studio’s production of The Jungle Book, which pays through June 11 at Thomas Jefferson Community Theater (125 S. Old Glebe Road). [DC Metro Theater Arts]

Flickr pool photo by Joseph Gruber

Water Main Break Reported in Fairlington

By ARLnow.com

Dozens of homes in Fairlington are without water pressure this afternoon due to a water main break.

The break was first reported this morning along S. Abingdon Street, between 30th and 31st Street S. Arlington County crews are on scene making repairs, with water service expected to be restored by 8 p.m.

Only one lane of traffic is getting by the work on S. Abingdon Street, according to Arlington Alerts.

Last year Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services crews repaired 203 water main breaks in the county, the department said in a tweet, shortly before tweeting about the Fairlington incident.

UPDATED: Hazmat Incident at GMU Law School in Va. Square

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Update at 6:45 p.m. — The fire department has cleared the scene and all lanes of Fairfax Drive are back open.

The Arlington County Fire Department is investigating a hazmat incident at George Mason University’s law school in Virginia Square.

The incident happened on the third floor of the law school building, at 3301 Fairfax Drive, and involves a suspicious envelope containing a “powdery substance,” according to fire department spokesman Lt. Jeff Crooke. One person who opened the envelope is being evaluated but is not believed be suffering any medical issues at this time.

Police have blocked the westbound lanes of Fairfax Drive due to the emergency response.

The law school was recently renamed the Antonin Scalia Law School, after the late Supreme Court justice.

Map via Google Maps

Revamped Road Medians Coming to Fairfax Drive in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Construction has begun on new, more aesthetically-pleasing road medians in Ballston.

Work kicked off yesterday on the medians along Fairfax Drive, from N. Quincy Street to Glebe Road. The improvements include a decorative fence, solar-powered “gateway signage” and “more plantings of annuals and perennials while maintaining the stately Bald Cypress trees.”

The Ballston Business Improvement District is spearheading the initiative as part of its placemaking efforts.

More from the BID:

A new pedestrian fence inspired by Ballston’s distinctive brand will increase pedestrian safety, solar-powered gateway signs will welcome all to the neighborhood, and an artistic design will be created on the median noses using the iconic Ballston-orange.

Initial work will include some demolition, repair and replacement of existing medians. The pedestrian fence installation will commence mid-May, and the final stages of work including painting, signage and plantings will follow in early June. Work will take place after morning rush and before evening rush hours with a vehicle lane closure on each side of the medians from Glebe Road to Fairfax Drive.

First image via Ballston BID. Second image via Google Maps. 

Multiple Injuries Reported in Columbia Pike Taxi Crash

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Multiple ambulances are responding to a crash between a Red Top taxicab and a sedan in the middle of Columbia Pike at S. Dinwiddie Street.

The accident happened around 3:45 p.m., near the Arlington Mill Community Center. Several ambulances were dispatched to the scene for 3-4 people reporting injuries, none of which were considered serious, according to scanner traffic.

Columbia Pike is down to one lane in each direction and backups for westbound rush hour traffic extend nearly to George Mason Drive, according to traffic cameras. Drivers should expect significant delays in the area.

Update at 4:50 p.m. — The lanes have reopened, according to scanner traffic.

County Crews On Scene of Water Main Break in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County crews are working to repair a water main break along a busy stretch of road in Rosslyn.

The rupture was discovered in a 12-inch main around 10 a.m. this morning, according to Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien. The nearby Hyatt hotel and 20-50 residents are impacted by the water main break, she said.

Repairs are expected to wrap up during the evening rush hour, perhaps around 6 p.m. Drivers should expect traffic impacts along the 1300 block of Wilson Blvd.

Currently, only one lane of eastbound Wilson Blvd is getting by the repairs, while the westbound turn lane at Nash Street is also blocked.

Traffic Chaos at Busy Rosslyn Intersection

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Yesterday’s evening rush hour brought traffic chaos to the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn.

All week traffic problems have plagued the intersection, one of Arlington’s busiest, during peak driving times. The culprit: Lynn Street is down to two lanes, due to construction on the Central Place project.

With traffic backing up, drivers jockeyed for position in the intersection, often “blocking the box” in the process when the light changed. Road rage would often ensue.

The Arlington County Police Department has been getting a high volume of calls from frustrated drivers seeking a police presence at the intersection, according to scanner traffic, but most of those pleas are not being answered with action.

“I’m here and there’s nothing we can do,” one officer said after responding to the scene.

A supervisor, earlier in the day, instructed dispatchers to clear calls complaining about heavy traffic — as long as the lanes were closed, traffic would remain heavy. Police would only respond to incidents in the intersection like accidents or road rage disputes that might become full-fledged physical fights.

It was the same story two years ago. As we reported in Oct. 2014, Central Place work had Lynn Street down to just one lane, leading to lots of horn honking and tempers flaring. Eventually, the issues cleared up as lanes were reopened a day or two later.

BREAKING: Three Arrested After Police Chase Ends on I-395

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) The northbound lanes of I-395 are partially blocked just past Glebe Road, approaching the Pentagon, after a police chase ended in the middle of the highway.

Initial reports suggest the car was being chased for an assault on law enforcement, possibly as a result of the car ramming a Fairfax County Police cruiser.

Fairfax County Police and Virginia State Police officers chased the car up I-395 until it reportedly lost control and was boxed in by several police cruisers. The chase ended around 12:25 p.m. Arlington County officers trailed the chase and helped to assist with traffic control, according to scanner traffic.

Three occupants of the car were instructed to come out with their hands up, and were arrested at police gunpoint without further incident. No word yet on what charges they may face.

As of 12:35 p.m., one lane of northbound I-395 had reopened to traffic after being completely blocked for a short time.

Update at 11:30 p.m. — The chase started when officers tried to pull over the car in connection to a theft from a department store in Tysons Corner, according to Fairfax County Police.

From FCPD:

Around 11:40 a.m. today (Tuesday, December 6), the Tysons Urban Team (TUT) team was investigating a larceny case at a department store in Tysons Corner Center. The suspects fled in a car. Officers located it nearby and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not stop and a pursuit was initiated. The pursuit traveled out of Fairfax County. Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police assisted us.The pursuit ended along I-395 and Washington Street. Initial information determined three people were taken into custody.

Two Hurt in Crashes on GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com

Police car lights(Updated at 11 p.m.) One person is fighting for their life and another suffered significant injuries in a series of two crashes on the George Washington Parkway this morning.

The crash, involving an overturned vehicle, was reported shortly after 11 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Parkway, near Spout Run. The northbound lanes were closed for about an hour and a half as medics treated the injured and as crews worked to clean up a large amount of debris from the roadway.

Around the same time as the first crash, a second, apparently unrelated crash involving an overturned vehicle was reported on the GW Parkway near Key Bridge.

Two people were transported via ambulance to the hospital, one with critical injuries. Initially the U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter was requested to medevac that person, but was later called off.

As of 12:40 p.m., one northbound lane had reopened, according to WTOP.

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