lane closure

Construction Blocks Lane on Randolph Street

By ARLnow.com

Construction blocked the sole northbound lane of N. Randolph Street at the Glebe Road intersection around lunchtime today.

A dump truck and a backhoe made travel on both northbound Randolph Street and northbound Glebe Road a bit tricky for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. A lone worker with a florescent vest tried to get southbound traffic on Randolph to stay out of the turn lane so northbound traffic could get around the construction. Meanwhile, a lane was also blocked on northbound Glebe Road.

Crews appeared to be doing some sort of work on the sidewalk.

Lane Closures in Place for Glebe Road Bridge Work

By ARLnow.com

Drivers heading across the Glebe Road/Route 50 bridge are now encountering lane closures and heavier traffic during the day.

The bridge that carries Glebe Road traffic over Route 50 is being replaced over the next 15 months. Initially, we had been told that “any lane closures or shifts… will occur between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.” and that there would be “no major construction impacts… during the day.”

The lane closures, construction activity and traffic backups we saw on either side of the bridge today seem to dispute those initial statements.

Update at 11:50 a.m. — We’re hearing on Twitter that VDOT told attendees at a public meeting that the work underway now — removing the medians leading to the bridge — would possibly take place during the day.

Progress on 2201 North Pershing Drive Project

By ARLnow.com

What was once the Lee Center strip mall is now a big, dusty hole in the ground.

Construction is well underway on what is known as the 2201 North Pershing Drive project. When work wraps up in mid-to-late 2012, the $75 million project at Route 50 and Pershing Drive will consist of 188 rental apartments and nearly 33,500 square feet of ground-level retail space.

For now, motorists on Pershing Drive have to put up with regular lane closures, slow-moving construction equipment and flagmen directing traffic.

Westbound Columbia Pike Shut Down

By ARLnow.com

Update at 9:30 a.m. — The accident has been cleared and Columbia Pike has reopened.

Westbound Columbia Pike has been shut down in front of the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse due to a truck fire.

A rental truck caught fire around 8:30 this morning. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, but an oil leak has now reportedly been discovered.

Firefighters and police are expected to remain on the scene for about an hour — until about 10:00 a.m. — as the leak is cleaned up. Traffic is being diverted onto Walter Reed Drive.

While ARLnow.com was on the scene, a Metrobus driver decided to skip the detour and instead drive westbound in the eastbound turn lane of Columbia Pike (see photo above).

Lane Finally Reopens on Westbound Route 50

By ARLnow.com

The lefthand lane on westbound Route 50 near the Courthouse Road exit has finally reopened, after more than a year of utility work.

The lane closure lasted about 10 months longer than originally anticipated. The utility work was performed in preparation for VDOT’s Courthouse interchange project, which is expected to get underway this month.

A tipster says the jersey walls separating the two righthand lanes of westbound Route 50 from the newly-paved lefthand lane were removed during the day on Friday.

Water Main Break in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management issued the following statement tonight regarding a water main break in Lyon Park.

Commuters should avoid the intersection of Pershing Drive and N. Barton Street due to a water main repair now underway. Pershing Drive between Wayne Street and N. Barton Street is one travel lane with flaggers. Access from Barton Street onto Pershing Drive is affected. The break occured today during the installation of a new 12-inch water main. One residential block of N. Barton Street from Pershing Drive to N. 9th Street and a small number of businesses in the 2200 block of N. Pershing Drive have been notified that they will remain without water while repairs are made into the evening.

Repaving, Electrical Work Causes Pike Traffic Headaches

By ARLnow.com

The construction cone slalom on Columbia Pike has converged into one relatively narrow, pock-marked chute of two-way traffic.

On one side of the Pike, two lanes are blocked by much-needed repaving work. On the other side, next to the still under-construction Penrose Square development, one lane is blocked by Dominion trucks that are preparing to replace an underground transformer that apparently blew this morning (a tipster reports hearing a large bang and seeing a flash in the area around 9:30 a.m.).

In the middle of the mess is the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Barton Street, where traffic lights are dark thanks to the aforementioned power problems.

Traffic and construction vehicles on the Pike are treating the intersection as if there was no stop light at all and simply driving through it. As of 1:45 p.m., no one was there trying to instruct them otherwise.

Route 50 Lane Closure May Be Lifted Next Month

By ARLnow.com

The lane closure on westbound Route 50 near Courthouse is expected to be lifted next month, according to VDOT.

On-going utility work has kept the far left-hand westbound lane closed well past its originally planned July 2010 reopening date. We heard in September that the lane would likely be closed through the end of last year. Alas, construction crews are still working and westbound Route 50 is still reduced to just two lanes.

VDOT spokeswoman Jennifer McCord says the lane will reopen in mid-April “if the weather cooperates.”

Photo courtesy Todd DuBois

Truck Accident Blocks Glebe Road in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Update at 10:40 a.m. — The accident has been moved out of the middle of the intersection. One righthand lane of Glebe Road remains blocked.

An accident between two large trucks is partially blocking the busy intersection of Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive.

One of the trucks involved is a large car carrier. One minor injury has been reported.

Police and paramedics are on the scene. Expect traffic issues in the area.

The Columbia Pike Construction Cone Slalom

By ARLnow.com

Road crews are out in force on and around Columbia Pike today.

At Columbia Pike and South Wakefield Street, a contractor is laying down lane striping in the middle of the Pike. Traffic is down to one lane in each direction. The good news is that this torn-up section of the Pike has recently gotten a few patches of fresh asphalt to smooth out what were some pretty nasty bumps.

A short walk away, on South Taylor Street, an Arlington County crew is repaving a section of the road that was damaged by a water main break. The road is closed between Columbia Pike and 9th Street.

On the eastern end of the Pike, in front of the new Penrose Square apartments, cars are doing the construction cone slalom once again. One lane in each direction gets around on-going utility work in the middle of the road.

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