Trash truck fire at Washington Golf and Country Club
Trash truck fire at Washington Golf and Country Club
Trash truck fire at Washington Golf and Country Club
Trash truck fire at Washington Golf and Country Club
Trash truck fire at Washington Golf and Country Club
Trash truck fire at Washington Golf and Country Club
A trash truck dumped a flaming load of garbage in the parking lot of Washington Golf and Country Club this afternoon, leading to lane closures on N. Glebe Road during the evening rush hour.
The incident was first reported shortly before 5 p.m. The contents of a Waste Management truck caught fire, prompting the driver to dump the load in the ritzy private club’s front parking lot.
Firefighters were eventually able to extinguish the slow-burning fire, from which a small plume of smoke was visible on a nearby traffic camera. Now the private trash collection company will have to figure out how to clean up the mountain of soggy, sometimes charred debris from the parking lot, along with the detritus that was washed down nearby N. Glebe Road.
Both northbound lanes of Glebe were temporarily blocked at Old Dominion Drive during the incident. One lane has since reopened.
Express Lanes on I-395 near Seminary Road (photo via VDOT)
I-395’s Shirlington interchange (photo via Google Maps)
Traffic on I-395 near Fairlington
Expect lane closures and heavy traffic on I-395 this weekend and at least four consecutive weekends due to a bridge rehabilitation project.
VDOT says crews will be working to “rehabilitate five bridges along I-395 between the Springfield interchange and Washington, D.C. line,” but the work will require closing at least two lanes at a time throughout the weekend, from Friday nights through Monday mornings.
This weekend’s work will take place between Duke Street and Pentagon City, in the northbound lanes.
More on the closures from a VDOT press release:
Travelers should expect lane closures on the I-395 general purpose lanes beginning the weekend of April 26-28, and continuing for at least four consecutive weekends, depending on weather. The weekend closures, which will occur from Friday nights until Monday mornings, are needed for crews to safely rehabilitate five bridges along I-395 between the Springfield interchange and Washington, D.C. line. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes. If travel in this area is unavoidable, drivers should use caution and plan extra travel time.
What Drivers Should Expect:
Two general purpose lanes on I-395 will close for entire weekend periods starting on Friday nights through Monday mornings (alternating between south- and northbound directions, depending on location of bridge work); additional lane closures will occur in the opposite direction of I-395 as needed to allow crews to access work areas.
At least two general purpose lanes will remain open on I-395 (in both directions) during peak-travel daytime hours.
To help ease traffic impacts, the HOV lanes from just north of Edsall Road to the D.C. line will be open in the same direction as the bridge work, whether northbound or southbound.
Thru-traffic (northbound to DC and southbound to Springfield) will be encouraged to use the HOV lanes, while local traffic will need to use the two open general purpose lanes.
Current plans call for the reversible I-95 Express Lanes, from near Edsall Road to past Garrisonville Road in Stafford, to operate according to their normal schedule.
Details for First Weekend, April 26-28:
Work and double lane closures will take place in the northbound direction on I-395 from Duke Street (Exit 3) to past Pentagon City/Crystal City (Exit 8C).
HOV lanes will remain open in the northbound direction.
Ramps from Duke Street to I-395 North will be closed. Drivers should follow detour signs.
The 395 Express Lanes eight-mile northern extension are scheduled to open this fall.
Drivers heading northbound on I-395 should expect lane closures and periodic traffic stoppages tonight near Pentagon City.
The traffic impacts are due to a planned overhead sign installation.
By midnight, only one northbound lane is expected to remain open, causing delays for anyone heading in the direction of D.C.
More from a VDOT press release:
Motorists are advised that I-395 North will be reduced to one lane during overnight hours on Tuesday, April 16 near S. Washington Boulevard. Periodic traffic stoppages of up to 30 minutes will occur between Midnight and 4 a.m. These closures are needed for crews to install an overhead sign structure as part of the I-395 Express Lanes Northern Extension Project. Work is weather dependent.
Details are:
Beginning at 10 p.m. tonight, a single lane will close on I-395 North
Additional lanes will close at 11 p.m.
Intermittent traffic stoppages on the northbound lanes are scheduled to occur after Midnight
All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m.
As construction progresses this spring and summer, motorists should expect single lane closures on the I-395 HOV lanes weekdays between the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and closures on the general purpose lanes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The 395 Express Lanes, which involve extending the current express lanes eight miles north to the D.C. line, are scheduled to open this fall. Learn how Express Lanes work and how to get an E-ZPass at www.ExpressLanes.com.
The 395 Express Lanes are a public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Transurban. See more details on the project and related lane closures.
I-66 blocked by fallen tree near Spout Run (photo courtesy @orihoffer)
I-66 blocked by fallen tree near Spout Run
I-66 blocked by fallen tree near Spout Run
Cars driving the wrong way on WB I-66
Update at 3:35 p.m. — One lane of westbound I-66 has reopened, just in time for the evening rush hour. Crews remain on scene assisting with the cleanup.
Earlier: A tree has fallen across I-66 near Spout Run, blocking the westbound lanes of the highway.
The tree fell around 1 p.m. At least two cars crashed into the fallen tree, though so far no injuries have been reported, according to scanner traffic. All westbound lanes are blocked and traffic is stopped.
Eastbound lanes are not currently blocked, though traffic becoming increasingly backed up prior to the scene due to rubbernecking delays.
On traffic cameras, cars can be seen driven the wrong way in the westbound lanes, as drivers try to escape the jam. Due to the size of the tree the lanes may remain closed for at least part of the afternoon. Those driving in the area should expect delays in Rosslyn due to detoured traffic.
A number of trees are reported to have fallen around Arlington amid today’s gusty winds.
Medics now responding to I-66 after one of the crew members helping to remove the tree was injured, per scanner. Cones are being set up so one lane can be reopened in time for the rush hour.
Drivers should expect police activity along I-395 and the GW Parkway following a reported multi-vehicle crash and police foot chase.
A suspect ran from the five-vehicle crash along northbound I-395 near the 14th Street Bridge, according to scanner traffic. He was reportedly apprehended by police along the GW Parkway.
Traffic is heavy and building approaching the crash scene. Two northbound lanes are blocked. Police are also planning a rolling closure on southbound I-395 to assist with the investigation.
USPS Decides to Relocate Rosslyn Post Office — “The U.S. Postal Service will relocate the Rosslyn Station Post Office, located at 1101 Wilson Blvd, to a yet-to-be-determined location as close as reasonably possible to the current site.” [USPS]
Netherlands Carillon to Go Quiet, Temporarily — “Bells that have been ringing high atop an Arlington hill for nearly 60 years will soon go temporarily silent as they embark on a journey thousands of miles long… The 50 bells will be taken down by crane and sent by ship to a foundry in the Netherlands, where they will be cleaned and retuned.” [WJLA]
New Memorial Bridge Lane Closures — “Work is moving ahead on the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which means that the overnight traffic pattern will change to accommodate construction lanes. Starting on Monday, March 11, the National Park Service will reduce the number of lanes that drivers can access from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m.” [WTOP]
Ballston Tech Company Acquired — “Comcast today announced it has acquired BluVector, a company that uses advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide cybersecurity protection to companies and government agencies.” [BluVector]
‘Pizza With Police’ Event Planned — “Pizza with the Police, similar to the popular Coffee with a Cop series, is an informal event designed for Arlington’s residential and business communities to meet and interact with members of the police department, ask questions, discuss their public safety concerns and get to know their neighbors.” [Arlington County]
Amazon VP Tweets from Crystal City — “Delicious lunch at Federico Ristorante Italiano in #CrystalCity! It was fun to hang out with @FreddieFlamingo and see one of the great local restaurants that the future #AmazonHQ2 employees will be able to enjoy very soon!” [Twitter]
But the downside of that sidewalk work is that the newly finished curb blocks off most of N. Randolph Street’s right-turn lane. The road frequently gets backed up, particularly during the evening rush hour, creating crowded conditions on the side street.
County officials say they’re aware of the problem and are hoping to fix it, but the wet weather has made that a bit of a challenge.
“The curb extension was constructed and [lane] re-striping usually follows,” Jessica Baxter, a spokeswoman for the county’s Department of Environmental Services, told ARLnow. “This is weather-dependent and requires that no moisture be on the pavement.”
Baxter says that work is now set to take place next Saturday (Feb. 23).
In the meantime, she said the developer managing the project has placed traffic cones in the lane to make it clear that drivers can’t use the lane.
“The right lane will go away while the next lane over will become either a thru lane or right turn lane,” Baxter said.
Construction work on the “Clarendon Circle” intersection
Wilson Blvd leading up to the “Clarendon Circle” intersection
Construction work on the “Clarendon Circle” intersection
Washington Blvd near the “Clarendon Circle” intersection in December 2018 (Staff photo by Alex Koma)
A new round of construction is kicking off at one of Clarendon’s trickiest intersections, and that means more lane closures and traffic changes.
Starting today (Wednesday), workers plan to start major sidewalk expansions at the “Clarendon Circle” intersection, or the area where Clarendon, Washington and Wilson boulevards meet.
The county expects the widening work to last through April, with the ultimate goal of having the new sidewalks ready “in time to allow businesses to have outdoor seating during the spring and summer months.” Much of the construction centers on the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Irving Street, the home of both O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub and The Liberty Tavern.
County officials signed off on the $2.5 million Clarendon Circle overhaul this summer, in a bid to make the intersection a bit easier to navigate for pedestrians and cyclists, in particular. In addition to the sidewalk expansions, the project will include the installation of new bike lanes, the widening of Washington Boulevard to four lanes — while nixing the current reversible lanes — and the addition of upgraded traffic signals.
The construction first started prompting major traffic changes in the area early this month, and now the county is warning of additional changes. Those include a prohibition on left turns in the following areas:
Northbound Wilson Boulevard to N. Irving Street
Northbound Wilson Boulevard to westbound Washington Boulevard
Southbound Wilson Boulevard to eastbound Washington Boulevard
Westbound Washington Boulevard to southbound Wilson Boulevard
Some portions of the sidewalk will also be closed on both the Washington Blvd and Wilson Blvd sides of N. Irving Street. The left turn from eastbound Washington Boulevard to Clarendon Boulevard also remains off-limits, and will likely be shut down through this summer.
The county is hoping to have all of the work wrapped up by sometime in 2020, weather permitting.
The project is designed to move in conjunction with the county’s plans to do away with the reversible lanes on Washington Boulevard and create a “T” intersection with 13th Street N. That construction is projected to kick off sometime this winter, after the county cleared the way for the redevelopment of the nearby Red Top Cab properties.
Starting this week, construction to improve the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn will significantly narrow a portion of the Custis Trail.
The Custis Trail will be restricted to six feet wide for the section between N. Fort Meyer Drive and Lynn Street, as crews work to transform one lane of Lee Highway into additional trail width and buffer space.
The trail narrowing will last for nine to 10 months while construction takes place on the south side of the trail.
Construction on the two-year, $9.3 million project officially kicked off in May and will happen in phases to reduce impacts on pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers, according to the county.
Workers will add wider sidewalks, on-street bike lanes and improved curb ramps as the northbound and southbound sections of Lee Highway meet Lynn Street.
The project will also include improvements to the Custis Trail as it runs alongside Lee Highway, including bicycle and pedestrian facility upgrades, lane reconfiguration and widening of the trail.
For street beautification efforts, the “Corridor of Light” public art installation will get added to each of the four corners of the Interstate 66 bridge.
The county is helping to fund the construction. The project, expected to wrap up in spring 2020, will require some lane and sidewalk closures.
Update at 1:05 p.m. — The crash has been cleared and the HOV lanes have reopened.
Earlier: The northbound HOV lanes of I-395 near Shirlington Circle are blocked by a crash involving ten vehicles, including two dump trucks.
One car, a taxicab, can be seen resting on a concrete barrier, wedged between the truck and another taxicab. Five people are being evaluated for injuries, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.
A large fluid spill has been reported as a result of the crash.
Police and firefighters are on scene. HOV traffic is stopped approaching the crash, though police are working to clear out some of the backed up traffic. The HOV lanes are expected to remain closed into the afternoon.
#Update: Crews assessing 5 patients, no entrapment, 10 vehicles involved. Units continuing to control fluid leaks. Sorry, if you’re in the traffic. We ask for your patience as we work to mitigate the hazards.
