road closures

Roads Will Close This Weekend For Columbia Pike Blues Festival

By Kalina Newman

A number of roads will close this weekend for the Columbia Pike Blues Festival.

The Blues Fest stage is located near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive. The free event will include several performers, food vendors, activities for children and other vendors.

The festival is taking place on Saturday, June 17. The closures, below, are scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to a county press release.

  • S. Walter Reed Drive from Columbia Pike to 9th Street S. (Motorists can use 7th Street S. to S. Highland Street as a detour)
  • 9th Road S. from S. Garfield Street to S. Walter Reed Drive
  • 9th Street S. from S. Highland Street to S. Walter Reed Drive

There will be temporary “No Parking” signs placed around the area and illegally parked vehicles will be ticketed or towed. If you are towed from a public street, call 703-558-2222.

Preparations Underway For Armed Forces Cycling Classic

By Chris Teale
1/5

The streets of Arlington are being readied ahead of this weekend’s Armed Forces Cycling Classic, the arrival of thousands of competing bicyclists, support teams and spectators.

Races will take place Saturday and Sunday for amateurs and professionals alike, with police set to close roads across various neighborhoods to accommodate the festivities.

And in preparation, as of Friday afternoon crews have begun putting out traffic cones, tents and barriers for the competition, which begins early Saturday morning.

Saturday is the Clarendon Cup, which brings with it numerous road closures in Clarendon, while Sunday is the Crystal Cup in Crystal City, again with more closures in that neighborhood.

The Capital Weather Gang anticipates heat and humidity will descend on the area this weekend, so riders and spectators should be careful and stay hydrated.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Road Closures for Bike Races — As a reminders, there will be significant road closures in Clarendon and Crystal City on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, for the Armed Forces Cycling Classic.

Arlington Woman Invented ‘Monopoly’ Precursor — An Arlington woman may have been the “real” inventor of the board game Monopoly. Lizzie Magie, who died in Arlington in 1948, created a board game very similar to Monopoly. Three decades later, Charles Darrow, taking inspiration from Magie’s game, created Monopoly and sold it to Parker Brothers. [Arlington Magazine]

I-66 Tolls Expected to Start in December — New tolls on single-occupancy vehicles on I-66 are now expected to take effect in December. Electronic toll signs have started going up near I-66 on-ramps. [Twitter, NBC Washington]

Krupicka Having Fun Running Donut Stores — Former member of the Virginia House of Delegates Rob Krupicka is enjoying his second act: owning Sugar Shack donut stores in Arlington, Alexandria and now D.C. [Washington City Paper]

Wages Drop in Arlington — Mirroring regional and national trends, average weekly wages in Arlington dropped 1.4 percent, to $1,677, in the last three months of 2016. Arlington ranked as the seventh-highest average weekly wage in the country. [InsideNova]

Flickr pool photo by Bekah Richards

Road Closures Planned for Arlington Youth Triathlon

By Katherine Berko

Some roads will close on Sunday for the 2017 Arlington Youth Triathlon.

The children-only triathlon includes a swimming race, a bike race and a run. The race will begin in the pool at Washington-Lee High School, followed by a loop bike course and a flat run on the outdoor track at Washington-Lee.

“The races are intended to encourage children to have fun while participating in physical activities,” according to an online event listing. “The swim-bike-run disciplines of triathlon are life-long sports that support a healthy lifestyle from childhood through adulthood.”

The road closures will take place roughly between 7:30-10:30 a.m. at the following locations:

  • N. Quincy Street between Washington Blvd and 15th Street N.
  • 15th Street N. between N. Quincy Street and N. Stafford Street
  • N. Stafford Street between Washington Blvd and 15th Street N.

Police said street parking in the area will be restricted, and motorists should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs. Illegally parked vehicles may be ticketed or towed.

Photo via triathlonfamilyusa.com

Arlington Ridge Road to Close for Water Service Installation

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Ridge Road, the scene of numerous water main breaks in the past few years, will be partially closed Saturday for water service installation.

The road will be closed between the I-395 ramp and 23rd Street S. between 8 a.m.-4 p.m., barring any complications, according to Arlington County.

Similar closures happened on Arlington Ridge in 2015.

File photo

BREAKING: Tree Down on Power Lines, Brush Fire Along Four Mile Run Drive

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Update at 2:30 p.m. — The fire has been extinguished and Four Mile Run Drive is expected to reopen shortly. The access road is expected to remain closed until the fallen tree is removed.

Update at 2:15 p.m. — Electricity has been shut off to the fallen power lines and firefighters are now working to extinguish the brush fire.

Earlier: A tree has fallen on power lines and sparked a growing brush fire along Four Mile Run Drive.

The incident was first reported by a passerby just after 1 p.m.

Initial reports suggest a large tree fell across the Four Mile Run Drive access road, striking a power line. That sparked a brush fire in the dry grass below, which as of 1:20 p.m. continues to burn.

The fire department cannot extinguish the wildfire around the power line until Dominion Power crews arrive and shut off the power, according to scanner traffic. As of 1:40 p.m. the flames were nearing vehicles parked along the access road.

Residents should expect “a lot of smoke in the area,” according to a police officer on scene. Police have shut down traffic in both directions on the access road near S. Wakefield Street and are preparing to shut down the mainline Four Mile Run Drive.

Photo courtesy Alex Chamandy, John Chandler

TRAFFIC ALERT: Washington Blvd Blocked By Fallen Tree

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Update at 10:40 a.m. — The westbound lanes have reopened.

Washington Blvd is currently blocked in the area of 2nd Street S. due to a large fallen tree, according to scanner traffic.

Police are setting up roadblocks at Columbia Pike and Route 50 to divert traffic.

According to initial reports, the tree — located along the eastbound lanes — fell across all lanes of traffic around 10 a.m. One car was possibly struck by the tree but no injuries were reported.

Police and VDOT crews are working to reopen the westbound lanes; the eastbound lanes are likely to remain closed for an extended period of time.

Image via Google Maps

Roads Will Close For Three Weekend Races Across Arlington

By Chris Teale

Three 5K races across the next two weekends will close roads across the county to accommodate runners.

Tomorrow is the Marymount University 5K, and police will close several roads from approximately 8:45-10 a.m. Near the university, officers will close 26th Street N. from its intersection with Yorktown Blvd to where it becomes 31st Street N. and intersects Military Road.

Westbound Lorcom Lane will be closed to Vacation Lane, while Vacation Lane will be closed from N. Utah Street to N. Vermont Street and N. Vermont Street will be closed from Vacation Lane to N. Vernon Street. Traffic will be slowed on Military Road from 31st Street N. to Lorcom Lane, and the rest of the race will take place on the running trails.

And next Saturday, the Fairlington and Bishop O’Connell 5Ks will impact traffic and close roads nearby.

For the Fairlington race, police will close roads from approximately 7-9:30 a.m. S. Abington Street will be shut between 29th Street S. and 36th Street S., while 36th Street S. will close between 34th Street S. up to and including S. Stafford Street. The loop on S. Wakefield Street off 34th Street S. will be closed, as well as S. Utah Street between 32nd Street S. and 34th Street S.

During Bishop O’Connell’s race, roads will be closed from 7:30-10:30 a.m. Williamsburg Blvd. will be closed to eastbound traffic from N. Underwood Street to N. Sycamore Street, while Little Falls Road will be closed from N. Sycamore Street to Washington Blvd.

In addition, 26th Street N will be closed from N. Sycamore Street to Washington Blvd., and N. Underwood Street will be closed from 24th St. N to Williamsburg Blvd.

Crash Closes Arlington Blvd During Friday Rush Hour

By Chris Teale
1/7

Police closed part of westbound Arlington Blvd during the Friday morning rush hour after a collision between two cars in Arlington Forest.

Officers shut Route 50 from just before N. Henderson Road to the intersection with N. Park Drive at around 8:30 a.m. Drivers heading west on Arlington Blvd. were diverted around the crash scene.

A police officer at the scene said it appeared that the driver of a gray Acura tried to turn left from the westbound lanes collided with a white Honda heading in the other direction. Neither driver appeared to sustain injuries, and the Acura was able to drive from the crash to a tow truck.

Firefighters and medics spread sand on the street to soak up any spilled fluids from the cars.

Both cars were removed from the accident scene at around 8:50 a.m. The eastbound lanes remained open, with traffic passing through as normal.

Washington Blvd Closed After Postal Truck Hits Pole in Va. Square

By Chris Teale

Police closed a section of Washington Blvd in Virginia Square this morning after a U.S. Postal Service truck struck a utility pole.

Officers shut down the 3400 block of Washington Blvd between N. Kirkwood and N. Lincoln streets just after 11 a.m. Thursday.

The driver of the truck told police she turned left from N. Kirkwood Street onto Washington Blvd, but in the heavy rain and slippery conditions lost control of the vehicle and hit the pole.

No injuries were reported, there was reportedly no other traffic nearby and businesses nearby did not appear to lose power.

Crews from Dominion Virginia Power were on the scene to repair the pole and the power lines attached to it.

DEVELOPING: Bus Crashes into Pentagon City Apartment Building

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 9:35 a.m.) A PRTC commuter bus smashed into the side of the Lenox Club apartment building in Pentagon City Wednesday evening.

The crash happened just before 6 p.m., along 12th Street S. The bus, which was not carrying passengers at the time, hopped the curb, struck the front of a convertible and ran into a storefront on the side of the building.

Three people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. Among those injured were the bus driver, a pedestrian and one person who was inside the building, Savage said.

Structural engineers have been called to inspect the base of the high-rise building, which remained open for residents. 12th Street S. between Army Navy Drive and S. Eads Street remains closed while police investigate the crash.

No word yet on whether the driver will face any charges.

Photos (top) courtesy Sid, @josh13x

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