Route 50

BREAKING NEWS — Route 50 Shut Down Due to Gas Leak

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:15 p.m. — The gas leak has been stopped and all lanes of westbound Route 50 are now open.

Earlier: The westbound lanes of Route 50 have been shut down near Fairfax Drive in Courthouse due to a gas line rupture.

Firefighters are reporting that a 16-inch gas transmission line has been ruptured in the area of the 10th Street Bridge. The closure of westbound Route 50 is expected to last at least another hour while Washington Gas works to shut off the gas and repair the line.

The eastbound lanes of Route 50 were shut down for a short period of time, but have since reopened. Still, significant traffic issues are being reported in the area. In addition to cars, police are also turning pedestrians away from the area.

This stretch of Route 50 has been the scene of on-going utility work.

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

Power Outages Cause Traffic Lights to Go Dark

By ARLnow.com

Update at 9:35 a.m. — Power has been restored, Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson says. The outage was caused by a single, unlucky squirrel.

According to Anderson: “We had a squirrel get onto a piece of equipment which caused a power outage near Pershing Drive and Route 50 in Arlington.  At 7:42 AM, 1,765 customers lost power as a result of the squirrel making contact with our equipment and becoming the path of least resistance for electricity to travel to ground.”

Earlier: Traffic lights are out at a number of busy Arlington intersections due to a widespread power outage.

Dominion reports that more than 1,800 customers are without power this morning. Power is expected to be restored between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Traffic lights are reported to be dark at the following intersections:

  • Route 50 and Pershing Drive
  • Route 50 and Henderson Road
  • George Mason Drive and Pershing Drive
  • George Mason Drive and Henderson Road
  • Four Mile Run Drive and Columbia Pike

Police are directing traffic at most, if not all, the above intersections.

Crumbling Glebe Road Bridge Slated for Replacement

By ARLnow.com

Two years after concrete began falling from the “structurally deficient” Glebe Road/Route 50 bridge, VDOT expects to advertise its plan to replace the crumbling overpass next week.

The bridge has raised concerns recently as chunks of concrete began falling anew. On Friday, rush hour traffic was snarled when a chunk of concrete fell from the bridge onto a westbound lane of Route 50 around 4:30 p.m. Police shut down the bridge and one lane of Glebe Road for more than an hour as a result.

The falling concrete actually left a hole in the roadway from which one could look down and see the highway below, according to Arlington County Director of Transportation Dennis Leach. Over the weekend, VDOT patched up the part of the bridge from which the concrete fell.

ARLnow.com has also heard a thus-far unconfirmed report that falling concrete struck a vehicle last Sunday. No injuries were reported.

VDOT will be installing a protective shield “as soon as possible” to make sure more debris doesn’t fall on Route 50, according to agency spokeswoman Jennifer McCord. The shield will either be a protective netting or some sort of wooden structure, she said.

McCord says VDOT expects to advertise a long-delayed plan to replace the bridge next week. The agency will expedite the bidding process so that work on the new bridge can begin as soon as this summer and be complete by August 2012, officials said.

The $6 million project will completely replace the bridge deck while widening it by 27 feet. The increased width will allow for a 17-foot shared use path on one side, a 10-foot sidewalk on the other and five travel lanes in between, including a new northbound turn lane. The bridge will feature “wrought-iron picket fencing, gateway pillars and decorative LED lighting,” according to McCord.

(more…)

TRAFFIC ALERT — Glebe Road Shut Down at Route 50

By ARLnow.com

Update at 7:50 p.m. — All lane closures except one northbound lane on Glebe Road have been lifted.

Both directions of Glebe Road have been shut down and one lane of westbound Route 50 has been blocked due to chunks of concrete falling off the overpass.

ARLnow.com is hearing that officials were notified earlier this week that debris fell off the bridge and struck a vehicle on Sunday. No one was hurt, we hear. No word on what action, if any, was taken after that incident.

Arlington’s Most Dangerous On-Ramps

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) For some reason, a number of highway and arterial road on-ramps in Arlington County seem to have been designed with little consideration to driver safety.

Whether they’re positioned just after a bend in the highway, obstructing the view of on-coming vehicles, or whether there’s precious little room for drivers entering the highway to get up to speed with on-coming traffic — or both — we’ve picked the following four on-ramps as the most dangerous in Arlington.

We know there are others out there. Feel free to make your most dangerous on-ramp nominations in the comments section.

Ramp from Courthouse Road to westbound Route 50 — Whether it’s the big pillar to your right or the non-stop, fast-moving traffic to your left, getting on to westbound Route 50 from Courthouse Road is not an easy task. This interchange is being redesigned — but the construction workers running across the road and the dump trucks entering the highway are only adding to the problem.

Ramp from northbound Washington Blvd to westbound Route 50 — Drivers on this ramp sometimes don’t seem to know they have to yield to on-coming traffic on Route 50. If they were expecting some room to get up to speed and merge, they were mistaken. Drivers on Route 50 routinely had to get out of the way of merging traffic, causing a hazard. Plus, Route 50 bends just before the on-ramp, causing a visibility problem for drivers who stop to yield to on-coming vehicles.

(more…)

Missing Stop Sign Causes Hazard In Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

Update at 12:35 p.m. — Another stop sign has been installed.

There is a stop sign missing on the on-ramp from Courthouse Road to eastbound Route 50, causing a serious traffic hazard.

Police are currently on scene directing traffic, according to police radio transmissions. Before police arrived, cars were heading straight through the T intersection, where Courthouse Road traffic heading onto Route 50 normally yields to eastbound Route 50 traffic exiting onto the ramp.

No word on how the stop sign went missing or whether it caused any accidents. A new stop sign is expected to be installed shortly.

Slow Commute for Some

By ARLnow.com

It’s a slow go for commuters on Route 50 and Columbia Pike this morning. And it’s an even slower commute for those on I-395.

Nearly the entire length of northbound I-395 is slow, from the Beltway to the 14th Street Bridge. HOV commuters, however, have it relatively easy.

The Arlington stretch of Route 50 and Columbia Pike are both experiencing heavier-than usual traffic volume.

Gov. McDonnell Announces Funding for Transportation Projects

By ARLnow.com

The Route 50/Courthouse Road interchange project is among the projects receiving funding under a new transportation push by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.

At a meeting of Northern Virginia elected officials and transportation planners yesterday, McDonnell announced that VDOT will advertise some $1.1 billion in new construction and maintenance projects during the first six months of fiscal year 2011.

The spending will create 33,900 jobs and generate $2.83 billion in total economic activity, according to the governor’s office.

McDonnell says his administration has been working to unclog a backlog of projects in VDOT’s pipeline. The governor noted that now is the time to invest in new infrastructure, since financing costs are at near-record lows.

One question that remains is how McDonnell plans on funding the slew of new transportation projects. He has pledged not to impose new taxes.

Seven Corners Water Main Break Has Arlington Impacts

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:15 p.m. — “All lanes are open on Route 50 near the 7 Corners and repairs have been completed,” according to City of Falls Church spokesperson Barbara Gordon. “Water pressure is back to normal for all residents and businesses in the area.”

A 12-inch water main burst under Route 50 this morning, snarling traffic and lowering water pressure in the area.

The main burst in front of the Home Depot, between Seven Corners and Patrick Henry Drive, just west of the Arlington County border in Falls Church. WTOP’s Adam Tuss reports that it’s expected to be fixed by later this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Arlington is advising that some homes and businesses in the Upton Hills neighborhood may be experiencing low water pressure. From Arlington Alert:

Arlington residents and businesses in the Upton Hills area may be experiencing low water pressure due to water main break in Falls Church, which provides water to a small number of customers in the County. Arlington’s WSS bureau is working with Falls Church to maintain service to customers and assist in repairs if needed. Questions? Call 703-228-6555 or visit the Water Emergency web page.

View More Stories