Route 50

Lee Center Demolition to Begin Soon

By ARLnow.com

The historic Lee Shopping Center near Route 50 and Pershing Drive is not long for this world.

The complex is being torn down to make way for a new mixed use development, and the demolition work is expected to begin at some point within the next month.

Construction crews will first salvage the shopping center’s limestone facade, for re-use in the new development. Then, the demolition will begin.

Utility work is expected to begin after that, and the actual construction of the building should start by the end of the winter, according to owner Equity Residential. The first tenants in the new complex are expected to move in by the summer of 2012.

Neighbors, including residents in the adjacent Equity-owned Sheffield Court apartment complex, are being told to expect construction hours between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Equity has promised to work with the contractor to make sure construction vehicles enter the site through Route 50 and not through neighborhood streets.

The 2201 North Pershing project, as it’s known, will consist of nearly 200 apartments and a block-long first floor retail space that will wrap around to Route 50 / Arlington Boulevard.

Equity says it hasn’t signed up any retail tenants yet, but that hasn’t stopped locals from not-so-quietly making their wish lists known.

“The underserved South of Courthouse, or SOCO, neighborhood, has high hopes for a coffee shop, ice cream store and a small upscale grocery as well as a much needed bank,” one Barton Street resident told us in an email.

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Vehicle Fire Reported on Westbound Route 50

By ARLnow.com

A three-vehicle accident has been reported in the lefthand lanes of westbound Route 50 near the exit to Rosslyn-Key Bridge.

The fire department is on the scene and reporting that one of the vehicles is on fire.

Update at 6:05 p.m. — The fire has been extinguished. One patient is being evaluated by medics. As of right now, only one lane is getting by on westbound Route 50, causing delays.

School Bus Accident Reported

By ARLnow.com

An accident involving a school bus occurred on George Mason Drive at Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) around 3:15 this afternoon.

Two students were on board at the time. They were not injured, we hear.

No word on what caused the accident.

Memorial Service for Motorcyclist to be Held This Afternoon

By ARLnow.com

The motorcyclist who was killed in a crash on Route 50 last Friday will be remembered by friends and family at an Arlington funeral home this afternoon.

Gerald Glasper, a 41-year-old former retired Marine, was pronounced dead at the hospital after his motorcycle collided with a car in the eastbound lanes of Route 50.

In a tragic irony, the man who police say was driving of the car, 25-year-old Jonathan Mendez, was himself a veteran — a Navy hospital corpsman — who deployed as a medic on a combat mission to Iraq with the First Marine Expeditionary Force, according to his LinkedIn page. More recently, Mendez had been working on a degree in emergency management from the University of Maryland. He has now been charged with manslaughter as a result the accident, according to police.

According to a friend, Glasper was a father who, after leaving the Marines, worked as a bar bouncer and as a construction project manager.

“He was a very special human being,” said the friend, who did not want to be identified. “I wish my son could grow up to be the caliber of a man that he was.”

On an obituary website, friends have been writing their memories of Glasper.

“What a funny, kind, big man,” wrote Chris Croissant of Arlington.

“I can’t begin explain how much joy you brought to everyone who knew you,” wrote Charles Galloway, a friend from the District. “You will be missed brother.”

“Gerald was a great Marine, a true friend and had a special soul,” wrote Richard Fisk, who served with Glasper at a base in Japan. “I will keep him and his family in my prayers. Rest in Peace Marine…Semper Fi.”

A memorial fund has been set up in honor of Glasper. Donations can be sent to Potomac Contruction Group c/o Matt Lentz, 1617 Swann St. N.W., Unit 2, Washington, DC 20009.

A memorial service is being held from 2:00 to 6:00 this afternoon at Murphy Funeral Home in Arlington. An internment will be held in California at a later date.

Photo via Facebook

Motorcyclist Killed in Collision on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

A motorcyclist died after a violent collision with a car on Route 50 Friday night.

The accident occurred just after 9:00 p.m. at the intersection of Route 50 and Irving Street. The car, a Nissan, collided with the motorcycle in the intersection, police said. The motorcyclist was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the car remained on scene.

Police say the accident is under investigation. So far, no charges have been filed. The name of the motorcyclist is being withheld while police notify his next of kin.

The accident scene told the story of a horrific collision. Parts of the motorcycle were spread across the eastbound lanes of Route 50. The car’s front end was badly damaged, the airbags were deployed, and the front windshield was shattered. A single black leather cowboy-style boot lay upright near the side of the road.

The wreck shut down the eastbound lanes of Route 50 for several hours as investigators took photos and tried to figure out how the accident happened.

One man who lived nearby said he heard the accident from his house and walked to the scene to see what had happened. He said there have been at least three other accidents at the intersection in recent memory.

Update on 10/17: The driver is expected to be charged with DWI and manslaughter, sources tell ARLnow.com. The accident happened when the victim was heading eastbound and the suspect was turning from the westbound lanes, we’re told.

Police say they expect to release more information about the crash on Monday.

Update on 10/18: The suspect has been charged with manslaughter, and the victim has been identified. The possible DWI charge, mentioned above, has not materialized yet. But police tell us they’re still investigating whether alcohol could have played a factor in the accident.

From a police news release:

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a fatal accident that occurred on Friday, October 15, 2010, at Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) and Irving Street.  At approximately 9:09 P.M., a vehicle collided with a motorcycle in the intersection.

The driver of the motorcycle was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He has been identified as Gerald Glasper, 42, of Arlington.

The striking vehicle remained on scene. Jonathan Mendez, 25, of Washington D.C. charged with Manslaughter later that evening. He was held at the Arlington County Detention Center without bond.

The accident is still under investigation. Arlington County Police ask that anyone who witnessed the accident or has information relating to this incident call Detective Tamara Celestini at (703) 228-4164.

Route 50 Ramp to Courthouse Road Reopens

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) Repairs are complete and the ramp has reopened.

“Repairs are temporary until they find out exactly what caused the sinkhole,” said VDOT spokesperson Joan Morris. Workers think a “bad pipe” may be to blame.

Original post from 2:38 p.m. on 10/12 — The ramp from westbound Route 50 to Courthouse Road will likely be shut down throughout the rush hour due to a sinkhole that’s about the size of a tire in diameter and 4-5 feet deep.

Arlington police have blocked off the ramp with orange barrels from the adjacent VDOT utility relocation project, which already had the far left-hand lane of Route 50 shut down.

Two VDOT workers are on the scene evaluating the sinkhole. A VDOT spokesperson is checking to see how long repair work is expected to take.

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Route 50 Lane Closure Will Likely Remain Through End of Year

By ARLnow.com

Hopefully you’ve gotten used to the lane closure on westbound Route 50 near Courthouse, because it’s probably sticking around for the holidays.

The lane closure, put into place to facilitate a utility relocation project, was originally supposed to be lifted in July. Now, it will likely be in place through the end of the year.

Washington Gas will wrap up their portion of the utility work by the end of October or beginning of November, according to VDOT utility relocation manager Matthew McLaughlin. Then it’s expected that Dominion will start a two-month installation of an underground electrical conduit. The existing lane closure will stay in place during that time.

The planned two-month duration of the Dominion work “can increase very quickly” in the event of inclement weather, we’re told.

The lane closure has made a tricky merge from Courthouse Road onto westbound Route 50 even trickier. Somewhat ironically, the ultimate goal of the utility relocation work is to prepare for the construction of a safer Route 50/Courthouse Road interchange.

The multi-month delays in the project were caused by additional utility relocations that had to be made due to changes in the interchange construction plan, McLaughlin said.

Photo courtesy Todd DuBois

Accident Shuts Down George Mason Drive At Rt. 50

By ARLnow.com

South George Mason Drive was been shut down from Route 50 to Columbia Pike today due to an accident involving a construction vehicle.

It happened near the National Guard Readiness Center, where a considerable amount of construction is taking place.

The raised boom of an excavator struck overhead power lines while it was traveling north on George Mason Drive, police said. The impact caused an adjacent transformer power pole to splinter and collapse, and caused live power and communications lines to fall onto the street.

As of 2:30 this afternoon, the road has partially reopened. It is expected to fully reopen in time for the evening rush hour. It will then close again around 7:00 so Dominion Power crews can make further repairs.

Chain Bridge Closed This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Just a reminder: as we reported on Tuesday, Chain Bridge will be completely closed to traffic and pedestrians this weekend.

With sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s, it looks like the repair work, which has been delayed three times due to weather, will finally go on as scheduled.

The bad news: when combined with Saturday’s National Marathon and anti-war protests, it’s a recipe for major traffic headaches, especially if you’re trying to drive from Arlington into the District.

Also of note, a planned lane closure on westbound Route 50, which has been delayed nearly a month, will be happening “soon,” according to (of all sources) a road sign. Route 50 does not show up, however, in a list of VDOT’s planned closures for this weekend.

Route 50 Lane Closure Starts Monday

By ARLnow.com

The left lane of westbound Route 50 between Courthouse Road and 10th Street (see graphic) will be closed until July.

The closure, for a utility relocation project, is the first step of an effort to improve the notorious Route 50-Courthouse Road interchange.

VDOT may put additional temporary lane closures in place as needed. Drivers advised to expect delays in the area.

Meanwhile, Arlington County has released a video showing just how dangerous the Courthouse Road interchange is, apparently in an attempt to drum up federal stimulus dollars.