traffic alert

TRAFFIC ALERT: Multiple Vehicle Accident on GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:25 p.m.) U.S. Park Police are on the scene of a multiple vehicle accident that’s snarling traffic in the southbound lanes of the George Washington Parkway, near I-395.

Traffic is being diverted around the accident but the entire area is congested. Park Police recommend avoiding the area.

Rescue crews attended to one injured person who sustained non-life threatening injuries. The Arlington County Fire Department confirms the injured person was an off duty Park Police officer.

ACFD confirms a Park Police helicopter landed at the scene to assist and transported the injured officer to Medstar Georgetown University Hospital. From Twitter:

TRAFFIC ALERT: Fallen Tree Blocks Route 50

By ARLnow.com
1/9

Update at 1:15 p.m. — The tree has been cleared and only one westbound lane of Route 50 remains closed. All other lanes are open to traffic.

Earlier: All westbound lanes of Route 50 are blocked near Garfield Street due to a tree that fell across the road.

Nobody was hurt and no cars were hit when the tree fell.

VDOT is on the scene and police are re-routing traffic in the area. Workers are heading there with equipment to move the tree.

Crews currently have not determined if the tree fell due to the heavy rain over the area.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Car Rollover Closes George Mason Dr.

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Update at 4:00 p.m. — Emergency crews have just re-opened all lanes of traffic on N. George Mason Drive.

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) Northbound George Mason Drive is closed near N. Henderson Road due to an accident with an overturned car.

Emergency crews responded to the scene for a two vehicle collision that flipped one car. The driver in the flipped vehicle managed to free herself and was taken to Virginia Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries. The other driver was not injured.

George Mason Drive remains closed from N. Henderson Road to N. Park Drive, but emergency crews expect it to reopen before 4:00 p.m.

UPDATED: GW Parkway Shut Down Due to Fatal Wreck

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 11:00 a.m.) The northbound lanes of the George Washington Parkway were shut down during Wednesday’s evening rush hour due to a fatal crash.

A three vehicle accident near the second overlook left one driver entrapped in his car and gravely injured. A second driver was also injured, while the third was unhurt. There were no passengers in the vehicles, according to U.S. Park Police spokeswoman Lelani Woods.

The U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter landed just north of the accident and flew the first victim to the trauma center at Medstar, where he was later pronounced dead. The second victim was transported via ambulance to George Washington University Hospital.

Northbound and southbound GW Parkway traffic was closed following the accident and the helicopter’s landing. The Parkway remained closed until just before 10:00 p.m. while police investigated the crash, Woods said.

One driver stuck near the accident scene said via Twitter that the northbound lanes were “a parking lot.” Northbound traffic was diverted onto the Spout Run Parkway during the closures.

Photos via @CAPT258 and @IAFF2800

UPDATED: Water Main Break Shuts Down Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
Water main break on Columbia Pike
Water main break on Columbia Pike
Water main break on Columbia Pike
Water main break on Columbia Pike
1/4

(Updated at 5:45 p.m.) A large water main break has been reported on Columbia Pike, just in time to cause significant issues with the evening commute.

The water main break was reported at Columbia Pike and Carlin Springs Road, on the Arlington/Fairfax county line. Fairfax County police are shutting down the Pike in both directions between Carlin Springs and Route 7.

Police have shut down the eastbound side of the Pike to pedestrian traffic, because workers are cautious to prevent the sidewalk from collapsing into a sinkhole, according to police on the scene. Fairfax Water workers are trying to turn off the water — which is still pouring out of the sewer grates in the closed-off section of Columbia Pike — before beginning repairs.

There are no estimates so far for the timeline of work to be completed, so drivers should avoid the area entirely on their commute, if possible. As of about 5:30 p.m., Carlin Springs Road was backed up all the way into the Buckingham neighborhood, and several other roads in the area were also suffering major backups.

Traffic Alert: Emergency Repair Will Close Arlington Ridge Road

By Katie Pyzyk

Arlington, Virginia logo (small)The Arlington County Department of Environmental Services is alerting drivers that Arlington Ridge Road will be closed tonight for emergency water repairs.

Arlington Ridge Road will be closed from 9:00 p.m.-3:00 a.m. Southbound traffic coming from I-395 will be re-routed east and west to 20th Street S. in both directions, and around to 23rd Street. Northbound traffic coming from Glebe Road will be re-routed east and west to 23rd Street S., and around to 20th Street.

The emergency water repair is necessary because an irrigation contractor working in the 2100 block of Arlington Ridge Road accidentally caused a leak. Water service needs to be replaced at that location, from the water main in the street to the meter box in the sidewalk.

Traffic Alert: Accident Closes Portion of Glebe Road

By Katie Pyzyk
1/5

(Updated at 3:30 p.m.)  All lanes of Glebe Road have reopened at Route 50 following a three vehicle accident that shut down traffic for about half an hour.

Police say all lanes of southbound Glebe Road were shut down and only one lane of northbound is getting by.

According to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, the accident occurred on the overpass of Route 50. Two of the vehicles involved were blocking the southbound lanes and the third was in a northbound lane.

One person was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Part of what took a while to get the busy road reopened was the amount of debris strewn across the roadway due to the extensive damage to the cars. The police investigation into the accident is ongoing.

Photos courtesy of Arlington County Police Department

Snow Could Snarl Commute, But APS to Dismiss on Time

By ARLnow.com

snow-traffic-5Arlington Public Schools students will be dismissed on-time from school today, despite a predicted evening snowfall.

A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Arlington and the D.C. region, warning of the potential for about an inch of snow between 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Though relatively light, the snow could wreak havoc with traffic during the evening rush hour.

(On January 26, 2011, a much heavier snowfall during the evening rush hour resulted in motorists abandoning their cars on the GW Parkway.)

While Montgomery, Fairfax, Prince George’s and Loudoun County schools have announced early dismissals, Arlington Public Schools announced at 11:20 a.m. that students would not enjoy the same abbreviated school day. All APS after-school and evening activities, however, have been canceled.

“Arlington Public Schools will dismiss on time,” the school system said. “All APS after-school and evening activities are canceled, including extracurricular activities, interscholastic contests, team practices, field trips, adult and community education classes, and recreation programs in schools and on school grounds. Extended Day will remain open until 6 p.m. but those parents are encouraged to pick up their children earlier if possible.”

From the National Weather Service:

… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM EST THIS EVENING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM EST THIS EVENING.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW

* ACCUMULATIONS… AROUND AN INCH.

* TIMING… SNOW WILL BEGIN DURING THE MID AFTERNOON AND TAPER OFF IN THE EVENING. SNOW MAY BE MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY AT TIMES DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

* TEMPERATURES… IN THE LOWER 20S.

* WINDS… SOUTH 5 TO 10 MPH.

* IMPACTS… ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY… RESULTING IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING COMMUTE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Winter Storm Watch Issued for Region

By ARLnow.com

Arlington and the rest of the Washington region is now under a Winter Storm Watch.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service say up to five inches of snow is possible tomorrow (Thursday). The snow may be at its heaviest during Thursday’s evening rush hour.

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE… SNOW… POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES.

* ACCUMULATIONS… IN EXCESS OF 5 INCHES POSSIBLE.

* TIMING… SNOW MAY MIX WITH RAIN AT THE ONSET… ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF WASHINGTON DC THURSDAY MORNING… BEFORE CHANGING TO ALL SNOW LATE THURSDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL END THURSDAY NIGHT. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

* TEMPERATURES… IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S.

* WINDS… NORTHWEST 5 TO 10 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH.

* IMPACTS… ROADS MAY BECOME SNOW COVERED… ESPECIALLY DURING THE EVENING RUSH HOUR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Water Main Break Shuts Washington Blvd

By Katie Pyzyk

Update at 4:35 p.m. — One westbound lane is now slowly getting by the scene of the water main break.

A water main break in Virginia Square is snarling traffic on Washington Blvd, and will continue to do so through the evening rush hour.

Westbound lanes of Washington Blvd have been closed between N. Kirkwood Road and N. Lincoln Street. Traffic heading eastbound has been reduced to one lane.

There’s no word when the road will re-open, but a crew will remain on the scene making repairs at least through rush hour.

Heavy Traffic Following Accident on I-395

By ARLnow.com

The morning commute got even worse for many in the area this morning, following an accident on I-395 on or near the 14th Street Bridge.

The accident was reported between 7:00 and 7:30, and was said to be blocking several lanes. The lane closures have since been cleared, but as a result of residual delays traffic is crawling all the way back to Alexandria on I-395.

Other main routes that feed onto I-395 also seem to be affected. Eastbound traffic on Route 50, Washington Boulevard and Columbia Pike is very heavy, and delays have also been reported on the GW Parkway near Reagan National Airport.

Alternate streets, such as Route 110 and Route 50, have become jammed as well. Although parts of the George Washington Parkway seem to be moving, other areas are moving slowly, such as the area near the airport.

Drivers should expect significant delays for the morning commute, and should check alternate routes.

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