Drivers have been stuck on the George Washington Parkway for 5-6 hours now, according to various reports from Twitter.
The fact that there are no traffic cameras along the parkway has made it difficult to see exactly what’s going on, but Twitter users are reporting that downed trees are blocking all northbound and southbound lanes.
Arlington Public Schools will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 27, the school system announced tonight.
Administrative offices will be open.
Update at 10:00 p.m. — There are now more than 13,400 Dominion customers without power in Arlington.
Heavy, wet snow is continuing to fall in the area, knocking down trees and power lines and grinding traffic to a halt.
Cars were getting stuck on the snowy, hilly section of the Pike near Washington Boulevard. Traffic was backed up before the hill as a result. On Washington Boulevard, traffic was at a standstill.
Residents were streaming up the sidewalks of the Pike from the Pentagon City area. Some were stopping to help push stranded cars up the street. Others were talking on their phones, trying to provide directions to loved ones who were stuck in traffic.
Update at 7:00 p.m. — Downed power lines and falling tree limbs are being reported throughout the area. Dominion is reporting more than 1,200 customers without power in Arlington. Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson tells WUSA 9 that it may take more time than usual to restore power due to gridlock on local streets and highways.
Update at 6:10 p.m. — Traffic is at a dead stop on westbound I-66 from the District to Spout Run.
Highways leading out of the District of Columbia are thick with traffic as a steady rain starts to change over to a slippery mix of sleet and snow.
Southbound I-395 and westbound I-66 are both jammed.
(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) An armed robbery has been reported at the BB&T Bank in Rosslyn.
Initial reports suggest two men robbed the bank, located on the 1900 block of Fort Myer Drive, around 1:40 p.m. One of the men was armed with a gun, police were told.
VDOT started pre-treating bridges and ramps and other trouble spots on state roads and highways yesterday, according to spokeswoman Joan Morris. Spots on I-66, I-95, I-395 and I-495 were treated with liquid magnesium chloride, while parts of major roads like Route 50 and Route 1 were pre-treated with salt brine.
“Treatment trucks and plows are pre-positioning along interstates, major roads and in subdivisions throughout Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties for quick response,” VDOT said in a statement.
Last week we announced our first annual Alternative Vehicle Decal contest, to compete with the actual Arlington County vehicle decal contest. We’ve completed the difficult task of narrowing the excellent submissions down to five finalists, and now it’s time to vote.
We’ll keep voting open for a week, and will announce the winner shortly thereafter. The grand prize is the satisfaction of knowing that Arlington picked you as its best alternative vehicle decal designer.
With Arlington salt trucks gearing up to tackle this afternoon’s potentially dangerous snowfall, Arlington schools and the federal government have both announced early closings.
Arlington Public Schools will close two hours early today, the school system has announced. All evening and after school activities are canceled.
Once it opens, managers say the bar will feature a “legendary liquor selection,” including an emphasis on Scotch and Irish whiskeys.
General Manager Seamus Phillips told TBD that the extensive renovation of the bar’s space on the ground floor of 3100 Clarendon Boulevard has cost more than a million dollars. Pending county inspections, the tavern should open in early February, Phillips said.
The American Booksellers Associations, which represents independent booksellers, held a four-day convention in Crystal City last week to network and discuss business strategies.
Among the activities was a field trip to Arlington’s Revolution Cycles.
