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TRAFFIC ALERT — Accident Blocks WB Route 50

by ARLnow.com | July 13, 2011 at 11:02 am | 1,615 views | 24 Comments

Update at 11:35 a.m. — Route 50 has reopened.

A collision between a pickup truck and an SUV blocked both lanes of westbound Route 50 at S. Columbus Street around 10:45 this morning.

The two drivers were treated on the scene and taken to the hospital with injuries described as “minor.” A small fire broke out in one of the vehicle’s engine compartments, but was quickly extinguished by police.

Westbound Route 50 traffic was diverted onto Park Drive, near the Outback Steakhouse. A flatbed truck arrived on scene and towed both vehicles away.

Tabby

That’s a bad spot. Isn’t that where the popular guy on a motorcycle was hit and killed by a young soldier (who was later deemed to be DUI)?
- NancyDrew
  
  No, it is a bad spot, but that was at Irving (I think). It was definitely closer to Wash Blvd, b/c I sat in the backup, AND, I live right by today’s accident.
  - Jenn
    
    RT 50/ Irving had another bad accident yesterday morning that snarled traffic pretty well.
BerryBerryCold

You ever get harassed while photographing? I had some park rangers (from Arlington Parks Dept) tell me not to photograph an accident scene. Are they even LEOs?
- Tabby
  
  Blogger dresses like this.
- http://www.arlnow.com ARLnow.com
  
  At first, yes, but not anymore.
  - BerryBerryCold
    
    Are park rangers LEOs? Or did they lie to me?
NancyDrew

Traffic is being diverted onto NORTH Park, and to NORTH Columbus.
- http://www.arlnow.com ARLnow.com
  
  It’s both, actually, so we probably shouldn’t have included a direction.
http://Beth Beth

What is up with Route 50 this week? The accident near Filmore Street yesterday morning blocked WB traffic and slowed EB traffic as the police detoured cars. And there was an accident EB just before Washington Boulevard this morning. From the lack of tax decals in the front windows of the cars in these pictures, it doesn’t look like either of them live nearby.
- BerryBerryCold
  
  Does it matter where they live?
  
  It’s a VDOT funded/maintained road, so they are free to use it.
  - http://Beth Beth
    
    Based on my daily drives on it, most of the people speeding through Route 50 seem to be out-of-county residents that are likely unfamiliar with the traffic flow.
    - steve85
      
      Wrong. How can u tell. Everybody speed no mater if you’re from here or not.
    - tom
      
      It is a major arterial that should have either turn lanes installed or prohibit left turns from east-bound and west-bound routes. Way too many people have been killed or injured over too many years for public officials (VDOT and Arlington County) to allow this to continue.
    - urmom
      
      I live in Arlington and I speed through on Rt. 50 all the time
      - cj
        
        Thanks for that.
      - steve85
        
        +1
- Arlwhenever
  
  Arlington County has been sitting on state grant money for the redesign and improvement of the Route 50/Irving Street signalized intersection for at least two years now, yet hasn’t lifted a finger to move on the project even after the Arlington motorcyclist was killed there last year. With politicians like “Aesthetics First” Chris “Safety Last” Zimmerman running the show, don’t expect movement from the County to improve Route 50 intersections anytime soon.
  - Westover
    
    Only safe thing to do is make that stretch a limited entry highway and I do not see that happening. That is just a dangerous place to have an intersection on a road as busy as Rt50 has become there with a semi-blind hill combining with a semi-blind curve. Expand the frontage roads and move all that traffic down the road to cross.
Lou

I wonder if the wreck had anything to do with the fact that they were on the wrong side of the road?
Joe Dirt

Does anyone else wonder how they ended up on the wrong side of the road??
- BerryBerryCold
  
  Two cars crashing involves a lot of energy, which is quickly dispersed. Likely the cars spun around and ended up in the direction in the photos.
Stu Pendus

People really getting into your head, aren’t they?
33

Ilove Outback.

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