SUV Overturns at S. Glebe and 2nd Street
An SUV overturned on 2nd Street S. near the intersection of S. Glebe Road this afternoon.
The crash, reported as a single-vehicle accident, happened around lunchtime today. The SUV overturned and came to rest on its roof.
One person was pulled out of the wreck and transported to the hospital, according to an Arlington County dispatcher. We’re told the vehicle has been towed away and the road has since reopened.
Photos courtesy @SeidelAgency (left) and @lucerojay (right)
Traffic Alert: Accident Closes Portion of Glebe Road
(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
Photos: Car Fire in Buckingham
A car caught fire in the parking lot of the Buckingham Center strip mall Monday night.
The fire was reported just before 6:00 p.m., in the lot located on the northeastern side of the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Pershing Drive. The Honda CRV’s engine compartment was fully engulfed with flames, though it’s unclear what actually caused the fire.
The fire was eventually extinguished before it could spread to the rest of the car.
Photos courtesy @Hightweetts and “Tim”
Construction Begins on Glebe Road Pedestrian Improvements
Work has begun in Ballston on one of the three Glebe Road intersections slated to receive safety upgrades this year.
Last week, workers began construction on the intersection of Glebe Road and N. Fairfax Drive. The improvements are part of a pedestrian safety improvement project along Glebe Road that will spread to the Wilson Blvd and Carlin Springs Road intersections later this year.
The upgrades include installing new traffic signals, pedestrian crossing signals, street lights and trees. The intersections will also be reconfigured to improve safety. For example, the pedestrian “pork chop island” will be removed in front of Marymount University’s “Blue Goose” building, according to Tom Hutchings, Capital Project Manager with Arlington’s Department of Enviromental Services Division of Transportation.
“It tightens up the crossing distances at each intersection,” he said.
The red light camera that monitors northbound Glebe Road traffic at Fairfax Drive will remain in use during construction. Although the timing of the traffic lights will not change immediately, it will be evaluated later and tweaked as necessary.
“The timing is continually analyzed with every project we do,” Hutchings said. “It will be studied upon completion of the new lane geometry to optimize the intersection.”
The new traffic lights that were strung over the intersection last week are temporary; the permanent lights will be mounted on upgraded poles with mast arms. The previous poles were based on standards from the 1970s and did not meet the electronic wiring and mast arm standards in the current codes.
The improvements at the three intersections are part of a $2.5 million VDOT project that is locally administered by Arlington County. About 80 percent of the funding comes from federal and state sources, and about 20 percent comes from the county.
Although a number of pedestrian-vehicle accidents have occurred along this stretch of Glebe Road in recent years, such as the deadly cab accident last July, the intersections have been the subject of extensive studies since 2000.
“It is precipitated from acknowledgement of the high level of pedestrian activity in the area,” Hutchings said. “It’s to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety along Glebe Road where a lot of development has occurred over the past 10 years, and pedestrian use of Glebe Road has increased.”
According to Hutchings, the addition of a bike lane for eastbound cyclists on Fairfax Drive occurred during an earlier phase of this project, as did the installation of traffic lights last year at N. 9th Street and N. Vermont Street.
Work on the Fairfax Drive intersection is expected to be finished by mid-June. The Wilson Blvd. intersection should be completed in August, and Carlin Springs in October.
Board to Consider Long Range Plan for N. Quincy Street
The current Harris Teeter supermarket and Mercedes-Benz dealership near Ballston could eventually be replaced with high-rise buildings under a new land use plan that’s up for County Board consideration this weekend.
On Saturday, the Board will consider an addendum to its 1995 North Quincy Street Plan. The amendment modifies the plan for the area around the Mercedes dealership and adds a plan for a parcel of land bounded by Carlin Springs Road, Glebe Road, N. Thomas Street and the Hyde Park Condominiums. The latter parcel includes the Harris Teeter store and its surface parking lot.
The plan “includes a series of overarching planning principles aimed at transforming this predominantly auto-oriented area into a more vibrant, mixed-use urban neighborhood at Ballston’s southern gateway, with a much more pedestrian-friendly built environment,” according to the staff report. It calls for 12-14 story mixed-use buildings along Glebe Road, tapered down to 5-story buildings on the edges of the parcels closer to lower-density residential neighborhoods.
The plan also calls for ground floor retail space along Glebe Road, improvements to the Glebe Road intersections with N. Randoph and Quincy Streets, extensions of N. Tazewell Street and Randolph Street, a portion of open green space between N. Thomas Street and the new Tazewell Street extension, a landscaped plaza at the corner of Glebe and Quincy, and a series of “distinctive” architectural features.
No immediate changes would be mandated under the plan; instead, it would encourage gradual redevelopment through zoning modifications. Should a mixed-use building replace the existing Harris Teeter, the store may opt to move in to the ground floor of the new building once it’s built.
Part of the plan area is already slated for redevelopment — last year the County Board approved a new six-story apartment building on the Goodyear site at the corner of Glebe and N. Carlin Springs Road.
Work on the addendum started in 2009 as a joint project between county staff and Arlington’s Long Range Planning Committee. It incorporates feedback from the county’s Planning and Transportation commissions.
Some nearby residents, particularly residents of the Hyde Park Condominiums, have expressed objections to the plan. Among other objections, Hyde Park residents said that the maximum building height along Glebe Road should be 12 stories — the same height as their building — instead of 14 stories.
Image (below) via Google Maps
BREAKING: Bank Robbery Reported on S. Glebe Road
(Updated at 5:05 p.m.) Police are on scene at the Bank of America on the 3600 block of S. Glebe Road, for reports of a bank robbery.
Police scanner traffic indicates a note was passed to a teller and a weapon was implied, but there is no confirmation that a weapon was actually seen. Police are searching the area and interviewing witnesses as part of their investigation.
Initial reports said the suspect escaped in a silver sedan. According to scanner traffic, the suspect is described as a black male between 5’10″ and 6’0″, who was wearing black pants, a knit hat, black gloves and had a dark brown or black scarf wrapped around his face.
Earlier today, police were called to a nearby BB&T Bank (2947 S. Glebe Road) when a teller told police two men dressed all in black and holding a gun had entered the first set of bank doors, but then turned around and left. They reportedly left with one other man in a silver sedan.
Also today, an armored car guard was shot during a robbery attempt in Oxon Hill, MD. The Washington Post reports that the incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. and three or four suspects were seen leaving in a silver, four-door car.
No connection has been confirmed among any of today’s incidents involving silver, four-door vehicles.
UPDATE: Man Dies After Glebe Road Accident
(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) All northbound and southbound lanes of N. Glebe Road were closed between Vernon Street and Chesterbrook Road during the evening rush hour due to a serious single-vehicle wreck.
An SUV ran into a utility pole and flipped on its side on the 3900 block of N. Glebe Road around 5:00 p.m. tonight. The driver suffered an apparent cardiac arrest, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Paramedics attempted to revive the man, but he was later pronounced dead at Virginia Hospital Center.
A dog that was in the vehicle at the time of the accident did survive, we’re told.
As of 7:00 p.m., Dominion was on scene preparing to clean up and replace the damaged utility pole and downed power wires. Police were preparing to open the southbound lanes of Glebe to two-way traffic.
Water Main Break Closes Road Near Shirlington
A popular commuter shortcut that connects Pentagon City with Glebe Road has been closed due to a water main break.
S. Adams Street is closed from 25th Street S. to 26th Road S., in the Avalon at Arlington Square community. The street serves drivers heading from Army Navy Drive to Glebe Road, near Shirlington.
The water flow has been shut off, but not before part of S. Adams Street partially buckled due to water pressure.
Adams Street is expected to remain closed through the evening rush hour, until about 8:00 p.m. Southbound traffic is being diverted onto 25th Street.
Pedestrians Struck by Car Near Glebe Road
(Updated at 8:50 a.m.) Police and paramedics have responded to the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Glebe Road for a report of two pedestrians struck by a vehicle.
Initial reports suggest a mother and her child were struck. The mother is being transported to the hospital but the child was uninjured, according to scanner traffic.
Eastbound Washington Boulevard was shut down in the area of George Mason Drive due to the emergency response, but is now being opened back up.
Video: Ribbon Cutting For New Glebe Road Bridge
County leaders and VDOT officials officially marked the end of construction on the new Glebe Road bridge over Route 50 yesterday (Wednesday) morning.
Construction on the bridge started in the summer of 2011 and wrapped up earlier this week. The bridge was replaced following at least three instances of chunks of concrete falling off the aging span.
The new bridge is 27 feet wider than the old bridge, and features a northbound turn lane onto Route 50, improved “sight distance” for drivers making right turns from Route 50 to Glebe Road, a 17-foot shared use path and a 11-foot sidewalk on either side of the span, decorative green wrought-iron fencing, brick medians, gateway pillars and new LED lighting. The project cost $6 million, according to VDOT.
“Getting this project to construction and improving safety at this location has been a top priority for VDOT,” Garrett Moore, VDOT’s district administrator for Northern Virginia, said in a statement. “We are pleased to deliver a safer, more attractive bridge that will attract more pedestrians and cyclists.”
In the video above, from the county’s “Arlington TV” crew, Moore says he hopes the bridge will last at least 70 years before it needs to be replaced.
Ribbon Cutting Scheduled for Glebe Road Bridge
A ribbon cutting ceremony has been scheduled to celebrate the completion of the new Glebe Road bridge over Route 50.
The event will be held Wednesday morning near Thomas Jefferson Middle School, just to the southeast side of the 100-foot-long bridge. Among those expected to ribbon cutting are County Board Chair Mary Hynes, state Sen. Barbara Favola, Del. Patrick Hope, and officials from VDOT, which oversaw the project.
The $6 million project replaced the once crumbling bridge with a wider, more structurally-sound span. Construction began last summer and is expected to wrap up today. The project resulted in frequent lane closures on Glebe Road which often backed up traffic in the area.
The new bridge features a northbound turn lane onto Route 50, a 17-foot shared use path and 11-foot sidewalk on either side of the span, decorative green wrought-iron fencing and new LED lighting.
Motorcycle Struck by Truck on Glebe Road
A motorcycle was struck by a truck at the intersection of Glebe Road and Columbia Pike.
The accident happened around 11:15 a.m. Traffic camera images show the motorcycle under the truck, but initial reports suggest the motocyclist was able to slide his bike before coming in contact with the truck.
The motorcyclist is being transported to the hospital with what are being described as minor injuries.
The westbound lanes of Columbia Pike and the northbound lanes of Glebe Road are currently blocked at the accident scene.
UPDATED: Glebe Road Reopens Near Chain Bridge
Update at 6:10 p.m. — Glebe Road has reopened, according to scanner traffic.
Update at 4:05 p.m. — Crews are hoping to have Glebe Road clear and reopened by 6:00 p.m., we’re told.
Glebe Road is completely blocked in north Arlington near Chain Bridge due to a large downed tree.
According to initial reports, traffic is being diverted on to Old Glebe Road and Chain Bridge Road.
No word yet on whether the road is expected to be back open in time for the evening rush hour.
Helicopter Called In To Track Robbery Suspect
Arlington County Police called in the U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter last night to assist in the search for a robbery suspect.
Around 9:45 p.m., a suspect threw hot coffee on the front desk attendant at the Best Western hotel on the 2400 block of S. Glebe Road. The suspect then hopped the counter, stole $450 in cash and a cell phone, and fled the scene in a white sedan, according to police.
A K9 unit and the helicopter were called in, but police were ultimately unable to locate the suspect.
“The suspect is described as a black male, 6’0” tall and 170 lbs,” according to the police report. “He was wearing a black hat, reading glasses, black athletic jacket, white athletic shorts and white shoes at the time of the robbery.”
Elderly Woman Struck by Cab in Ballston Dies
The elderly woman struck by a cab in Ballston yesterday (Wednesday morning) has died.
Police say they’re still investigating the accident, which occurred at the intersection of Glebe Road and Carlin Springs Road. No charges have been filed, yet.
The 76 year-old victim of a pedestrian struck incident on July 18, 2012 in Arlington County has died from the injuries she sustained. The investigation is ongoing at this time.
Madela Anez de Walsh, 76, of Arlington, VA, was attempting to cross N. Carlin Springs Road at N. Glebe Road yesterday morning at 9:25 a.m., when she was struck by a taxi cab causing a significant head injury. Walsh was transported to Fairfax hospital following the incident, where she succumbed to her injuries around noon today.
The driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene and is cooperating with the police investigation.
