Posts Tagged ‘Route 50’

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.

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.

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.

It’s getting really bad out there.

From scanner reports: Courthouse Road is an “ice rink” between the ramp from Route 50 and 13th St N. Police are shutting it down.