Widening I-66 and Route 50 inside the Beltway are among the options for relieving congestion on the I-66 corridor currently being studied by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The “I-66 Multimodal Study,” as its called, began in July 2011. Study organizers held public meetings in December 2011, are scheduled to hold additional public meetings in April, and are expected to wrap up in May with a final report.

“This study will identify a range of multimodal and corridor management solutions (operational, transit, bike, pedestrian, and highway) that can be implemented to reduce highway and transit congestion and improve overall mobility within the I-66 corridor, between I-495 and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge,” VDOT says on its web site.

Currently, I-66 is HOV 2+ in the peak direction during peak hours, with no other restrictions on the reverse peak direction or during off-peak hours. With the exception of the recently “spot improvements,” I-66 consists of two travel lanes in each direction.

Among the theoretical options the study is considering for I-66, as outlined at a recent public meeting:

• A. No new I-66 lanes. Peak direction to be bus/HOV 3+ only during peak hours. Reverse peak direction to be bus/HOV 2+ only during peak hours. No off-peak restrictions.
• B. Convert I-66 into an electronically tolled bus/HOV/high occupancy toll (HOT) highway. Single occupancy vehicles and HOV-2 vehicles would be tolled in both directions, 24/7. Buses and HOV 3+ vehicles would not be tolled. Optionally, a third travel lane may be added to I-66 in each direction.
• C1. Lane added in each direction on I-66. Peak direction to be bus/HOV 3+ only during peak hours. One reverse peak lane to be bus/HOV 2+ only during peak hours. No off-peak restrictions.
• C2. Lane added in each direction on I-66. Peak direction to be bus/HOV 3+ only during peak hours. All reverse peak lanes to be bus/HOV 2+ only during peak hours. No off-peak restrictions.

Additionally, the study is examining the following options for other roads, means of transportation and services:

• Enhance Route 50 by applying access management principles, adding a bus-only lane in each direction (either new lane or converted shoulder), possibly allowing general traffic on new bus lane during off-peak hours.
• Improve Metro service by adding two interline connections: from the Orange Line to the Blue Line between the Rosslyn/Courthouse and Arlington Cemetery stations, and from the Blue Line to the Yellow Line from the L’Enfant Plaza and Arlington Cemetery/Pentagon stations. Additional connections would “provide operating flexibility for Metrorail and a direct connection between I-66/Dulles Corridor and Pentagon/South Arlington.”
• Add Priority Bus service along I-66, Lee Highway and Route 50 corridors, with 10-minute peak period frequency.
• Implement Transportation Demand Management strategies.
• Enhance or add bike and pedestrian trails, parking (at transit stations) and transit access. Expand bikesharing system.

Anyone with questions about the study can email info@i66multimodalstudy.com or call 1-855-788-3966 (855-STUDY66).

Various lane closures due to work on the new Courthouse interchange could cause some additional traffic headaches starting this weekend.

The Virginia Department of Transportation will be closing up to two of three lanes in each direction of Route 50 from 10th Street to N. Rhodes Street. Those closures will take place at night, from 9:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., starting on Sunday and running through Thursday, February 2. Daytime closures from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. will begin on Monday and continue until Friday, February 3.

VDOT warns drivers that although late night closures don’t officially begin until 9:00 p.m., preparations for the road work could start as early as 7:00 p.m. Drivers should use extra caution in the area and be aware of construction crews.

The $39 million project to redesign the interchange at Route 50, Courthouse Road and 10th Street was launched to improve accessibility and safety in the area. Aesthetic improvements will also be added.

The project’s second phase of utility relocation is scheduled to be finished this spring. The entire project is slated to be completed in fall of 2013.

No Homicides in 2011 — It’s official: for the first time since at least the 1950s, Arlington County did not record a single homicide in 2011.

Another Book Dating Session — The Shirlington Branch Library is holding another Book Dating for Singles session, after the inaugural book dating event in October was deemed a success. This month’s book dating session will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15. Using books as conversation starters, participants will have three-minute “dates” moderated by library staff.

Arlington to Install Real-Time Traffic System — Arlington County is planning to install a real-time traffic system along Route 50. The system will track anonymous Bluetooth information from drivers’ cell phones in order to calculate the time it would take drivers to get from one point to another. [Washington Business Journal]

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) An Arlington police motorcycle officer has been hurt in a crash on Route 50.

The accident happened near the intersection with Garfield Street, around 1:00 p.m. Initial reports suggest that only vehicle — the motorcycle — was involved.

The officer was said to be conscious but “in a lot of pain.” He has been rushed to a local hospital via ambulance.

Currently, the westbound lanes and one eastbound lane of Route 50 get by the accident scene. Cones are being set up and investigators are taking photos of the motorcycle, which is laying on its side.

Update at 1:05 p.m. — Lanes have opened back up on westbound Route 50.

The westbound lanes of Route 50 have been shut down at Washington Boulevard after an accident involving a moped.

The moped rider is said to be conscious and alert after the accident. He’s being taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Drivers should expect significant traffic issues in the area.

(Updated at 8:30 a.m.) A 23-year-old man died early this morning after being struck by a car on Route 50 near Rhodes Street.

Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal says the victim, Arlington resident Zorigoo Munkhbayar, was walking on Route 50 in the Courthouse area for reasons unknown this morning. Around 3:00 a.m., a car struck Munkhbayar and fled the scene, according to police, who were called when a passerby spotted the man’s body.

Police shut down eastbound Route 50 from Washington Boulevard to Rhodes Street to conduct an accident investigation. The road just reopened, but not before causing a major headache for commuters who had to seek an alternate route to the District for much of the morning rush hour.

On Facebook, a man named Zorigoo Munkhbayar is listed as a 2008 Yorktown High School grad, but so far police have not been able to confirm any details about the victim. Police are also not providing a description of the striking vehicle at this time.

Arlington Lauded in The Atlantic — “New data from Arlington County, Virginia, provide an in-depth look at how a jurisdiction known for great planning has leveraged excellent transit service and transit-oriented development into efficient transportation performance.” [The Atlantic, CommuterPage Blog]

Renovated Aurora Hills Library Holds Open House — The newly-renovated Aurora Hills branch library will hold a grand opening next week. Residents are encouraged to attend the open house, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24. There will be several kid-friendly activities, including face painting, balloon animals and storytime. Among the new improvements is a spruced-up lobby and wireless internet access. [Library Blog]

Drainage Pipe Work on Route 50 — Crews are reportedly working to clear a backed-up drainage pipe along Route 50. [Ode Street Tribune]

Green Candidate for School Board — Independent Green candidate Andrea Ochoa has qualified to face off against incumbent Abby Raphael in November’s school board election. The Independent Greens of Virginia web site has Ochoa’s photo but no biography. [Sun Gazette, Independent Greens of Virginia]

Flickr pool photo by Airpolonia

A man holding a huge “Abortion is Murder” sign has been targeting Route 50 commuters in the Rosslyn area this week.

According to tipsters and police dispatches, the man stands along Route 50 during the morning and evening rush hours, holding the graphic sign for all to see.

“You may have already heard about this, and the police knew about it when I called the non-emergency line, but there is a hideous Abortion is Murder banner right before the Rosslyn/Key Bridge exit on Rt. 50 Eastbound,” a tipster told us this morning. “It’s about 10 feet wide, maybe 3 feet tall, and incredibly graphic.”

Another tipster had a few more details.

In the past week, I have seen a white male in his early 30s standing near the Marine Corps Memorial on 50E/50W (Rosslyn exit) holding a large sign of with grotesque pictures of supposedly aborted fetuses at 10 weeks. I have twice seen Arlington or U.S. Park police escorting this man away and asking him to take down the sign. I assume he does not have a permit or it is illegal to protest on federal grounds or in areas that may cause traffic disturbances. But today he found a better hiding place. I really don’t want to give him any publicity, but I don’t appreciate being inundated with those images on my morning and evening commutes.

(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) A Tea Party member from rural Georgia traveled down Route 50 in a horse-drawn covered wagon this afternoon, en route to “get some answers.”

With his travel companion, 33-year-old Missy Wilkerson, and his cattle dog, “Blue,” Ralph Casey is heading to D.C. to get answers for “the Small Businessman” from “someone in charge.” The nearly six week journey through the byways of small town America has garnered media attention, words of encouragement and offers of free food and lodging for the 69-year-old horseshoeing school owner.

Fast-moving traffic was able to maneuver around Casey’s wagon as it traveled at 5 to 10 miles per hour down the highway. Read more about his journey from the Madison County, Va. Eagle newspaper. Casey can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Drivers heading across the Glebe Road/Route 50 bridge are now encountering lane closures and heavier traffic during the day.

The bridge that carries Glebe Road traffic over Route 50 is being replaced over the next 15 months. Initially, we had been told that “any lane closures or shifts… will occur between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.” and that there would be “no major construction impacts… during the day.”

The lane closures, construction activity and traffic backups we saw on either side of the bridge today seem to dispute those initial statements.

Update at 11:50 a.m. — We’re hearing on Twitter that VDOT told attendees at a public meeting that the work underway now — removing the medians leading to the bridge — would possibly take place during the day.

What was once the Lee Center strip mall is now a big, dusty hole in the ground.

Construction is well underway on what is known as the 2201 North Pershing Drive project. When work wraps up in mid-to-late 2012, the $75 million project at Route 50 and Pershing Drive will consist of 188 rental apartments and nearly 33,500 square feet of ground-level retail space.

For now, motorists on Pershing Drive have to put up with regular lane closures, slow-moving construction equipment and flagmen directing traffic.

An individual has been found dead at the Days Inn (2202 Arlington Boulevard), near the intersection of Route 50 and Pershing Drive.

More than a half dozen police cars are on the scene, but so far we’re told that there’s no indication of foul play.

The deceased was found in a room that faces the parking lot in the rear of the hotel