The pope has brought joy, love and ridiculously light traffic to the Washington area.
During this morning’s rush hour, major commuter highways like I-395 and I-66 had about as much traffic as they might at 4 a.m. on a Sunday. Those who commute to D.C. from Virginia apparently decided to just stay home while large swaths of the District are closed for Pope Francis’ visit.
Fears of a traffic apocalypse as a result of Pope Francis’ visit were apparently unfounded.
Traffic on all highways in Arlington is flowing freely, with the possible exception of accident-related backups on westbound I-66.
“The Arlington County Police Department may be closing several streets near the Rosslyn and Pentagon City Metro stations on Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24… as a result of the papal visit,” police said. “Road closures may be in effect from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on September 23 and 24, and will ONLY take place in the event of a large pedestrian walkout from Washington, D.C.”
The closures would be put in place on the following roads in Rosslyn:
Update at 3:55 p.m. — The problems on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines will continue through the evening rush hour, Metro says.
Earlier: Those commuting to D.C. via the Blue, Orange and Silver lines are having a slow and sometimes chaotic go of it this morning due to a fire in the District.
The event is being held at Rosslyn’s Gateway Park in two sessions, one from 1-4 p.m. and the other from 7-10 p.m. Organized in part by Project DC Events, best known for their Clarendon bar crawls, the festival will feature more than 60 craft brews and live music.
More than 30 breweries are expected to participate, including Flying Dog from Frederick, Maryland, Old Ox Brewery from Ashburn and D.C. breweries Atlas Brew Works and DC Brau. Tickets are now $35-45.
As of 1:15 p.m., Lorcom Lane had reopened to traffic, except for the right yield lane from Lee Highway. Crews were on scene fixing the pole.
The cause of the fire may have been a couple wires touching, said a Dominion worker. There were no flames when the worker arrived on scene, but wires can spark, he said.
Traffic delays are expected on Williamsburg Blvd as the county builds a new water main under the road.
“The County is building new water mains and modifying pipes to the Minor Hill Reservoir site and its four underground storage tanks. The projects will improve the water system’s reliability and redundancy at our most critical and largest water storage area,” said county spokeswoman Jessica Baxter.
(Updated at 6:20 p.m.) It’s slow going for drivers and bicyclists on the stretch of Wilson Blvd between N. Wayne and N. Adams Street in Courthouse, as two construction projects are underway.
Wilson Blvd is currently down to one lane, with cars navigating through traffic cones, due to construction on the new Hyatt Place hotel and a county project to install fiber optic cables below the street, said county spokeswoman Jessica Baxter.
Multiple roads will be closed in Arlington this weekend due to a 9/11 memorial race, a triathlon and festivals.
The 14th annual Arlington Police, Fire and Sheriff 9/11 Memorial 5K Race on Saturday will shut down some streets around the Pentagon.
Starting tomorrow, drivers should prepare for possible delays when traveling to Reagan National Airport from Crystal City or the southbound GW Parkway.
The National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration are planning to begin maintenance on the Route 233 bridge, which connects Jefferson Davis Highway in the Crystal City area to the airport. An off-ramp from the southbound lanes of the GW Parkway also connects to the bridge.
Starting Monday morning, commuters will have to find an alternate route to get from the GW Parkway to the Key Bridge.
National Park Service will close the ramp from southbound GW Parkway to Key Bridge starting before rush hour Monday morning and running through Friday, Aug. 28. The ramp will reopen Saturday morning, said NPS spokesman Aaron LaRocca.
Arlington Ridge Road will be closed Friday while crews connect new properties to a main water line.
The road will be closed between 19th Road S. and 23rd Street S. from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. for water service installation.
