At least a half dozen cars suffered flat tires after hitting a big pothole on southbound I-395 this morning.
The pothole is located in the left lane between the 14th Street Bridge and the exit for Route 1, according to VDOT spokeswoman Jennifer McCord.
Update at 2:30 p.m. — This story has been corrected. A previous version of the story stated that the ART bus accident happened at Route 1 and 23rd Street and involved one minor injury. In fact, the Route 1 accident did not involve the bus. The bus accident happened as described below.
An ART bus was involved in an accident near Ft. Myer just before 10:30 this morning.
Update at 8:55 a.m. — Both westbound lanes have been reopened. Traffic is starting to move again.
Traffic is backed up on westbound I-66 from Sycamore Street to North Scott Street due to a multi-car accident.
Numerous reports of downed power lines, toppled trees, dislodged traffic signs and blowing debris are coming in.
Among the reports we’re following right now:
Over the winter, crews narrowed the portion of Joyce Street from 15th Street to 16th Street. A sidewalk was added to the side of the road facing Virginia Highlands Park, and the width of the street was reduced from 40 feet to about 35 feet.
The changes were intended as traffic calming measures. Narrower streets, the county says, encourage drivers to slow down.
Right now it’s clear sailing in Arlington on I-395, I-66, Route 1, Route 50 and Columbia Pike. Traffic volume has remained light and no major problems are reported.
Many side streets are still covered in a thin frozen glaze, but are passable.
Arlington firefighters are on the scene of a car fire on westbound I-66 near Westmoreland Street.
The fire appears to have been extinguished. One lane of traffic is currently getting by.
DDOT and PEPCO say they’ll be testing power circuits on the bridge between midnight and 2:00 a.m. They’re warning that the testing “will cause streetlights and overhead sign lights to turn off at various times throughout the test period.”
All three spans — northbound, southbound and HOV — will be affected.
The main lanes of I-395 are backed up in Virginia from the 14th Street Bridge to the Springfield interchange due to fire activity in the District.
A fire at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center prompted a large emergency response that shut down 14th Street between Constitution Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. The fire, which originated in the building’s kitchen and spread through the ductwork, is now under control. Fire equipment has been clearing the scene and 14th Street will likely reopen soon — but that’s little solace to the thousands currently crawling along on I-395.
Update at 7:50 p.m. — All lane closures except one northbound lane on Glebe Road have been lifted.
Both directions of Glebe Road have been shut down and one lane of westbound Route 50 has been blocked due to chunks of concrete falling off the overpass.
(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) For some reason, a number of highway and arterial road on-ramps in Arlington County seem to have been designed with little consideration to driver safety.
Whether they’re positioned just after a bend in the highway, obstructing the view of on-coming vehicles, or whether there’s precious little room for drivers entering the highway to get up to speed with on-coming traffic — or both — we’ve picked the following four on-ramps as the most dangerous in Arlington.
Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton announced today that the state is no longer pursuing its I-395 HOT lanes plan, which the county blocked by filing suit in 2009. VDOT is also canceling plans to upgrade the Shirlington and Eads Street interchanges.
Just hours before the project’s demise was first revealed by the Washington Post, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman sent a five-page letter to two top Virginia lawmakers further explaining Arlington’s effort to block the HOT lanes project.
