It’s a slow go for commuters on Route 50 and Columbia Pike this morning. And it’s an even slower commute for those on I-395.
Nearly the entire length of northbound I-395 is slow, from the Beltway to the 14th Street Bridge. HOV commuters, however, have it relatively easy.
Update at 11:05 a.m. — We’re hearing that some traffic lights are coming back online in the area.
Update at 11:30 a.m. — Road closures are being lifted. Dominion spokesperson Le-Ha Anderson says power has been restored to most customers in Rosslyn.
Commuters have wet, leaf-slicked roads to deal with this morning, but largely the drive on the highways isn’t much worse than on any other given weekday.
Traffic on I-66 is moving smoothly. I-395 is backed up, per usual, and is moving slowly approaching the 14th Street Bridge.
Arlington police officers positioned themselves at the busy intersection of Wilson Boulevard and North Lynn Street during the morning traffic rush and the lunch time pedestrian rush, in an effort to catch people violating basic traffic safety laws. During the course of the morning rush hour alone, they handed out 33 citations to drivers and gave 50 verbal warnings to pedestrians and cyclists.
The enforcement was part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s eighth annual Street Smart safety campaign, which officially launched today with a lunchtime press conference in Rosslyn.
(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) An office building on the 1500 block of Wilson Boulevard was evacuated around 12:15 this afternoon after smoke started pouring from a shaft in the building’s parking garage.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the small blaze by spraying water from a grate above the garage.
A three-vehicle accident has been reported in the lefthand lanes of westbound Route 50 near the exit to Rosslyn-Key Bridge.
The fire department is on the scene and reporting that one of the vehicles is on fire.
Several lanes of North Glebe Road have been shut down at 14th Street, near the ramp to eastbound I-66, due to a gas leak.
The road is expected to reopen within three hours, we’re told.
The good news is that Metro will be opening at 5:00 a.m., two hours earlier than usual, to accommodate marathon runners and spectators (the race starts at 8:15 a.m.). Metro will be running additional Blue Line trains for much of the day, but the agency says riders should expect the system to be especially busy.
“Customers can expect crowded conditions, especially after the race as people will have to wait in long lines to get back into the rail stations,” Metro said in a statement.
Two students were on board at the time. They were not injured, we hear.
No word on what caused the accident.
Columbia Pike is being shut down near the Navy Annex as Pentagon police investigate a suspicious package at a bus stop. The bus stop is located next to a Department of Defense-run parking lot.
Arlington police will be shutting down Columbia Pike from South Joyce Street to South Orme Street. The ramps from Washington Boulevard may also be shut down.
The traffic lights at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and North Stafford Drive are dark due to a small power outage in the area.
About 100 Dominion customers are affected by the outage. The company expects to get the power back on by 4:00 this afternoon.
Clarendon Boulevard is closed between Scott Street and Rhodes Street due to a water main break.
So far, no word on when the road might reopen. Traffic should be able to continue east on 16th Street and make a left on Quinn Street to get around the closure.
