Police, fire firefighters and paramedics are on the scene, just south of Washington Boulevard. Paramedics are said to be evaluating several injuries, but so far no serious injuries have been reported.
Southbound traffic on both the mainline and HOV lanes of I-395 is very heavy approaching the accident. One lane of HOV traffic is now slowly squeezing by the scene.
Happy Fat Tuesday — It’s Fat Tuesday, the traditional day of feasting (or partying) before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. To celebrate the occasion, the annual Clarendon Mardi Gras parade will be held tonight, starting at 8:00 p.m. See our list of local Mardi Gras happenings for additional festivities around Arlington.
Three Arrested After Ballston Fight — Three suspects were arrested following a fight near the Ballston Metro station Monday evening. The fight broke out in the area of Fairfax Drive and N. Stuart Street. Fairfax Drive was partially blocked by police vehicles following the incident. Additional details were not immediately available.
The incident happened at 11:00 a.m., near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and S. Uhle Street in the Penrose neighborhood.
“There were no injuries reported and ACPD remain on scene conducting an investigation,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
Traffic heading toward I-395 on southbound Washington Boulevard is slow due to an accident.
The accident involves at least two cars and two injuries, according to scanner traffic.
The northbound lanes of the GW Parkway are closed between the Airport Access Road and Slaters Lane in Alexandria following a serious crash.
Around 10:30 a.m., a vehicle somehow lost control and entered the median strip between the southbound and northbound lanes, near Daingerfield Island. The lone occupant, an adult male, was ejected from the vehicle, according to U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser. The victim was flown by Park Police to a local trauma center with what are being described as “serious injuries.”
Parks Department Shortens Name — The Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources is now just the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation. The “Cultural Resources” part of the name was dropped after the Cultural Affairs Division (and Artisphere) was moved over to the county’s Arlington Economic Development department.
Doctor Threatens Suit Against VSP for ‘Racial Slurs’ — A Florida doctor is contemplating a lawsuit against Virginia State Police for alleged civil rights violations following an accident. The incident started on July 3, 2011, when Dr. Maria Ferrer crashed her car into an HOV gate on I-395 in Arlington. Dr. Ferrer says two VSP troopers arrived on scene and, at one point, used racial slurs before citing her for traffic violations. [NBC Washington]
Police shut down Quincy Street from Washington Boulevard to Fairfax Drive while conducting their investigation. Although it’s currently unclear if icy roads contributed to the accident, a salt and sand truck was called to the scene due to police reports of ice.
Drivers are reminded to use extra caution because this week’s quick temperature drop has caused ice to form on certain streets that may not traditionally be known for icy conditions.
An SUV lost control and flipped over on a busy Courthouse street this afternoon.
Initial reports suggest the Ford Escape SUV experienced a mechanical problem that caused the throttle to become stuck as it turned onto Courthouse Road. According to witnesses, the vehicle hit a curb, flipped over, hit two sidewalk trees, hit the front of a BMW, and came to rest near Bayou Bakery, one block from Arlington County Police headquarters.
The traffic light sat the busy Clarendon intersection of Washington Boulevard, 10th Street and Fillmore Street is expected to remain dark throughout the morning rush hour following a car accident Thursday night.
Around 7:15 last night a car hopped the curb and took out the traffic signal control box near the Virginia ABC store. One minor injury was reported.
Rehabbed Bridge to Be More Ped-Friendly — Arlington County is preparing to rehabilitate the Carlin Springs Road bridge over George Mason Drive, and the bridge’s chosen design will make it much more pedestrian-friendly. Currently, the bridge only has a pair of 5 foot sidewalks. The new bridge will have 8 foot sidewalks and 5 foot bike lanes on either side, but with narrower lanes for cars and no center divider. [Greater Greater Washington]
Arlington HQ’d Firm Gets New Name — The security contractor formerly known as Blackwater — now headquartered in Arlington — has a new name. The company’s name was changed to ‘Xe’ about three years ago, amid controversy over Blackwater’s role in civilian deaths in Iraq. On Monday the name was changed again, to ‘Academi.’ [Washington Post]
Traffic is very slow on the entire length of westbound I-66, from Rosslyn to the Toll Road. The backups are so bad that there are reports that ancillary backups have formed on some main local roads that connect with I-66 on-ramps, like Sycamore Street, Washington Boulevard and Glebe Road. Route 110 is also said to be jammed as a result of the I-66 traffic.
Via Twitter, several I-66 commuters have said that the slow traffic has added 30 or more minutes to their westbound commute.
A three-to-four vehicle accident involving Metrobus occurred at the intersection of Army Navy Drive and S. Hayes Street, in Pentagon City, just after 3:00 this afternoon.
Two injuries were reported, but at least initially there were no injuries reported on the bus.
