Update at 8:45 p.m. — Columbia Pike is back open.
Update at 5:50 p.m. — The gas leak has been stopped, the fire department said just after 5:30 p.m. Columbia Pike remains closed to traffic, however, according to traffic cameras.
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gas leak
The westbound lanes of Columbia Pike are closed near Penrose Square due to a gas leak.
It appears that a construction crew working in the roadway struck a gas line. Police, firefighters and Washington Gas crews have responded to the scene.
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(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) The smell of natural gas has been reported in parts of the Westover neighborhood after a major leak.
The leak in a gas transmission line was first reported around 9:30 a.m. on the 1800 block of N. Lexington Street. Initial reports suggest that Arlington’s emergency dispatch center received reports of a gas smell in the nearby Westover library, Cardinal Elementary School and other locations as a result of the leak.
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Update at 3 p.m. — The road has reopened, per police radio traffic.
A portion of S. Walter Reed Drive is closed due to a gas line rupture.
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(Updated at 9:15 p.m.) A busy set of highway ramps were shut down in Ballston due to a construction mishap.
A construction crew accidentally ruptured a large, 6-inch gas line along the 4600 block of Fairfax Drive, in front of the Holiday Inn hotel.
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(Updated at 11:40 a.m.) Firefighters are on scene of a large gas line rupture near Rocky Run Park, in Courthouse.
Initial reports suggest that a 3-inch natural gas line was accidentally struck by construction workers near the intersection of N. Barton Street and 11th Street N.
Local Home Sales, Prices Up — “The average price of a detached, single-family house that sold in Arlington County, Virginia, in December was $1,258,648. That is 17% more than the average price a year earlier, according to the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.” [WTOP]
Crystal City Office Tower Sells for $188M — “The building at 1400 Crystal Drive, totaling 308,000 square feet, was sold in late December by affiliates of Lincoln Property Co. for $188.5 million, or $612 per square foot, to Starwood Capital Group, according to Arlington County property records.” [Washington Business Journal]
All lanes of Columbia Pike are blocked due to a large gas leak.
The leak is along the Pike near S. Scott Street and a number of large apartment buildings. Police, firefighters and Washington Gas crews are on scene, repairing the leak and checking nearby buildings for elevated levels of natural gas.
Pentagon City Metro Elevator Update — From Arlington Transit: “On Sun., Sept. 19, the bus stop serving ART 42, 74, 84 & 87, Metrobus 7A & 22A, and Fairfax Connector 599 (AM) will temporarily be relocated south on S Hayes St. due construction of Pentagon City Metro second elevator.” [Twitter]
Huffpost Calls Arlington GOP Tweet ‘Racist’ — “In a racist tweet Monday that was promptly ratioed into the shame museum, the Arlington County Republican Committee in Virginia suggested that two Democratic congresswomen of color should retire and go work as lobbyists for the Taliban… ‘This tweet isn’t about race ― it’s about the Squad’s constant support for anti-American sentiment abroad,’ the Arlington GOP tweeted.” [Huffpost]
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(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Two women were rescued by firefighters this afternoon in dramatic fashion, after a gas leak was discovered in their home along Columbia Pike.
The rescues happened shortly before 3:30 p.m., after police were called to the house at the intersection of the Pike and S. Rolfe Street for a welfare check.
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(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) Residents have been evacuated from homes in the Rock Spring neighborhood due to a “major outside gas leak.”
Williamsburg Blvd is currently closed between George Mason Drive and N. Harrison Street, near Williamsburg Middle School.