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BREAKING: Climate protesters block GW Parkway

Heavy traffic on the GW Parkway due to protest (via Google Maps)

The northbound lanes of the GW Parkway are blocked near Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington due to a protest.

Climate protesters associated with the group Declare Emergency blocked the busy commuter route shortly before 8:45 a.m.

U.S. Park Police officers are on the scene.

Northbound traffic on the Parkway is backed up to Spout Run.

Update at 9:25 a.m. — Traffic is starting to move again, according to WTOP and USPP.

Hat tip to Alan Henney. Map via Google Maps.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Major backups on GW Parkway after crash near Key Bridge

Backups from crash on GW Parkway (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) All southbound lanes of the GW Parkway are blocked by a crash near Key Bridge.

Drivers should expect significant delays in the area, with the backup in the southbound lanes now extending to Chain Bridge.

The parkway has been the scene of numerous crashes around a bend in the road near the bridge, especially during rainy weather days like today.

In another rainy GW Parkway crash earlier today, a vehicle ran off the northbound GW lanes and into the woods near Windy Run. Three occupants were able to get out of the car, per scanner traffic, and at least two were hospitalized.

Map via Google Maps

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GW Parkway to again close for removal of wrecked car near river

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The northbound lanes of the GW Parkway will be closed this Sunday between Spout Run in Arlington and Chain Bridge Road in McLean.

The closure, from about 6 a.m.-4 p.m., is for the removal of “an abandoned vehicle that is below the road near the Potomac River.”

From the National Park Service:

On Sunday, March 5, 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) will close both northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway to remove an abandoned vehicle that is below the road near the Potomac River. The NPS expects to close the lanes between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Spout Run Parkway to Chain Bridge Road, VA 123. The southbound lanes will remain open. The NPS will also temporarily close parts of the Potomac Heritage Trail near the vehicle for up to half an hour at a time while the work is happening.

The abandoned vehicle is located below the parkway next to the Potomac River near Donaldson Run. The car left the road during a snowstorm in January of 2022. The driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash and rescue happened during snowy conditions on Jan. 3, 2022.

“The driver — the only occupant of the vehicle — was trapped inside the car and suspended upside down, with a broken arm and leg, according to initial reports,” ARLnow reported at the time. “After being extricated from the vehicle, the man is now being brought to a waiting ambulance at Columbia Island Marina via D.C. fire boat.”

This is not the first time in recent memory such a closure of the Parkway has been planned. Indeed, drivers have been running down the Parkway’s steep embankments with some regularity, posing logistical challenges for the Park Service.

In March 2021, a portion of the GW Parkway was closed over the weekend as crews remove two vehicles that ran down embankments and crashed near the river.

Other such crashes since the start of 2021 include:

The northern portion of the Parkway, where many of the crashes have taken place, is in line for a significant rehabilitation project. As we previously reported:

For the first time since it was built in the early 1960s, the northern section of the GW Parkway will be getting a major overhaul.

The National Park Service announced yesterday that it had awarded a $161 million contract to rehabilitate the Parkway from Spout Run in Arlington to the Capital Beltway in McLean. After a design process in 2022, construction is expected to take place between 2023 and 2025.

Drivers are being cautioned that there will be traffic impacts during construction.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) touted the project in a statement, saying such work is overdue. This stretch of the Parkway has had to close at least three times over the past seven years due to sinkholes.

The Park Service, in today’s press release, noted that the Parkway has turned into a major commuter and travel artery, after first being envisioned as a scenic parkway.

The George Washington Memorial Parkway is a scenic roadway and memorial to the first president of the United States. When the NPS completed the northern part of the parkway in 1962, the NPS used the most up-to-date road engineering methods by integrating a wide, gently curving roadway with a grassy median, low stone guide walls and soaring steel-and-concrete arched bridges. Today the George Washington Memorial Parkway facilitates travel for more than 33 million vehicles per year, with the northern section seeing the heaviest traffic of about 85,000 daily users.

As a critical link in the national capital region’s transportation network, closing the parkway is never a decision the NPS makes lightly.

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Maryland man pleads guilty to road rage incident on GW Parkway

Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)

A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to assault after he threatened and stole the keys of a dump truck driver following a crash on the GW Parkway.

The road rage incident happened on Nov. 1 along the Arlington portion of the Parkway. It was prosecuted in federal court since it happened on National Park Service land.

The 58-year-old perpetrator also smashed the window of the dump truck with a baseball bat, federal prosecutors said, leading to the assault charge. He faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty, though actual sentences are usually lower.

More from a U.S. Justice Department press release, below.

A Frederick, Maryland, man pleaded guilty yesterday to assault with a deadly weapon.

According to court documents, Juan Marcus Smith, 58, was driving on the George Washington Memorial Parkway when a motor vehicle accident occurred between his vehicle and a dump truck driven by the victim. Smith pulled in front of the dump truck and brought his vehicle to a complete stop in the righthand lane of the Parkway. He walked over to the victim’s truck, opened the driver’s side door, and brandished a knife while attempting to retrieve the keys to the victim’s dump truck. Smith then returned to his vehicle, recovered a baseball bat, and went back to the victim’s dump truck and struck the driver’s side window, shattering the window while the victim sat inside.

When officers with the United States Park Police arrived at the scene, they found Smith standing outside his vehicle holding the key to the dump truck in the air. They also recovered a folding knife from Smith’s pant pocket and a baseball bat from the back seat of Smith’s vehicle.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on May 25. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Stock, Acting Chief of U.S. Park Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia T. Giles accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bibeane Metsch are prosecuting the case.

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Another overturned vehicle crash at the usual spot on the GW Parkway

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(Updated at 11 a.m.) There was yet another crash this morning involving an overturned vehicle in the “usual spot” on the GW Parkway.

Today’s wreck was reported around 8 a.m. on the northbound lanes of the GW Parkway, in a bend in the road near the Key Bridge. No one in the overturned SUV was trapped and only minor injuries were reported, according to scanner traffic.

The crash resulted in lane closures and backed up traffic on the Parkway for part of the morning rush hour.

This particular portion of the Parkway, as evidenced by the pockmarked stone wall and ripped-up grass, has seen numerous crash, particular when the roadway is wet.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) has been in touch with the National Park Service about safety on the GW Parkway, a spokesman told ARLnow this morning.

“Congressman Beyer’s office is in regular communication with NPS to improve safety including in that section of the parkway,” said Deputy Chief of Staff Aaron Fritschner. “The [Park Service] has indicated it is working to adjust signage to slow speeds in that specific area, which Rep. Beyer fully supports. The topography in that area makes any major structural road changes extremely difficult.”

ARLnow reported on recent crashes there on Oct. 2, Oct. 4, Oct. 5 (with overturned vehicle), and Oct. 31 (also with overturned vehicle). Other notable crashes nearby on the GW Parkway but not in that exact spot have been reported in February (with overturned vehicle and critical injury), November, and yesterday afternoon (with overturned vehicle).

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NPS announces plans to improve safety along Mount Vernon Trail through Arlington

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The National Park Service is starting to work on plans to improve safety along the portion of the Mount Vernon Trail that winds through Arlington County.

South of the City of Alexandria, in Fairfax County, it will make similar improvements to the trail and reconstruct that portion of the GW Parkway.

The 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail runs from Mount Vernon in Fairfax County to Roosevelt Island near Rosslyn, passing by Crystal City as it parallels the GW Parkway. NPS says it is time to address deferred maintenance needs and safety along the entirety of the 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail and the southern portion of the 15.2-mile GW Parkway.

“The road and trail improvements being considered would enhance the visitor experience for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists,” the NPS project webpage says. “Potential improvements to the road include the implementation of a road, crosswalks and intersection changes. Potential safety enhancements for the trail would include potential trail widening and intersection improvements.”

Plans to widen the trail come two years after a report was released recommending this change due to heavy use and crash risks.

“The MVT is beginning to show its age, from deteriorating pavement and bridges, to limited accessibility features, and outdated signage and striping,” the report says. “These attributes, combined with increasing usage and user behavior, contribute to risk exposure and considerable crash history.”

For instance, from 2006-10, there were 225 reported bike and pedestrian crashes on the trail.

Crash locations along the Mount Vernon Trail in Arlington (via National Park Service)

The report also found the trail has “meandering curves, timber bridges, and in some areas, dense vegetation.”

While controlled by the National Park Service, over time local volunteers have stepped up in an attempt to keep it clean and safe for users amid sparse maintenance from the park service.

NPS says it aims to provide solutions that maintain the parkway’s “scenic and historic character,” and an assessment will determine the potential environmental impact of the changes.

“The Plan is needed to help preserve the historic parkway for future generations, improve the visitor experience, reduce annual park operations and maintenance costs, and improve visitor safety,” writes GW Parkway Superintendent Charles Cuvelier in a public notice of an upcoming meeting about the project.

A virtual public meeting presenting initial plan alternatives will be held on Dec. 6 from 7-8:30 pm. There is no need to pre-register.

“Engaging with you is a critical part of our preliminary engineering and planning process,” the press release said. “Your feedback will be used to refine project designs and to support the analysis of any environmental impacts.”

The website has more information on how to join the meeting:

At the time of the meeting, click the link to join on your computer or mobile device and enter the Webinar ID (Webinar ID: 314-024-315) and your email. If you do not have Go-To-Webinar, you will be prompted to install a small file to your computer or download the app on your mobile device.

You can call into the meeting (no video) using the toll-free phone number and conference ID:

Call in number: (877) 309-2074

Phone Conference ID: 278-447-448

After the meeting, comments will be accepted from Dec. 6 through Jan. 4, 2023.

NPS last made changes to this stretch of the parkway and trail in 2012 to improve safety near the Memorial Circle and at several crossings. Changes included replacing signs, installing rumble strips, painting directional symbols and moving a crosswalk.

Although the plan’s scope only addresses the stretch of the Mount Vernon Trail through Arlington, the GW Parkway through Arlington sees its fair share of crashes.

Less than a week ago, a car drove off the GW Parkway and into the Potomac River near Columbia Island Marina and the Humpback Bridge. One occupant died and the other occupant was hospitalized.

One hotspot on the GW Parkway, near Key Bridge, frequently sees overturned vehicles during rainy weather.

The park service is currently in the midst of a major rehabilitation of the northern section of the GW Parkway that passes through Arlington and Fairfax County.

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BREAKING: One dead after car plunges into Potomac

(Updated at 11:25 p.m.) At least two people have been pulled from the water on an icy cold night after a car drove into the Potomac along the GW Parkway.

The crash was first reported around 9:30 p.m., near Columbia Island Marina and the Humpback Bridge. It was not immediately clear how the car ended up in the water.

Initial reports suggest that one person was quickly able to get out of the water, possibly with the assistance of U.S. Park Police. They were taken to a local hospital via ambulance.

Another person was reported to be trapped and was taken to a hospital in critical condition after a rescue operation and CPR being performed on shore. NBC 4 reported tonight that that person has died.

Arlington County firefighters and D.C. fireboats assisted with the rescue operation alongside Park Police. Rescuers also searched the water for a possible third victim, according to scanner traffic.

“The two occupants were located and removed from the vehicle in the water,” ACFD said via social media. “Both were transported to area hospitals, one with life-threatening injuries.”

The northbound lanes of the Parkway are expected to remain closed until after midnight, according to Arlington Alert, likely as a result of the crash investigation. As of publication fire department personnel were in the process of clearing from the scene.

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Multi-vehicle wreck reported on southbound GW Parkway near Key Bridge

Location of crash on the GW Parkway (via Google Maps)

A crash involving three vehicles, one of which ran into the woods, has been reported in the southbound lanes of the GW Parkway.

The crash happened around 3 p.m., south of Key Bridge. So far, no serious injuries have been reported, but at one car was said to have gone well off the road and into a wooded area.

Southbound traffic on the Parkway is currently backed up past Spout Run

This afternoon’s wreck did not happen in the “usual spot” for rainy day crashes, on the northbound GW Parkway north of Key Bridge, but it did happen at a bend in the road amid rainy weather.

Map via Google Maps

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NEW: Another rainy day GW Parkway rollover crash near Key Bridge

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A well-known spot for rainy day crashes has claimed more vehicular victims.

The crash happened around 11 a.m. on the northbound GW Parkway near Key Bridge, and involves one vehicle — which appears to be a pickup truck — on its side near the stone wall. The bend in the two-lane stretch of parkway has been the scene of repeated crashes, particularly when it rains.

This is at least the sixth such crash in this spot since June, and that only counts those that have been reported by ARLnow. Four of the six crashes involved overturned vehicles.

Initial reports suggested that the latest crash involved two vehicles, though the exact circumstances are unclear. All occupants of the overturned vehicle were able to get out before firefighters arrived on scene, according to scanner traffic.

No serious injuries were reported. Northbound traffic on the GW Parkway is currently backed up past the Roosevelt Bridge.

Map via Google Maps. Jo DeVoe contributed to this report.

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Yet another overturned vehicle on GW Parkway at Key Bridge

Map showing crash on GW Parkway (via Google Maps)

It happened again.

Amid rainy weather, a vehicle crashed and overturned on the northbound GW Parkway near Key Bridge, at a bend in the road that — as we reported yesterday — has been the scene of numerous crashes. This is at least the third crash at that location in the past three days.

The crash occurred shortly before 8:45 a.m. The driver was able to get out of the overturned vehicle and no serious injuries have been reported, according to scanner traffic.

Drivers should expect significant backups on the northbound GW Parkway south of the bridge as a result of the crash.

Many commuter routes in Arlington are currently experiencing heavy traffic due to the rain, crashes, and — in the case of inbound traffic heading over the Key Bridge — a demonstration in D.C.

Map via Google Maps

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County seeks feedback on updated concept for Crystal City-DCA bridge

The proposed bridge between Crystal City and DCA at its starting point in the planned Virginia Railway Express station (courtesy of Arlington County)

It’s a little less park-like than New York City’s High Line, but Arlington County has come up with a concept for new pedestrian bridge from Crystal City to National Airport.

Now, it is asking people to share their feedback.

Over the past year, the county, the Virginia Department of Transportation and a Boston-based civil engineering firm have evaluated 16 possible bridge and tunnel connections across active train tracks, the GW Parkway and National Park Service land.

After concluding the site could not accommodate tunnel entrances, VDOT and the county were left to consider two bridges. Today (Tuesday), Arlington launched a public engagement period for a preferred alternative, moving the needle forward on what’s being called the Crystal City to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Multimodal Connection project — or CC2DCA.

The county proposes starting the bridge at the planned Virginia Railway Express Crystal City station at 2011 Crystal Drive  and ending in the second level of DCA’s Terminal 2 parking garage.

If built, it would take about five minutes to walk the 1,300 feet from the station to the airport, per a press release from the National Landing Business Improvement District.

The proposed Crystal City to DCA bridge starting point at the planned Virginia Railway Express station (courtesy of Arlington County)

The bridge would be an enclosed girder bridge running perpendicular to the rail tracks.

Then, the CC2DCA would run at an angle over the GW Parkway.

Initially, the county considered an arch bridge, but a bridge supported with girders would allow the county to link the connector with the Mount Vernon Trail without re-aligning it, per a staff presentation.

The bridge segment over the GW Parkway (courtesy of Arlington County)

Once it links up with DCA’s Terminal 2 parking garage, pedestrians would have a dedicated walkway through the garage to the terminal. This path would eliminate 40 parking spaces, according to the presentation.

The bridge segment over the GW Parkway and linking to DCA’s Terminal 2 parking garage (courtesy of Arlington County)

Ballpark estimates put the project at $43 million, the presentation said. So far, CC2DCA already has over $38 million in committed funds.

Now through Nov. 6, people can share their feedback in English, Spanish and Chinese, attend a public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, or submit comments via email, according to the project webpage.

“The team is sharing concepts to make sure needs and priorities are aligned,” Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Claudia Pors tells ARLnow. “This is the preferred recommended alternative to date, but it hasn’t been approved by any agencies as of now.”

After collecting public feedback, the county plans to present its recommendation to federal agencies in December, Pors said.

The preferred alternative could be confirmed by next spring and the design phase could start by the end of 2023, per the National Landing BID press release.

The second-place contender would have started at 2231 Crystal Drive and ended at the third level of the Terminal 2 parking garage. Staff ultimately decided against it because it was projected to cost $64.5 million, would eliminate 130 parking spaces at the airport and it would not be as centrally located for rail users, per the staff presentation.

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