It’s very slow-going on I-66 this morning. The westbound lanes are currently backed up from Rosslyn to Great Falls Street due to an accident.
The accident was earlier reported to be blocking two lanes just before the Dulles Toll Road. Significant delays remain.
As a reminder, several major highways in Virginia will be shut down this afternoon to accommodate more than 1,800 motorcyclists participating in the America’s 9/11 Foundation Memorial Ride.
Among the highways expected to be shut down in Arlington during the ride this afternoon are eastbound I-66 and Route 110. The bikers’ ultimate destination is the Double Tree Hotel in Pentagon City, where they will be holding a street fair with a performance by country music artist Aaron Tippin from 6:30 to 9:30 tonight.
According to an email from Arlington Alerts, police are planning on shutting down eastbound I-66 from the Beltway to Route 110, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
“The [police] escort is being provided to ensure the safety of all motorists along the path of travel,” the email said. “It is recommended that anyone who travels along this route take alternate routes to their destination during this period. It is anticipated I-66 will be reopened by 4:00 pm at the beltway to minimize the impact on rush hour traffic.”
The car, said to be a Volkswagen bug, was fully engulfed between I-66 and the entrance ramp from Lee Highway when firefighters arrived on the scene, just before 8:45 p.m.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before causing a backup. All lanes of eastbound I-66 were blocked for a time.
A tractor trailer fire in Fairfax County may tie up rush hour traffic on I-66 this evening.
A truck carrying hay caught fire near Route 123 this afternoon. The hay quickly became fully-engulfed, leaving a smoldering mess that forced authorities to close all westbound lanes of I-66. At least two Bobcat front loaders have been brought in to help with the firefighting and clean-up efforts.
Westbound I-66 is slow from Rosslyn to Falls Church. Meanwhile, northbound I-395 is jammed from Glebe Road to the 14th Street Bridge.
In addition to heavy traffic, we’ve also spotted packs of Rolling Thunder motorcyclists heading into town for the annual Memorial Day weekend gathering.
Update at 2:35 p.m. — The worker has been transported to the hospital and the scene is being cleared.
A worker was reportedly struck in the head by a piece of construction material near the Patrick Henry Drive overpass on I-66.
Police are on the scene of a deer found lying in the middle of I-66.
The deer was hit and killed by a vehicle near Sycamore Street, where I-66 was shut down yesterday morning due to multiple accidents caused by deer in the roadway.
WUSA is reporting that the highway was closed from 5:00 to 6:30 a.m. due to multiple chain-reaction crashes caused by deer running onto the roadway.
Deer-vehicle collisions are becoming increasingly common in the United States. Between 2007 and 2009, the number of reported crashes involving deer rose 18.3 percent compared to the period five years prior.
Arlington’s Highway Bottlenecks — An annual report on traffic congestion is out and Arlington has claimed two of the three worst traffic bottlenecks in the region. Westbound I-66 in Arlington, northbound I-395 in Arlington ranked and eastbound I-66 in Fairfax County rounded out the top three spots. [Washington Post]
Colony House Sells to Developer — The Colony House furniture store on Lee Highway has been sold to Bethesda-based developer B.F. Saul for $5.6 million. The company, which developed the Clarendon Center project, says it hasn’t decided what to do with the site yet. In January, we reported that Colony House’s owner is hoping to find a new Arlington location for the store. [Washington Business Journal]
An overturned vehicle is tying up traffic on westbound eastbound I-66.
A car flipped on its roof in the eastbound lanes near Great Falls Street just before 2:30 this afternoon. Initial reports suggest paramedics are evaluating at least one patient. Firefighters are working to reach another person who’s trapped in the vehicle.
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.
