Update at 9:30 a.m. — The accident has been cleared and Columbia Pike has reopened.
Westbound Columbia Pike has been shut down in front of the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse due to a truck fire.
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lane closure
The lane closure lasted about 10 months longer than originally anticipated. The utility work was performed in preparation for VDOT’s Courthouse interchange project, which is expected to get underway this month.
A tipster says the jersey walls separating the two righthand lanes of westbound Route 50 from the newly-paved lefthand lane were removed during the day on Friday.
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Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management issued the following statement tonight regarding a water main break in Lyon Park.
Commuters should avoid the intersection of Pershing Drive and N. Barton Street due to a water main repair now underway. Pershing Drive between Wayne Street and N. Barton Street is one travel lane with flaggers. Access from Barton Street onto Pershing Drive is affected. The break occured today during the installation of a new 12-inch water main. One residential block of N. Barton Street from Pershing Drive to N. 9th Street and a small number of businesses in the 2200 block of N. Pershing Drive have been notified that they will remain without water while repairs are made into the evening.
The construction cone slalom on Columbia Pike has converged into one relatively narrow, pock-marked chute of two-way traffic.
On one side of the Pike, two lanes are blocked by much-needed repaving work. On the other side, next to the still under-construction Penrose Square development, one lane is blocked by Dominion trucks that are preparing to replace an underground transformer that apparently blew this morning (a tipster reports hearing a large bang and seeing a flash in the area around 9:30 a.m.).
On-going utility work has kept the far left-hand westbound lane closed well past its originally planned July 2010 reopening date. We heard in September that the lane would likely be closed through the end of last year. Alas, construction crews are still working and westbound Route 50 is still reduced to just two lanes.
VDOT spokeswoman Jennifer McCord says the lane will reopen in mid-April “if the weather cooperates.”
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An accident between two large trucks is partially blocking the busy intersection of Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive.
One of the trucks involved is a large car carrier. One minor injury has been reported.
Eastbound Route 50 is down to one lane between Carlin Springs Road and Henderson Road due to paving.
The lane closure is expected to be lifted around 4:00 p.m., after the roadwork concludes.
Road crews are out in force on and around Columbia Pike today.
At Columbia Pike and South Wakefield Street, a contractor is laying down lane striping in the middle of the Pike. Traffic is down to one lane in each direction. The good news is that this torn-up section of the Pike has recently gotten a few patches of fresh asphalt to smooth out what were some pretty nasty bumps.
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The lane closure, put into place to facilitate a utility relocation project, was originally supposed to be lifted in July. Now, it will likely be in place through the end of the year.
Washington Gas will wrap up their portion of the utility work by the end of October or beginning of November, according to VDOT utility relocation manager Matthew McLaughlin. Then it’s expected that Dominion will start a two-month installation of an underground electrical conduit. The existing lane closure will stay in place during that time.
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Update on 8/20 — The water main repair work has been completed, but crews are now working on a gas main leak in the same area. One lane is blocked in each direction.
Expect a slowdown on South Glebe Road between Columbia Pike and the Route 50 tonight, as crews work to repair a water main.
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Update at 11:20 a.m. — Per DC Fire & EMS: The injured worker has been extricated and is being taken via fire boat to a waiting ambulance at the Columbia Island Marina. Most of the emergency vehicles on the bridge have cleared out, although the lane restrictions have not been lifted yet.
Update at 11:45 a.m. — All lanes on the bridge have reopened.
The closure, for a utility relocation project, is the first step of an effort to improve the notorious Route 50-Courthouse Road interchange.
VDOT may put additional temporary lane closures in place as needed. Drivers advised to expect delays in the area.