Chain Bridge Road is expected to remain shut down for the next half an hour as firefighters work to rescue a man trapped in a van that knocked over a utility pole.
Initial reports suggest the driver of a delivery van knocked over a utility pole while backing out of a driveway on the 100 block of Chain Bridge Road, just north of Chain Bridge. Live power lines fell on the van, trapping the driver inside.
The W&OD Trail will be closed next Tuesday between Carlin Springs Road and the Bluemont Junction Trail due to overhead work on power lines.
The trail will close starting at 5:00 a.m. on Dec. 14, and is expected to reopen the following day.
Dominion is holding a public meeting from 5:00 to 8:00 tonight to discuss a major project that will run a new underground transmission line from Pentagon City to Clarendon.
The meeting will be held at the Lyon Park Community Center (414 North Fillmore Street).
To help meet demand, Dominion is planning a major project to run a 3.7 mile underground transmission line from Pentagon City to the power substation at 3245 Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon. The project also proposes to construct a new Radnor Heights power substation on the grounds of Ft. Myer.
The project “will support growth in Arlington County,” says Dominion spokesperson Le-Ha Anderson. But progress will come at a cost — burying the line will be an intensive 18 month process that will result in open-cut trenching and street closures along the proposed route.
A 54 mile per hour wind gust was recorded at Reagan National Airport during the storm, which covered area roadways with wet leaves and, in some cases, trees and utility lines. As of 3:10 a.m., 2,400 Dominion customers were without power in Arlington.
The most significant damage was reported in Arlington’s Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood, near Virginia Hospital Center. Downed trees and utility lines blocked numerous side streets, which were darkened by the power outage. County tree crews were out in the neighborhood with chainsaws and wood chippers at 2:30 this morning.
Board Considering Restoration of Library Hours — The county board will consider restoring library hours in next year’s budget, members said at Saturday’s monthly meeting. However, the board also said there was not enough money in the current budget to restore hours this year. Library hours were reduced as a result of cuts in the 2010-2011 budget. More from the Sun Gazette.
New Power Transmission Line Proposed — Dominion wants to run a new underground power transmission line from the Clarendon area to the Pentagon City area. The project, set to begin early next year and wrap up by the middle of 2012, would also result in the construction of a new power substation in Radnor Heights. More from the Ode Street Tribune.
A painter in his mid-20’s nearly died after the ladder he was using touched 19,900 volt power lines at a home on North Highland Street. The employee was burned and knocked back nearly 9 feet by the electrical shock. He was without a pulse when paramedics arrived on the scene, but was resuscitated and eventually transported to the MedStar burn unit in DC.
At the time, College Pro Painters president Rodney Larmand told ARLnow.com that the company was “deeply concerned” and was “investigating the circumstances” that led to the accident.
Police have blocked a stretch of North George Mason Drive between 16th Street and 15th Street after utility lines fell across the roadway.
The closure is adjacent to Virginia Hospital Center. George Mason Drive is a key route for ambulances heading to the hospital.
The man, who’s in his mid-20s, was working as a contract employee for College Pro Painters, firefighters said.
According to Arlington County Fire Department spokesperson Jose Ortiz, the man was trying to position the ladder on a house he was working on, when it fell backwards onto 19,900 volt power lines. The man was severely burned and was knocked back nearly nine feet by the electrical shock.
