A suspicious item prompted authorities to briefly close Washington Boulevard between I-395 and the GW Parkway around 10:00 this morning.
The item was located along the fence line of the Pentagon and Washington Boulevard, according to Pentagon Force Protection Agency spokesman Chris Layman. The item has since been cleared.
The closure is due to power lines that were knocked down by a tractor trailer, according to police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. Dominion is on the scene and expects to have the lines repaired by 10:30 a.m. More than 150 Dominion customers are without power in the area due to the downed lines.
Eastbound Lee Highway traffic is being diverted onto southbound George Mason Drive. Cars are not being allowed to turn left at the intersection, to ensure that traffic moves smoothly through the area.
A fully-loaded dump truck came to a grinding halt at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Randolph Street this morning after its left front wheel detached from the axle.
Nobody was hurt, but the accident did block Randolph Street for at least a half hour, as a heavy wrecker truck was brought in to move the disabled dump truck. A large gash was visible in the pavement, showing where the truck started grinding into the street after the wheel fell off.
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.
The bridge will close on 8:00 p.m. on Friday and will reopen at 5:00 a.m. on Monday, starting this weekend, according to DDOT.
The three weekends when closures are planned are Aug. 19-21, Sept. 9-11 and Sept. 16-18.
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.”
Update at 5:55 p.m. — Clarendon Boulevard and 16th Street will both remained closed between N. Pierce Street and N. Oak Street through the morning rush, the county said this afternoon.
Update at 1:10 p.m. — The processes of shoring up the collapsed retaining wall could take up to 48 hours, according Arlington County Inspection Services Division Chief Shahriar Amiri. While some road closures will remain, Amiri said that Clarendon Boulevard may reopen as soon as tomorrow’s morning rush hour. “We are working hard at it,” he said.
A “Shred-It” paper shredding truck caught fire in Crystal City early this afternoon.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which apparently started in the paper shredding machine within the truck. The shredded documents within the truck were doused with water, creating a sticky-looking mess but otherwise preventing the fire from spreading. No injuries were reported.
(Updated at 2:55 p.m.) Parts of Old Dominion Drive and Rock Spring Road remained closed this afternoon as crews continued to clean up from the “macroburst” storm that ravaged parts of North Arlington on Sunday.
The smell of freshly-cut wood and the sound of chainsaws and wood chippers was pervasive throughout Yorktown and the other hart-hit neighborhoods. Private disaster recovery trucks — along with crews from Dominion, Verizon and other utilities — roamed the streets, many of which are still covered with debris waiting to be hauled off.
Crews are still working to clean up toppled trees and tangled power lines left in the wake of the powerful storm that ripped through Arlington Sunday night.
The photo above depicts damage in the area of Glebe Road and Old Dominion Drive, in one of the county’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. As of 3:00 a.m., 1360 Dominion customers in North Arlington were still without power.
The long holiday weekend has begun, and that means many county services are stopped or altered. Here’s a list of changes:
The police department has also provided a list of road closures for activities on July 4. In addition, police are reminding event attendees that:
(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A fire broke out this morning in the Clarendon building that houses Hard Times Cafe and Delhi Club.
Smoke could be seen rising from the roof and billowing out of the entrance to Hard Times as firefighters attacked the blaze. Workers on their lunch break gathered to watch as fire trucks surrounded the building.
