Weekend Traffic,Transit Advisories
One of the things I'm learning during this first spring since becoming "Dr. Gridlock" is how rapid and extensive is the start of the construction season on our highways and streets. Here are a few of the big ones that might affect your travel plans this weekend and into next week.
Wilson Bridge
This is the big one for the weekend: Saturday and Sunday, all lanes on Capital Beltway at the Route 210 interchange in Prince George's County will be closed overnight so work crews can hoist up the steel beams that will support the second half of the new overpass, which is scheduled to open this fall. The shutdown will occur from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday night and from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday night.
If you have to be out in this, watch for these detours:
-- I-95 North travelers will be detoured onto the Route 210 South exit immediately east of the Wilson Bridge, to the Oxon Hill Road East/Route 210 North exit, right onto Oxon Hill Road heading east, and then left back onto I-95 North after crossing the Oxon Hill Road/Route 210 Intersection.
-- I-95 South travelers will be detoured onto the Route 210 exit, directed across Route 210 and then back to I-95 South.
Also, there will be two ramp closures including the ramp from northbound Route 210 to the inner loop and the ramp from southbound I-295 to the outer loop. Watch for the detour signs there.
If you're passing through the Washington area from the north, you're best bet is to swing west from I-95 South onto the Capital Beltway's outer loop and cross over the American Legion Bridge into Virginia. If you're traveling up from the south, consider taking Route 301 as an alternative to I-95. If you're on I-95 North, take the Beltway's inner loop to the Legion Bridge.
Interstate 95, Virginia
Watch for milling and paving work on the six miles of I-95 South between Franconia-Springfield Parkway and Lorton (Exit 163) from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday and Monday nights. The left lane will be closed. Then from Tuesday through Thursday nights, the right lane will be closed during the same hours.
Interstate 95, Maryland
Don't forget that big paving project underway in Howard County between Routes 32 and 100. Single-lane closures are permitted along northbound and southbound I-95, Sunday through Thursday nights between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. and double-lane closures may occur Sunday through Thursday evening's beginning at 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. In addition, single-lane closures are allowed Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
If you're driving north toward Philadelphia or New York next week, watch out for this one: The right lane of northbound I-95 over the Susquehanna River will be closed from 7 a.m. Monday through 5 a.m. Friday. This is part of a project to replace the bridge joints.
Rockville Pike
The Pike's Peek 10K will be run on Sunday morning. Here's a link that describes the traffic issues that will result from that event.
American Legion Bridge
There's a shorter merge ramp for drivers heading from the George Washington Parkway onto the inner loop just before the bridge. That will be in effect till the fall as the bridge gets repainted.
D.C. Streets
The Folger Library on Capitol Hill is marking Shakespeare's 443rd birthday with a street festival and parade on Sunday. East Capitol Street between 2nd and 3rd streets will be closed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Here are a couple of new resurfacing projects to watch out for next week in Georgetown.
-- Work on S Street NW from Wisconsin Avenue to 32nd Street is scheduled to begin Monday and to be completed by May 10.
-- Work on 34th Street NW from Wisconsin Avenue to M Street is also scheduled to begin Monday and be finished by May 12.
Metro
Some Metrobuses will be reroutes on Saturday and Sunday because of transit authority work, the Pike's Peek 10K and the Shakespeare's Birthday Open House and Parade on Capitol Hill. Here's a link to a full list of the detours.
By |
April 27, 2007; 3:26 PM ET
Weekend Work
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Posted by: Carol | April 27, 2007 5:07 PM
Forget seeing the traffic cams through washingtonpost.com. Go straight to trafficland.com and navigate to the DC region to see the same cameras. I've seen the Maptuit ads too and couldn't get to where the traffic cams link is hiding either. Trafficland.com is your best best.
Posted by: CyanSquirrel | April 27, 2007 8:31 PM
I went to the UK over the weekend. How refreshing it is to drive in a civilized area instead of in the DC area! I think the thing I always miss the most when I return to the States is the four-cycle traffic signal:
Green (same as here)
Yellow (same as here)
Red (same as here; people STOP)
Red-yellow at same time (see below)
This last cycle comes on just before the light goes green and it's GREAT. People put their cars in gear, or take their foot off the brake, and they GO instantly when the light turns green. Here in the States, I try to watch the light for the other road to see when it will turn yellow, and I then shift into first to be ready to move off. But most drivers don't. They wait for it to turn green, gawp at it for a moment, then sloooowwwwly move off.
It really makes no sense that we don't have this here.
The other very interesting difference I see is a societal one. On British roads, the motorist is presumed to know the law. Speed limits often are not posted, and at many intersections (aside from important ones) there are no stop signs or traffic lights; we all know about roundabouts, but even if there is no roundabout, there's often just a "Give Way" stripe on the pavement for one driver or another. You're expected to know who must yield and who gets to go, and the drivers DO know this. The beauty of it is that you need not stop at every annoying stop sign if nobody is coming on the other road--if the road is clear, you go.
In America, our governments have always presumed that drivers are too stupid to know what to do without a regulatory sign (sadly, this attitude has resulted in precisely that happening, too). Think about how many signs you see when you drive. Stop signs on every corner. A speed limit sign after every highway interchange. Scads of signs saying which lane can go right on red and which one can't, or saying no turn on red from X hour to Y hour.
It's a very interesting dichotomy to me that we as Americans put up with the patronizing attitude of the authorities, and that our juries perpetuate it by awarding amounts to people who do utterly stupid things and then say there was no warning label (e.g., don't stick your finger in the food processor). Our highways reflect the attitude that the driver doesn't know what he's doing, and there is no political will to do anything about it.
Posted by: Rich | April 30, 2007 8:53 AM
Does anyone know what's going on along 16th Street. How long will it be closed?
Posted by: Steve | May 4, 2007 4:10 PM
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Dear Dr. Gridlock,
Can you tell me what has happened to the Post's traffic video cam section. When I click on the video cam link I get stuck in a look with adds about MAPTUIT (that I can't read completely because other adds block their text) and I can't find out how one actually gets to the traffic cam. Do we have to now pay to see the traffic cams. If this is so - it would be nice if the Post and or MAPTUIT would make this clear. Perhaps you can address this. Thanks.