Archive: October 2007
Beltway Lanes Reopen in Virginia
All lanes on the Virginia side of the Wilson Bridge have reopened following an emergency paving job that had two of them shut this afternoon. At about 5 pm., crews completed emergency pavement repairs to a small area on the inner loop near the Route 1 interchange, just west of the Wilson Bridge. Two right lanes on the inner loop and the exit ramp to Telegraph Road North and South were temporarily closed....
By Robert Thomson | October 31, 2007; 5:46 PM ET | Comments (4)
Getting Around on Halloween
Some good advice for motorists and for trick or treaters everywhere, compiled by the Maryland State Highway Administration: For Drivers -- Stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks and intersections. -- Motorists should exercise extra caution during peak trick-or-treating hours between 4 and 9 p.m. -- Slow down and obey the speed limit and all traffic signs/signals in residential neighborhoods. -- Enter and exit driveways slowly. -- Be alert for children crossing and darting across the street. -- Watch for children crossing between parked cars. -- Always look out for pedestrians, especially before turning at a green light or making a right turn on red. -- When driving children to trick-or-treat or to a costume party, make sure all seat belts are fastened and let children out of the car on the curbside. For Pedestrians -- Cross at marked crosswalks and intersections. -- Look left, right, and left again before crossing...
By Robert Thomson | October 31, 2007; 5:10 AM ET | Comments (16)
Foxhall Road Reopens
Commuters can again use Foxhall Road NW. The route had been closed for two weeks between Reservoir Road and Nebraska Avenue. That construction was just part of a larger $4 million rebuilding job between Nebraska and Canal Road that is scheduled to continue till June. While the road has reopened to traffic, the continuing work still will require some lane closures, and at some point DDOT may need to shut the entire roadway again for short periods....
By Robert Thomson | October 30, 2007; 9:18 PM ET | Email a Comment
High Heel Race Tonight
The annual Halloween event near Dupont Circle, also known as the Drag Race, begins at 9 p.m. There are some parking restrictions starting at 6 p.m., and taking Metro's Red Line to Dupont Circle Station is a good alternative for getting there. 17th Street NW will be closed between R Street and P Street. It should reopen by 11 p.m. Parking restrictions will be in effect on 17th Street from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., says the District Department of Transportation. East-west side streets off 17th Street between R and P streets will be closed to through traffic. Local residents with identification will be permitted on side streets....
By Robert Thomson | October 30, 2007; 3:12 PM ET | Comments (1)
Getting Ready for Gainesville
The Gainesville interchange reconstruction will be another Springfield, said Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer. He was at a community meeting in Bristow on Monday night to help people prepare for what's coming. People in these western Prince William communities know about traffic. Just ask anyone who was sitting on Nokesville Road at about 5:30 last night. The rebuilding of the congested junction at Interstate 66 and Route 29 will be the biggest transportation improvement to come to that area. Thanks to a deal with the federal government announced last week, the project now is scheduled to begin in 2010, three years ahead of schedule. So Homer has begun a tour of the nearby communities, explaining to residents and business people not only what they'll have when it's done in 2014 but also what sorts of disruptions they'll experience along the way. The community involvement and outreach to commuters involved in...
By Robert Thomson | October 30, 2007; 9:14 AM ET | Comments (2)
The Week Ahead
Here are some upcoming events and activities in local transportation. Halloween Visibility A ragamuffin parade in the neighborhood on Sunday reminded me: Trick-or-treaters can be really tiny. Watch out for them this Wednesday. Between now and then, the Maryland Department of Transportation offers parents the loan of reflective vests to put over their children's halloween costumes. You can get them from the State Highway Administration shops today, tomorrow and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Here's a list of those shops. Anne Arundel County -- Annapolis Shop, 138 Defense Highway, Annapolis, 410-841-1009 -- Glen Burnie Shop, 910 Stewart Ave., Glen Burnie, 410-766-3770 Calvert County -- Prince Frederick Shop, 100 Hallowing Point Road, Prince Frederick, 410-535-1748 Charles County -- LaPlata Shop, 5725 Washington Ave., LaPlata, 301-934-8031 Frederick County -- Frederick Shop, 5111 Buckeystown Pike, Frederick, 301-624-8251 -- Thurmont Shop, 67 Moser Road, Thurmont, 301-271-7787 Howard County -- Dayton...
By Robert Thomson | October 29, 2007; 7:45 AM ET | Comments (11)
Rain Delay
The rainy weather has forced the District to postpone the reopening of Foxhall Road NW. The Department of Transportation had hoped that traffic would be flowing by today. The new schedule calls for the roadway between Reservoir Road and Nebraska Avenue to reopen after the morning rush on Wednesday. DDOT spokesman Erik Linden said in a statement that the department hopes crews can resume work on Foxhall once the rain tapers off on Saturday. On Thursday, I put up an advisory about weekend lane shifts planned for Beltway lanes near the Wilson Bridge, but then had to take it back when project managers looked at the extended forecast and decided the rain would make it impossible to complete the work this weekend. That's been rescheduled for next weekend, although there will be some lane closures late Sunday night and early Monday to prepare for the realignment. What other effects has...
By Robert Thomson | October 26, 2007; 8:06 AM ET | Comments (2)
Beltway Work Postponed
How long has it been since this happened? Managers of the Wilson Bridge project have postponed all the work on the Beltway scheduled for this weekend because of the rainy forecast. The shifting of the Beltway outer loop lanes in Maryland that I described in the previous posting now is scheduled to happen next weekend. But to prepare for that, there will be overnight lane closings this Sunday night into Monday morning. All the lanes wil be open in time for the Monday morning rush. In Virginia, workers will spend late Sunday night and early Monday morning preparing the inner loop for lane shifts next weekend as well. So there should be some Sunday night-Monday morning lane closures there, but again, the lanes are scheduled to open in time for the Monday morning rush. In recent months, it has been very unusual to see highway work postponed because of bad...
By Robert Thomson | October 25, 2007; 6:08 PM ET | Email a Comment
Beltway Changes Coming
[Update: The forecast for continuing rain has led the Wilson Bridge project to cancel all the work scheduled for this weekend.] They're moving the Beltway again. The Capital Beltway's outer loop on the Maryland side of the Wilson Bridge will be shifted to the right this weekend. A similar operation was performed recently with the inner loop lanes in that area as the bridge reconstruction project puts the bridge approach into its new configuration. The work affects about a one-mile stretch of the highway between the I-295 and Route 210 interchanges. You'll want to avoid that area if at all possible while the work is going on Friday night and Saturday, and if you have to travel that way, be prepared for delays and alert for slow traffic. On the Virginia side this weekend, you'll see crews installing large storm water drain pipes beneath the Beltway and doing some of...
By Robert Thomson | October 25, 2007; 8:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Weather Warning on Bay Bridge
The combination of rain and falling leaves is making driving difficult across the region this afternoon, but there's a special advisory up for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Because of the rain and poor visibility, the Maryland Transportation Authority will not be using the two-way traffic pattern one one span that normally prevails in the afternoon. The authority warns that this may cause extensive delays for homeward bound travelers. You can check on current traffic conditions at the bridge by making a free call to 877-BAYSPAN (229-7726) or going to www.baybridge.com to view traffic camera images from the bridge. Though commuters almost certainly will be delayed, it's a good decision by the transportation authority to maintain one direction of traffic on each of the two bay bridge spans in this weather rather than reversing a lane on one span. We had a nasty accident earlier this year when two-way traffic was...
By Robert Thomson | October 24, 2007; 3:10 PM ET | Email a Comment
Early Warning on Marathon
We've had several discussions lately about the difficulties of getting around during big weekend events, so I thought I'd post this early warning about the Marine Corps Marathon coming up Sunday. Many roads will be closed, with many different agencies responsible for the closures. (I think that's part of what gets us into trouble with these things. Sometimes, interagency communication has not been what it should be.) Here's a link to a pdf page on the Marathon Web site that lists the street closings, the times and the jurisdictions involved. Here's a link to a map of the route through eastern Arlington and through the mall and Potomac River areas of the District. Travelers should expect delays through the area and add extra time. Also, the Fern Street, Hayes Street and Eads Street Pentagon parking lots will be closed beginning 7 p.m. on Friday and remain closed until 7 p.m....
By Robert Thomson | October 24, 2007; 8:04 AM ET | Comments (8)
Car Advice for Older Drivers
I often talk with older drivers who want to stay mobile and who pay attention to their driving skills, so I'd like to pass along this advisory about a free clinic on Wednesday in Fairfax County sponsored by AAA and its Mid-Atlantic Foundation for Safety and Education. In the program, called CarFit, an older driver can spend about 15 minutes going through a check-list with a trained staffer that evaluates whether the driver is sitting properly in his or her vehicle and whether the driver's seat, seat belt, mirrors, steering wheel, head rest, gas/brake pedals and other controls are positioned properly. Also, says AAA, the Wednesday event includes a winter car care evaluation in which AAA-approved specialists offer maintenance inspections, test car batteries and check tire pressure. The clinic is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, and seniors have to have appointments, which they can make by calling 703-222-4112....
By Robert Thomson | October 23, 2007; 1:15 PM ET | Comments (4)
Red Line Delay Continues
Metro says it will need a second night of work to replace the flawed section of track discovered on Sunday during a routine ultrasound check of the transit system's tracks. So trains continue to move at reduced speed between Medical Center and Friendship Heights. Metro made temporary repairs on Sunday night, so the track still could be used for weekday service, and the transit authority had hoped to replace the 39-foot track section Monday night, but announced today that the second night would be needed. Meanwhile, trains in that area are moving at 35 mph, rather than the normal 44 mph. The ultrasound checks on the track system are performed five times a year. Track inspectors also walk the rails twice a week to make safety checks. The only way to make permanent repairs during the day is to shut down a track and have trains from both directions take...
By Robert Thomson | October 23, 2007; 12:23 PM ET | Comments (10)
Rock Creek Ramp Open
The ramp that leads traffic from P Street NW down to the southbound Rock Creek Parkway was open yesterday. I may be the first one telling you that. I haven't seen any advisory on it from the National Park Service, which is in charge of the parkway reconstruction project, along with the Federal Highway Administration. Single lanes pass on either side of parkway work zone. (Robert Thomson) On Monday, I was walking along the parkway to see what's going on, since this lengthy reconstruction project between P Street and Virginia Avenue in Northwest Washington remains the primary generator of letters among my readers. I spotted two work zones: One at the P Street ramp, but the work was confined to the grassy little island where the ramp's on-lane and -off lane split. That wasn't interfering with traffic. The other work zone was the big deal. That takes up the center...
By Robert Thomson | October 23, 2007; 5:32 AM ET | Comments (14)
UPDATE: Downtown Road Closures
D.C. transportation officials have updated which street closings remain in effect around the offices of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Pennsylvania Avenue NW is open to vehicular traffic, but 18th, 19th and 20th streets are closed south of Pennsylvania and north of G Street NW. G Street also is closed to traffic between 18th and 20th, D.C. traffic officials said. View a map of road closures....
By washingtonpost.com editors | October 22, 2007; 11:16 AM ET | Comments (1)
The Week Ahead
Commuters, here's some information you might find useful this week. UPDATE: Some of this information has been updated since this was first posted. Click here for details. Downtown Washington Some restrictions remain in effect until 9 p.m. because of the IMF/Work Bank meetings. These streets are closed: -- 18th Street NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- 19th Street NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- 20th Street NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- F Street NW between 17th Street and 20th Street NW The 1700 through 2000 blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the 1700 and 1800 blocks of H Street NW, and the 800 block of 19th Street NW are tentatively scheduled to be open to traffic this morning, but the street closings are subject to change without notice. Red Line Slowed Trains are likely to be delayed all day long, because...
By Robert Thomson | October 22, 2007; 7:51 AM ET | Email a Comment
Traffic and Transit Advisories
The center of attention for travelers this weekend -- or the place to avoid -- is in downtown Washington. Downtown Street Closings The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are holding annual meetings this weekend. Here's how that will affect drivers and pedestrians. Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Sunday, these streets will be closed: -- Pennsylvania Avenue, NW between 17th Street and 20th Street NW -- 19th Street, NW between I ("Eye") Street and F Street NW -- H Street NW between 17th Street and 20th Street NW From 8 p.m. on Friday to 9 p.m. Monday, these streets will be closed: -- 18th Street NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- 19th Street NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- 20th Street NW between F Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- F Street NW between 17th Street and 20th Street NW Vehicular...
By Robert Thomson | October 19, 2007; 11:28 AM ET | Comments (7)
Douglass Bridge Work Continues
Just below where your tires roll across the Frederick Douglass Bridge, workers continue to fix or replace parts of the structure. Along South Capitol Street, where construction of the new Nationals stadium continues to make dramatic progress, other crews are at work on the roadway and sidewalks. Riveter works on girder below bridge deck. (Robert Thomson) But the District is done with lane closures, and the remaining work is pretty much something to entertain commuters rather than annoy them. What they'll see on the bridge includes the continuing replacement of the old railings with a darker, more attractive design that resembles the one used on Pennsylvania Avenue's Sousa Bridge. Out of sight below the deck, in a big box-like area of pale gray steel, workers are riveting new bolts into place while either refurbishing or replacing aging parts of the structure across the Anacostia River. Aside from making the whole...
By Robert Thomson | October 19, 2007; 7:59 AM ET | Comments (6)
Route 28 Interchange Underway
Work starts today on an important bit of congestion relief in Virginia: Construction of an interchange to replace the intersection of Route 28 and Frying Pan Road near Dulles Airport in Fairfax County. This is the last of 10 interchanges to be built along Route 28, a major north south commuter route with links that include Route 7, the Dulles Toll Road and Interstate 66. Seven of the 10 new interchanges are done. Along with Frying Pan Road, the other two remaining to be completed are at Nokes Boulevard and Willard Road. The latter two got underway this summer. All three are scheduled to be done in fall 2009, and not a moment too soon, according to commuters. On Tuesday, I checked out the recently opened partial interchange at Innovation Avenue. It's partial because the ramps link only with the northbound lanes of Route 28. There's not enough demand yet...
By Robert Thomson | October 17, 2007; 12:56 PM ET | Comments (7)
What's Your Favorite Drive?
Steven Ginsberg, The Post's transportation editor and the mastermind of our Sunday commuter page, is looking for your ideas on a commuter page project. Here's a note from Steven: "Doesn't it seem like the view on Washington area roads is almost always the same: the bumper on the car in front of you? Maybe you get a glimpse of the occasional sound wall. "Believe it or not, there actually are quite a few fairly scenic drives in the Washington region. The George Washington Parkway pops to mind. Parts of Route 15 are gorgeous. "Now that the leaves are starting to fall and you may actually want to take a leisurely Sunday drive, we're compiling a list of favorite area roads or stretches of roads. Send your thoughts and ideas to commuter@washpost.com." I can add that both Maryland and Virginia are very proud of their scenic drives. Virginia has a list...
By Robert Thomson | October 17, 2007; 5:27 AM ET | Comments (15)
Foxhall Closing for Road Work
The District plans to close most of Foxhall Road to through traffic after morning rush on Wednesday, and it will remain shut through Oct. 25 if the construction work goes according to plan. Residents and visitors will still have access to the area, which is between Reservoir Road and Nebraska Avenue in Northwest Washington. But the many commuters who use this route will have to follow detour signs or find alternatives. This work is part of a $4 million road construction and streetscape project on Foxhall between Nebraska Avenue and Canal Road. The overall project, scheduled to be completed by next June, will widen the intersection at Reservoir Road, adding a left turn lane from eastbound Reservoir to northbound Foxhall; fix the sidewalks, pavement markings and traffic signs; add signals and street lighting at Reservoir and Foxhall; and resurface the roadway between Canal and Nebraska. Here are the detours for...
By Robert Thomson | October 16, 2007; 7:35 AM ET | Comments (23)
Metro Communications and More
Metro riders will be interested in today's story by Lena H. Sun and Jonathan Mummolo about the transit authority's plan to provide more information and coordination during service disruptions. Here's the key paragraph, the statement I think will ring true to many riders: "The communication problems trace to nearly every aspect of how Metro operates. Some are technical and require more money and new procedures; others could be fixed with little more than handing out dry-erase boards. The most basic could be fixed with dedication to old-fashioned customer service." On Metro's side: It's a big, complex system and things are bound to go wrong. Because things go right most of the time, hundreds of thousands of people rely on the transit system to get to and from work each day. On the other hand: When something goes wrong, nobody seems to know anything for at least the first 20 minutes....
By Robert Thomson | October 15, 2007; 7:48 AM ET | Comments (8)
Va. Commuters Will Face Many Projects
Virginia commuters will soon find themselves swept up in set of transportation projects with far reaching affects on their daily travels. The Virginia Department of Transportation just issued a status report on what it refers to as the "mega-projects": I-95 Widening - VDOT will add a fourth lane in each direction for six miles from Newington to the Occoquan River. Construction begins early 2008 and will be completed in 2010. I-95/Telegraph Road Interchange - Construction of the new interchange will begin in 2008 and be completed in 2012 as part of the Wilson Bridge project. Beltway HOT Lanes - Under a public-private partnership that VDOT expects will go to financial close by the end of the year, Fluor-Transurban will building two HOV/HOT lanes in each direction from Springfield to just north of the Dulles Toll Road. The project includes adding carpool ramps from the I-95 HOV lanes to the Beltway...
By Robert Thomson | October 12, 2007; 6:12 AM ET | Comments (11)
Overturned Truck Closes I-95 South Near Woodbridge
A truck overturned and caught fire early Wednesday afternoon, closing all lanes on southbound Interstate 95 near Route 123, according to washingtonpost.com's traffic data provider. All southbound lanes are blocked, and delays start at the beltway. Vehicles are getting by on the northbound side. Restrictions have been lifted on I-95 HOV lanes....
By Liz Heron | October 10, 2007; 3:39 PM ET | Comments (5)
Fare Wars at Metro
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, a regional government agency, is playing regional politics over the proposed fare and fee increases. Nothing wrong with that. The Metro board, which includes members from all jurisdictions that are part of the Metro compact, was set up to allow local interests to battle and finally compromise. Lena Sun writes in today's Post about a classic city versus suburbs clash: The District is pushing to keep the bus fares stable while increasing the parking fees at Metro lots and garages, most of which happen to be located in Maryland and Virginia. Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. has proposed that bus fares go up by 25 cents and parking fees increase 50 cents next year. The District now says the bus fare should hold steady at $1.25 while parking should go up by $1.25 to help balance the transit budget. Suburbanites who will...
By Robert Thomson | October 10, 2007; 10:03 AM ET | Comments (27)
Weekend Travel Advisories
Here's what I've found for you to worry about as you travel around this holiday weekend. Foxhall Road NW It's closed for a second Saturday. No through traffic between Reservoir Road and Nebraska Avenue from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Limited local access is permitted. Watch for detour signs: Northbound traffic on Foxhall toward Nebraska Avenue will be sent to Reservoir Road, MacArthur Boulevard and Arizona Avenue. Southbound traffic toward Reservoir Road will be sent to Arizona Avenue and Macarthur Boulevard. Wilson Bridge Project Watch for lane closures along Oxon Hill Road around Route 210 in Prince George's County from 9 p.m. Friday till as late as 5 a.m. Monday. After that, you should find you've got a new interchange open there. Here's a link to a pdf file explaining that work. Metrobus Detours There are some weekend Metrobus detours listed on this page. Metrorail Weekend Work There will be...
By Robert Thomson | October 5, 2007; 5:15 AM ET | Comments (13)
Progress Today on Route 28
Good news out on Route 28 near Dulles Airport: The new partial interchange at Innovation Avenue is scheduled to open today. You commuters who use Route 28 to get north and south everyday know the much-hated traffic light at the avenue was taken down over the summer while work proceeded to convert that junction from an intersection to an interchange, or at least half an interchange on the eastern side. The two new ramps, which cost a total of $5.9 million, took three months to build. The one that will carry traffic from Innovation to northbound Route 28 will open in the late morning and the one from northbound Route 28 to Innovation will open later in the day. The construction-related detour to Route 606 will be done. Someday, when the money and the demand are there, a full interchange will be built. This is all part of the Route...
By Robert Thomson | October 4, 2007; 5:15 AM ET | Comments (13)
Another Race This Weekend
This Sunday is the date for the annual Army 10-Miler. Metrorail is going to open early and provide extra service on the Blue Line, something the race sponsors pay for, as does the sponsor of any activity that requests extra service. The race starts at 8 a.m. Sponsors want the runners at the start line no later than 7:45 a.m. The rail system will open at 6 a.m., an hour earlier than normal. Meanwhile, Metrobus operations at the Pentagon Transit Center will be relocated to Pentagon City until Arlington County reopens the roadways affected by the race. Metro figures the buses will be back at the Pentagon at about 1 p.m. (The Pentagon Metrorail station remains open through all this.) Here's a link to a map of the route through Arlington and the mall area in the District. The map may take a minute to load. The race, which begins...
By Robert Thomson | October 3, 2007; 8:26 AM ET | Comments (58)
Saturday Not Kind to Travelers
Many people were livid about the difficulties of getting around on Saturday, with events in the District that blocked roads and with troubles on Metrorail. As Lena Sun reported in Sunday's Post, most of the road closures were prompted by the Nation's Triathlon. Motorists could not enter Rock Creek Parkway and other roadways, including the Whitehurst Freeway and Independence and Constitution avenues. Here's how one driver described it. Dear Dr. Gridlock: I just spent an extra 30 minutes "driving" from Tysons to my Southwest Washington home. My slow drive was shared by hundreds of other drivers at the river crossings into the District. I knew that the National Triathlon was gumming things up, and knew in advance that there was only one route into and out of Southwest -- I-395 to Maine Avenue or South Capitol Street. Nonetheless, the traffic jams started on the inbound George Washington Parkway before the...
By Robert Thomson | October 2, 2007; 8:08 AM ET | Comments (56)
New Meaning for HOT Lanes
The slugs who cram into cars each day so they can travel up and down I-95/395 in the HOV lanes have been wondering about -- well, more like aggressively questioning -- the idea that there's some way technology can preserve their commuting system once those lanes are converted to HOT lanes. HOT lanes are for high-occupancy or toll commuters. So instead of three types of users to regulate (carpoolers and cheaters), there will be three: carpoolers, cheaters and toll payers. Because the whole idea is to keep those lanes moving at speed, the regulating will have to be done electronically. Ken Daley, vice president of the company that is part of the public-private partnership planning the HOT lanes project on I-95/395 and on the Beltway, says he's sure it can be done. He describes how in a story in today's Post by Michael Laris. Cars will be scanned with infrared...
By Robert Thomson | October 1, 2007; 7:26 AM ET | Comments (17)
