Rocks on Beltway Cause Delays in Chevy Chase

The Washington Post reported that rocks that spilled out of a dump truck on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway in Chevy Chase caused traffic backups onto Connecticut Avenue.

Enjoy Life in the Fast Lane for Free this Weekend

495 Express Lanes open to all at no cost April 6-7.

Have you always wanted to try the 495 Express lanes in Northern Virginia, but don’t have an EZ Pass or thought it may not be worth the toll? This weekend, you can take the Express lanes for a test drive at no cost, and with no need for an EZ Pass, according to the Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock. Dr. Gridlock received a question from a reader who had received an email announcing the free usage weekend, and wondered how the event would be advertised on the electronic signs along the Express Lane’s route. The 495 Express Lanes run for 14 miles in the middle of the Capital Beltway, from approximately one mile south of the George Washington Parkway/Georgetown Pike exit to where 95 and 395 intersect in between Springfield and Franconia. The …

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Would You Want 'HOT' Lanes on the Beltway?

Will Virginia’s pilot paid lane program expand to Maryland?

On Nov. 17, the 495 Express or HOT (High Occupancy Toll) lanes in Virginia—14 miles of separate lanes stretching between the Springfield Interchange and just north of the Dulles Toll Road—offered a new pay model for motorists, with lane tolls changing based on real-time traffic conditions. The project's goal was to bring in more revenue to the state of Virginia, while easing traffic congestion. A Maryland Department of Transportation website states that the HOT lanes approach is not under consideration in Maryland, mainly due to “limitations on the ability to enforce lane restrictions and occupancy requirements.” However, Maryland is investigating creating “Express Lanes” that would feature EZ-Pass-like toll collection, and allow commuters…

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Maryland Considering 'HOT' Lanes on Beltway?

If you commute from Bethesda, would you use HOT lanes?

  On Nov. 17, the 495 Express or HOT (High Occupancy Toll) lanes in Virginia - 14 miles of separate lanes stretching between the Springfield Interchange and just north of the Dulles Toll Road - offered a new pay model for motorists, with lane tolls changing based on real-time traffic conditions. The project's goal was to bring in more revenue to the state of Virginia, while easing traffic congestion. A Maryland Department of Transportation website states that the HOT lanes approach is not under consideration in Maryland, mainly due to “limitations on the ability to enforce lane restrictions and occupancy requirements.” However, Maryland is investigating creating “Express Lanes” which would feature EZ-Pass-like toll collection, and allow …

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Four Extricated After Two-Car Beltway Crash

A man was transported to the hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries following a collision on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway.

A two-car accident left a man seriously injured and temporarily shut down the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway near the Connecticut Avenue exit Thursday afternoon. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded around 2:46 p.m. and began to clear the scene at 3:18 p.m., said Beth Anne Nesselt, a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokeswoman. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue evaluated five patients between the two vehicles, four of whom needed to be extricated, Nesselt said. One man suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital, Nesselt said. Three patients were extricated from the second vehicle, and two of them were transported to the hospital with minor injuries, Nesselt said. The third patient who was …

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Richard Rice

12:32 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013

This is very dangerous for there to be injuries in an automobile accident and refuse a trip to the hospital to be checked out. I was rear ended a number of years ago now going to a cemetary in Anne Arundel county to place a wreath on my wife's grave. Had a stiff and sore neck and shoulder for almost 4 months after that. I should have gone to get it checked out but didn't and now regret my …   more ›

Vehicular Accident Closes Outer Loop of Beltway

The accident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

A vehicular accident closed all lanes of the westbound Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway near the Connecticut Avenue exit (No. 33) on Christmas Eve, according to Montgomery County police. The accident may have been fatal, police added. County police received a call about the accident at 7:36 p.m. Nearly an hour later, police still were investigating at the scene of the accident. No further information had been released at that time.

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Man Pleads Guilty To Kidnapping For 2011 Carjacking

“I’m not a hero. I’m just a mom,” victim, who jumped from moving vehicle with tot, told ABC7.

A man accused of carjacking the vehicle of a woman who jumped from the moving car with her child to escape has pleaded guilty to kidnapping, NBC Washington reports. Terron White, 23, of Jessup, faces up to 40 years in prison, according to the report. Police say White carjacked a woman and her 20-month old son from a Baltimore gas station in July of 2011 and drove to Bethesda. The woman, Elyssa Samuels, jumped from the vehicle with her tot as the car neared the Cabin John Parkway exit on the Capital Beltway. Neither was seriously injured. The carjacking was a “horrifying experience for the victim,” Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said, according to NBC Washington. Samuels told ABC7 that White made her wear a seatbelt, but …

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SPEAK OUT: Toll Lanes On The American Legion Bridge?

The idea of adding toll lanes on the congested bridge was floated at a recent meeting between Fairfax and Montgomery officials, The Gazette reports.

Would you use toll lanes on the American Legion Bridge if they could save you time on your morning or evening commute? Several Montgomery and Fairfax County officials say they’d support a proposal to add toll lanes to the congested bridge that connects the two counties, modeled after Virgina’s HOT Lanes, The Gazette reported this week. The proposed lanes would be set aside for carpoolers, commuters willing to pay a toll, and bus service that would connect Bethesda and Tyson's Corner, according to The Gazette. The lanes were suggested during a Wednesday meeting between Fairfax and Montgomery officials by members of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board. They would be intended to help combat congestion at what regional …

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DC Region Ranks No. 6 in Traffic Congestion

The Washington, DC, metropolitan region is the sixth-most congested region in the country, according to the INRIX traffic congestion scorecard.

Think the traffic congestion in the Washington, DC, region is bad?  If so, you're not exaggerating. The DC metropolitan area ranks as the sixth-most congested region in the country, according to the INRIX Traffic Scorecard. In particular, the 6.3-mile section of the Inner Loop that runs between exits 25 (U.S. Route 1, Baltimore Avenue) and 31 (state Route 97, Georgia Avenue) is the second-most congested corridor in the region and the 33rd-most congested corridor in the country. (Last year, it was the 23rd-most congested corridor in the country.) That little stretch of road requires an average of 15 minutes to traverse during the morning rush hour—an 8-minute delay with an average speed of 26 mph, according to INRIX. Nationally, congestion …

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Inner Loop Accident Causing Beltway Delays

A four-car accident on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway between Connecticut and Georgia avenues is causing delays, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

A four-car collision on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway between Connecticut and Georgia avenues is slowing down beltway traffic just in time for the rush-hour commute. The accident happened at about 4:15, and two lanes were closed. The lanes are back open again, but traffic is still slow. All four drivers of the cars were evaluated at the accident site, but no one was taken to the hospital, reports Oscar Garcia of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. The accident is being classed as as property damage collision, meaning that only the cars—and not the people in them—were hurt, Garcia said.

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