Tim Bracken, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - The good news for the long holiday weekend - all major road construction is suspended in Virginia, Maryland and the District from 12 p.m. Friday through 12 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26.

Metrorail construction will be minimal as well - Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Green Line trains will single-track between Greenbelt and College Park for train testing and track work.

All other Metrorail lines will be free of single-tracking.

Parking restrictions will be lifted in the District on Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25.

The bad news is that traffic patterns become wildly unpredictable in the days surrounding major holidays.

One of the worst trouble spots for delays is Interstate 95 in Virginia between the Capital Beltway and Fredericksburg. This stretch of roadway is notorious for becoming a traffic nightmare after an incident occurs, due to Route 1 serving as the only alternate.

The best way to prepare for your holiday travels is to give yourself extra time to arrive at your destination and always plan an alternate route.

Have a great weekend!

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Commuters are celebrating a considerable milestone in the 11th Street Bridge project.

The long-awaited, much-anticipated ramp connecting the Southeast-Southwest Freeway eastbound to D.C. 295/Kenilworth Avenue northbound opened Wednesday, Dec. 19.

Anyone who has endured those lengthy lines from the eastbound freeway to Pennsylvania Avenue and the Sousa Bridge, only to then wait in another lengthy line to turn left from Pennsylvania onto 295 northbound understands the significance of this.

Perhaps you used to take 295 south to the Howard Road exit, and then had to to merge onto 295 north in those terrible, accident-prone merge lanes. Some of the sneakier drivers may have even tried to avoid the long Sousa Bridge lines by taking the illegal left exit at Barney Circle, then plod their way over to Kenilworth from East Capitol.

Because the major highways in the District did not connect from all directions, those convoluted routes were once necessary. Now, since the opening of the southbound 295 ramp to the westbound freeway/I-395, and with the opening of this new ramp, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. The wait is over.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Dave Dildine, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - As the holidays near, weekend traffic patterns will become slightly less predictable as discretionary travel increases but highway volumes wane. The shopping mall parking lots will likely be congested, but delays on the major roads will be hit-or-miss.

Overnight construction on the roads will have a minimal impact on traffic and there will be fewer work zones on Metrorail system this weekend compared to last weekend. Traffic should move well through Landover Sunday afternoon as the Redskins will be away in Cleveland.

The ABC7 Weather Center is forecasting showers on Sunday, which means travel during the latter half of the weekend will likely be hindered by the wet weather. Last Sunday, the fog and mist contributed to numerous accidents on the Beltway in Maryland.

Closures

Although the Express Lanes on the Beltway have been open for a few weeks, there are still unfinished portions of the project that will continue to block various ramps during off-peak hours. On Friday night, the ramps from westbound I-66, Route 50/Arlington Boulevard, and Route 236/Little River Turnpike to the outer loop of the Beltway will be closed. The ramp from the outer loop to eastbound Route 236 will also be closed. Route 50 will be narrowed to one lane each way under the Beltway for bridge lighting.

Early Saturday morning, VDOT plans to stop southbound traffic on I-95 near Fairfax County Parkway (exit 166) between 3 and 4 a.m. to reposition a large piece of construction equipment. The I-395/I-95 express lanes will be closed overnight for the I-95 Express Lanes project.

In McLean, Route 123 southbound will be closed at Great Falls Street early Saturday morning for Silver Line rail work.

Metro

Track work will affect Metro customers traveling on portions of the Red, Orange, Green and Yellow lines.

Red Line

The Red Line will remain open this weekend, but trains will share tracks between Friendship Heights and Van Ness and between Takoma and Forest Glen.

Green Line

Free shuttle buses will replace trains between Archives and Waterfront for the second weekend in a row. There will be no Green Line service at L'enfant Plaza.

Yellow Line

Trains will not run between the Fort Totton and Pentagon stations. Customers should take the Blue Line between Virginia and downtown Washington.

Orange Line

Trains will single-track between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly and through Falls Church.

Other events

The big weekend races, including the Jolly Fat Man's Run in Bethesda and Atlantic Parking-Koa Extreme 5 Mile Trail Run in Gaithersburg, will remain off the major roads.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Beginning Tuesday night, Dec. 11, and continuing nightly through Thursday, Dec. 13, the Maryland State Highway Administration will close three lanes of the Beltway Inner loop at Maryland Route 201/Kenilworth Avenue. The closures are needed for work on the Kenilworth Avenue overpass above the Beltway.

Weather permitting, closures will start at 9 p.m. each night and remain in place until 5 a.m. the following morning.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Dave Dildine, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Warm temperatures may lure more people into Downtown over the weekend, and many might opt to take Metro. But better to stick with the roads rather than the rails as Metro moves forward with its scheduled track work.

Rail work is scheduled on all five Metrorail lines this weekend. Travelers headed to or through Downtown Washington on Metro from Alexandria or Wheaton should expect potentially complicated detours and delays depending on their destination.

Red Line
Five Red Line stations will be closed in Maryland beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday. The Takoma, Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Wheaton, and Glenmont stations will be shut down through Sunday night. Free buses will replace Red Line trains between Fort Totten and Glenmont. Red Line users who plan to navigate around the work zone by bus should give themselves up to an hour of additional travel time.

Yellow & Green lines & L'Enfant Plaza
Two additional projects on the Yellow and Green Lines will take place this weekend. Both sets of tracks will be closed south of L'Enfant Plaza.

The Yellow Line railroad bridge across the Potomac River (near the 14th Street Bridge) is due for its annual inspection. Metro will also be conducting a switch replacement outside the L'Enfant Plaza Station.

On the Yellow Line, the bridge inspection north of the Pentagon will force all Yellow Line trains to be routed onto Blue Line tracks between Eastern Market and Huntington. Metro says Yellow Line trains will operate every 24 minutes on this route. Yellow Line customers traveling between Alexandria and Washington will have to ride through the detour because buses will not be replacing trains.

Additionally, there will be no Yellow Line service between Fort Totten and Archives but the Green Line will be available.

There will not be any Green Line service at L'Enfant Plaza this weekend due to a separate project. Metro will provide free bus service for travelers between the Archives and Waterfront stations. Green Line users who connect by bus should add 20 minutes to their travel time.

Yellow Line trains will service the L'Enfant Plaza station but trains will arrive on the lower level on Blue Line tracks. There will be no train service on the side platforms on the upper level.

Orange Line
On the Orange Line, trains will share tracks between East and West Falls Church. Outbound orange and Blue Line trains will single-track from Stadium-Armory. Trains will operate every 24 minutes and delays of up to 15 minutes are possible.

Road Construction
Road construction should not be a major hindrance to weekend commuters headed Downtown for winter- and holiday-themed events including The National Christmas Tree and Pageant of Peace.

On the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the rock stabilization work near Spout Run Parkway has been completed ahead of schedule. All lanes of the parkway will remain open going forward.

The Kenilworth Avenue Bridge project in Greenbelt is nearing completion but lane closures are scheduled on the Inner Loop of the Beltway under the bridge on Friday night. Crews will reopen lanes by 8 a.m. Saturday.

Construction will block a northbound lane of North Capitol Street near Hamilton Street through the weekend.

The street improvement project in Glover Park on Wisconsin Avenue will block various lanes between Massachusetts Avenue and Hall Place on Saturday.

In Kensington, the Connecticut Avenue work zone will be active on Saturday. Single lane closures are scheduled on the southbound side through the afternoon.

Holiday Events
On Sunday morning, the Jingle All The Way 8K Race will take place in Downtown Washington. Street closures begin at 4 a.m. and will last until about noon. Streets affected include Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue east of Federal Triangle; Louisiana Ave north of the U.S. Capitol; 1st Street NW south of Columbus Circle; 3rd Street NW; and Independence Avenue east of the Air and Space Museum.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Tim Bracken, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Daytime lane closures are planned for I-95 south of the Quantico Marine Base exit.

Starting at 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 10, the right lane of southbound I-95 is scheduled to be closed near mile marker 147.

The lane closure will remain in place through 2 p.m., and crews will work daily through Friday, Dec. 14.

VDOT is warning drivers of possible delays during work hours. The work is part of the I-95 Express Lanes project that will extend and expand the HOV lanes.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - The National Christmas Tree will once again be lit on the Ellipse Thursday, and our thoughts turn to peace, love and getting out of the holiday traffic.

Driving outbound on Constitution Avenue, the glow of lights tend to be more red than green as motorists try to navigate the inevitable downtown gridlock caused by this annual event.

Starting at 4:15 p.m., 15th Street NW will be closed between E Street at Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue. Seventeenth Street NW will be closed between Constitution Avenue and New York Avenue. The roads are scheduled to reopen by 7 p.m.

According to Metro, Constitution Avenue between 15th and 17th streets may also be closed. Metro says traffic issues additionally may impact:

• 18th Street NW
• 13th Street NW
• 14th Street NW
• H Street NW
• I Street NW
• K Street NW

Numerous Metrobus routes also may be delayed or detoured. See the list here.

Thursday could be a good night to plan on leaving town early, having dinner downtown and then doing some shopping or actually heading to the event to enjoy the multicolored lights of the tree lighting - instead of the monotone red ones while sitting in your car.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Drivers planning to travel the Beltway near the Wilson Bridge between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Thursday into Friday, should allow extra time for multiple scheduled openings of the Bridge.

The bridge will remain open for several minutes at a time throughout the late night/early morning hours to allow for monthly maintenance.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON - The intersection of Wisconsin Avenue NW and M Street NW will be closed late Sunday night into early Monday morning for the installation of holiday decorations.

The District Department of Transportation says the intersection will be closed at 11 p.m. Friday and reopen at 4 a.m. Monday morning.

Marked detours will be set up. The work may also temporarily close the sidewalks in the intersection.

The D.C. Circulator service will also be affected by the work. The Dupont Circle - Georgetown - Rosslyn route will end service at 11 p.m. on Sunday. The Georgetown - Union Station route will turn around at Washington Circle for the last hour of service Sunday night.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Dave Dildine, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Construction work zones on the roads and rails are expected to have a moderate impact on travel this weekend. Meanwhile mild temperatures and wintertime events will coax many people downtown.

The Winter on the Water festival at the new Washington Harbour Ice Rink holiday shows at Downtown theatres and Alexandria's Holiday Boat Parade of Lights all are expected to draw crowds.

Weekenders who venture downtown this weekend will see traffic pattern changes on a few of the routes leading from the Anacostia and Potomac river bridges.

The National Park Service says northbound George Washington Parkway will be closed this weekend at Spout Run Parkway for the ongoing rock wall work zone. In past weekends, this has led to heavy outbound, afternoon traffic on Spout Run Parkway, Lee Highway and Interstate 66 west of Rosslyn.

Thursday, DDOT permanently closed the westbound Southeast Freeway from Pennsylvania Avenue to 8th Street SE. Drivers who normally take the John Sousa Bridge into town will no longer be able to access the freeway toward Capitol Hill. Instead, motorists should consider using the 11th Street Bridge.

On Saturday morning, the Annapolis Half-Marathon will affect a few major roads to and through downtown Annapolis including Ritchie Highway, the Naval Academy Bridge, Rowe Boulevard, Bladen Street, and King George Street. The race kicks off at 7 a.m. and concludes near the Navy Marine Corps Stadium.

Metro Forward
Work continues on the Red, Orange, and Green Lines this weekend.

A portion of the Red Line between Fort Totten and Forest Glen will be closed. The Takoma and Silver Spring stations will be closed. Buses will ferry travelers around the closure. Metro says Red Line users who travel around this work zone should allow an extra 30 minutes of additional travel time. At system closing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights the final trains will depart early to allow for these bus connections.

Orange Line trains will single-track between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly and between East Falls Church and West Falls Church. Trains will operate every 24 minutes between Vienna and New Carrollton this weekend.

Green Line trains will share tracks between College Park and Greenbelt for testing work. Trains will operate at regular weekend intervals between College Park and Branch Avenue.

Overnight Construction
Nighttime lane and ramp closures will continue on the Capital Beltway in Maryland and Virginia this weekend.

In Greenbelt, the Route 201/Kenilworth Avenue Bridge Project is nearing completion. Three right lanes will be closed on the Outer Loop under the bridge early Saturday morning. The Maryland State Highway Administration says lanes will reopen by 8:00 a.m.

A few work areas are scheduled for the I-495 Express Lanes on Friday night. Stay alert and be prepared for narrowed lanes, shorter merge areas, and ramp closures. Temporary stoppages of traffic are possible on the Outer Loop near Route 236/Little River Turnpike after midnight. There are no major closures scheduled for this section of the Beltway on Saturday or Sunday nights as the project is largely complete.

The eastbound Dulles Toll Road will be detoured onto the Beltway for rail work Friday and Saturday nights. Crews will be working above the Dulles Connector Road on the Silver Line flyover bridge near Route 123. West traffic on Route 267 from I-66 will not be affected.

The I-95 Express Lanes Extension work crews will close the I-95/I-395 HOV Lanes Friday night. Additionally, crews will block two right lanes on I-95 southbound near the Fairfax County Parkway.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)