Dave Dildine, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Getting around Washington on the weekends typically becomes a little easier during the cold winter months. With lower temperatures comes lower highway volumes. Further, there are fewer outdoor events to draw large crowds and road work slows.

Washington's weekend hibernation can keep those who do venture out moving freely on routes that would otherwise be congested during the warmer months.

Some delays are possible on I-95 as the last wave of the holiday travelers migrates through town.

The winter cold will not deter Redskins fans this weekend. Delays are likely to form near FedEx Field on Sunday before and after the first playoff game in Washington in 13 years. Whereas last weekend's match-up against the Dallas Cowboys took place late at night, this weekend's game will coincide with higher Sunday travel volume.

Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. Expect heavy traffic on the eastern side of the Beltway Sunday evening as fans leave the stadium.

Track work resumes on Metro this weekend. Work on the Silver Line tie-in will close the Orange Line in Fairfax County between Vienna and East Falls Church, where buses will replace trains.

Two segments of the Red Line will experience single-tracking this weekend. There is no scheduled rail work on the Blue, Yellow, or Green Lines.

Red Line

• Trains will single-track between Shady Grove and Twinbrook and between Judiciary Square and Rhode Island Ave.
• The track work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and last through closing Sunday night.
• Trains will run between Shady Grove and Glenmont at 24 minute intervals.
• Additional trains will run between Grosvenor and Judiciary Square from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Orange Line

• Orange Line trains will not operate between Vienna and East Falls Church.
• The closure will begin around 10 p.m. Friday and last through closing Sunday night.
• Express shuttle buses will run between the Vienna and East Falls Church stations. Customers should add an additional 15 minutes of travel time.
• Local shuttle buses will make stops at the East Falls Church, West Falls Church, Dunn-Lorring, and Vienna stations. For each stop, customers should give themselves an additional 15 minutes of travel time.

Road Construction

On the Beltway in Virginia, mobile work crews will continue to refine the lane markings throughout the 495 Express Lanes Project. Brightly lit arrow trucks will block various lanes all night long.

In addition, a stationary work zone is scheduled to block three right lanes on the outer loop near Gallows Road. The ramps from westbound Route 50/Arlington Blvd. and Northbound Gallows Road through early Saturday. The ramps from the outer loop to eastbound Route 50/Arlington Blvd and from Northbound Gallows Road to the outer loop will also be closed.

On Saturday morning, a bridge inspection may necessitate double-lane closures on I-95 southbound in Maryland between Route 212 and the Beltway. Crews should wrap up by 11:30 a.m.

On the Capital Beltway in Maryland, the Northwest Branch Bridge Project is nearing an end. Beginning at 8 p.m. on Sunday night crews will block one to two lanes on both the inner loop and outer loop between New Hampshire Ave. and University Blvd. to install road sensors. All lanes will be open in time for Monday morning's rush hour.

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(Copyright 2013 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WTOP's Kristi King

WASHINGTON - There are several changes on the roads and rails for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Roads

The Virginia Department of Transportation says normal HOV restrictions are in effect for New Year's Eve. I-95/395 reversible lanes will remain southbound New Year's Eve night and New Year's Day.

HOV restrictions on I-95, I-395 and I-66 will be lifted in Virginia for New Year's Day. I-95/395 reversible lanes will remain southbound until midnight New Year's Day and switch to northbound by 2 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2.

HOV restrictions on I-270 in Maryland are in effect on New Year's Eve, but are not in effect on New Year's Day.

Metro

On New Year's Eve, Metro will have regular weekday service, with rail service running until 2 a.m. to accommodate New Year's revelers.

On New year's Day, Metro will run on a Sunday schedule, opening at 7 a.m.

MARC

On New Year's Eve, MARC will only run the Penn and Brunswick Lines on an "S" schedule. There will be no Camden Line service.

Find more information about the "S" schedule here.

There will be no MARC service New Year's Day.

VRE

VRE will run trains on an "S" schedule on New Year's Eve.

VRE will not run on New Year's Day.

Arlington ART bus

Routes 41, 42, 51, 77 and 87 will operate on a Saturday schedule on New Year's Eve. No other routes will operate.

Route 41 and 51 and will operate on a Sunday schedule New Year's day. No other routes will operate.

Fine more information about those schedules here.

DASH

Buses will operate on a regular schedule on New Year's Eve. A free shuttle service to First Night Alexandria along King Street between the King Street Metro station and the Potomac River Waterfront will operate between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m.

There will be no service on Jan. 1, except for the King Street Trolley.

Fairfax Connector

Buses will operate on a normal schedule on New Year's Eve, and on a Sunday schedule for New Year's Day.

Fairfax CUE

Buses will operate as usual on New Year's Eve, but will not run on New Year's Day.

Loudoun County Transit

There will be no service on New Year's Day.

OmniRide

There will be regular service on New Year's Eve, with a few extra buses.

There will be no service on New Year's Day.

Find more information here

Ride On

Buses will run on a normal schedule on New Year's Eve. Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on New Year's Day.

Find more information here.

The Bus

There will be no service on New Year's Day.

Taxis

SoberRide

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program's free cab program runs until New Year's Day. You can call 1 800 200 8294(TAXI) to get a free cab ride of up to $30 dollars. Get more details about the program and its restrictions here.

Uber

The car service provider says that surge pricing will be in effect for New Year's Eve. That means prices increase when there are not enough cars on the road to meet the demand. Uber says users will be notified when surge pricing is in effect, and that the price must be approved when the ride is requested.

Parking

D.C.

The city will not enforce meters, residential parking rules or rush hour restrictions on New Year's Day. All parking rules will be enforced on New Year's Eve.

Maryland

Montgomery County will not enforce parking on New Year's Day.

Virginia

Arlington County will enforce parking meters on New Year's Eve, but not on New Year's Day.

The City of Alexandria will enforce parking rules on New Year's Eve, but not on New Year's Day.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

UPDATE, Saturday - 12/29/2012, 2:11pm ET - The National Weather Service has cancelled the winter weather advisory for Loudoun County in Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland.

Frederick County, Md., remains under the advisory until 6 p.m.

UPDATE, Saturday - 12/29/2012, 1:05pm ET - The worst of the storm has passed the D.C. metro region as concern turns to icy roads Saturday night.

Charlie Gischlar, spokesman for the Maryland State Highway Administration, says temperatures can vary by one degree, which can mean the difference between slush and ice.

"We urge people to drive with extreme caution and expect the unexpected and slow it down a bit out there," he says.

Temperatures will fall into the lower 20s to the lower 30s overnight. Maryland crews will continue to monitor the roads overnight for ice. VDOT says they will keep skeleton crews out on the roads to check for icy spots, always a concern for them.

EARLIER, Saturday - 12/29/2012, 9:44am ET - A winter weather advisory is still in effect for Montgomery and Loudoun counties, as well as points north and west of there, until 6 p.m. Saturday.

Areas to the north and west in the D.C. metro area may see some light snow later in the day and areas to the south and east may see some light rain, with the possibility of a mix in the middle.

WASHINGTON, Saturday - 12/29/2012, 4:05am ET - A winter weather advisory forecasting 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation has been issued for the D.C. region. For some areas, the advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Temperatures are expected to dip into the 20s and highs will be in the lower 40s.

Snow may mix with some rain as well, but the storm points south and east, which might help keep snow totals lower, according to the ABC7 Weather center.

District

The D.C. Snow Team is preparing for the expected freezing temperatures and potentially dangerous driving conditions by deploying 200 snow plows to the District's streets by 4 a.m. on Saturday.

The D.C. Snow Team, which falls under the Departments of Public Works and Transportation, will also pre-treat bridges, overpasses and other elevated structures with a brine and beet juice solution to reduce the possibility of freezing.

"The 200 plows will begin spreading salt on D.C. streets, including 82 residential routes once snow begins to fall," says DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr.

The system could be fast moving so public works says they'll monitor conditions to determine what, if any, changes should be made in its deployment plan. The temperature is expected to be just above freezing during the day on Saturday, but will drop below freezing Saturday night.

"Therefore, motorists and pedestrians should be very cautious as they travel because refreezing may occur," Howland says.

District to provide updates

Residents can track the plows online and are encouraged to visit snow.dc.gov for updates before, during and after snowstorms. Residents also may sign up at alert.dc.gov to receive emergency alerts and notifications.

D.C. Snow Team also offers snow safety and preparedness tips to residents including:

• People driving, walking or bicycling around the District should travel cautiously.
• Property owners are asked to pre-treat their sidewalks with abrasives and remove snow within 24 hours of the end of the storm.
• Neighbors should assist their elderly or disabled neighbors with clearing their sidewalks.
• Consider the safety of the snow plow drivers and "don't crowd the plow."

Information on DC trash/recycling collection

The DPW says trash and recycling will be collected Saturday, Dec. 29.

"We did not collect trash and recycling on Christmas, so our collections schedule 'slides' to the next day. And Friday's collections will be made Saturday," said Director Howland.

He added that next week normal collections will be made Monday, Dec. 31. Collections will not be made Tuesday, Jan. 1 and collections through the rest of the week "slide" to the next day.

---

Maryland

Maryland officials are urging motorists not to travel if possible during the snow, especially tractor trailers, buses and other large vehicles.

"Even a couple of inches of snow can wreak havoc on driving conditions," says State Highway Administration Administrator Melinda B. Peters. "If you're planning to drive on Saturday, reconsider whether travel is necessary and stay off the roads until later in the day, if possible, to allow crews time to clear the roads. If you must travel, allow extra time, take it slow."

And the Maryland State Police urge commercial vehicle drivers to find a safe place to wait out the storm.

In Montgomery, Prince George's and Baltimore counties crews are pre-treating state maintained roads with salt brine, which serves as an anti-icer. Plow operators will begin clearing roads as soon as the storm starts, the highway administration says.

Disabled motorists should attempt to move their vehicle to the shoulder and out of the path of other traffic. Motorists should also travel with an emergency kit that includes:

• a shovel
• jumper cables
• snacks
• blanket or sleeping bag
• flashlight with extra batteries
• high calorie non-perishable food
• first aid kit
• extra clothes
• bottled water
• a charged cell phone
• kitty litter or other abrasives

Prince George's County

Prince George's County public works crews will begin plowing county-maintained roads at 4 a.m. Saturday. Crews will work 12 hour shifts until all roads are clear and passable.

To help crews to clear roads, residents are asked to:

• Move and keep vehicles off snow emergency routes
• Park in driveways or other off-road locations wherever possible
• Park only on the even-numbered sides of streets

Home and business owners are responsible for clearing snow from sidewalks abutting their home or business.

---

Virginia

Arlington County crews are out pre-treating the roadways and will have a full team ready to respond at 4 a.m.

Click on the map to see Doug Hill's full forecast

Dave Dildine, wtop.com

On the final weekend of 2012, work zones on the roads and rails will have a minimal impact on travel but winter weather will likely affect holiday travel early Saturday.

Although delays on holiday weekends are notoriously unpredictable, travel on Interstate 95 in Virginia will likely be slow in stretches between Springfield and Fredericksburg. The Redskins game at FedEx Field will lead to delays throughout Landover on Sunday night.

Anticipate holiday volume delays on the key interstates leading into the Washington area throughout the long weekend including I-270 and I-70 in Maryland and I-95 in Virginia.

Weather

The ABC7 Weather Center is forecasting light snow to overspread the region early Saturday morning. Travel on the roads in the northern and western suburbs may be slippery and treacherous.

Drivers northwest of town have had their winter weather driving skills tested twice so far this winter. Monday, winter weather snarled traffic on the routes through Loudoun and Frederick counties. Motorists in these areas could again be impacted by ice and heavier snow accumulations.

Give yourself plenty of stopping distance and allow for extra time to reach your destination if you will be traveling through these areas.

Closures

Most major road improvement projects have suspended lane closures through next Wednesday.

Metro & Rail

Metrorail will operate on a normal weekend schedule on Saturday and Sunday. The only work zone will be on the Green Line between College Park and Greenbelt where single-tracking will take place.

On Monday Metro will operate on a normal weekend schedule but the system will remain open two hours later than normal to accommodate late night events. Although the departure times for the last trains will vary by station, Metro says the system will remain open until about 2 a.m.

On New Years Day Metro will operate on a Sunday schedule and will open at 7 a.m.

Scheduled track work will resume on the Red Line and Blue Line after 8 p.m. Trains will single-track between Friendship Heights and Medical Center and between Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street.

On Monday both MARC and VRE will operate on an "S" Schedule. There will be no service on Tuesday.

Redskins

The NFC divisional showdown between the Redskins and Cowboys is set to begin at 8:20 pm this Sunday night at FedEx Field. Metro will keep the Morgan Boulevard Station on the Blue Line open late to accommodate the extra ridership following the game. All other stations will close at a normal time.

Expect congestion on the routes leading toward and away from FexEd Field before and after the game. Parking lots open at 3:30 p.m. and gates open at 5:30 p.m.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON - Many things will be closed or will run on a changed service schedule in the next week because of Christmas and the New Year's holidays.

The White House has given federal employees the day off and has closed all executive branch departments and agencies on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is a federal holiday.

The mail will be delivered as usual on Christmas Eve.

Many grocery stores change their hours for the holidays, with some closing entirely on Christmas Day. Check with your local store.

Virginia ABC stores will close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day.

Montgomery County liquor stores will close at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day.

Transportation

Roads

The Virginia Department of Transportation says HOV restrictions will be lifted on Christmas Eve.

HOV restrictions will also be lifted on Christmas Day.

Normal HOV restrictions will resume on Dec. 26. HOV restrictions in Virginia will also be lifted on New Year's Day.

Roads controlled by the National Park Service, like the Rock Creek Parkway, will switch to rush-hour lane alignments on Christmas Eve.

HOV restrictions on I-270 in Maryland are in effect on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, but are not in effect on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Metro

On Christmas Eve, Metro will run regular weekday service, with rail service from 5 a.m. until midnight.

On Christmas Day, Metrorail and bus will run on a Sunday schedule. Rail service will run from 7 a.m. to midnight.

On New Year's Eve, Metro will have regular weekday service, with rail service running until 2 a.m.

On New year's Day, Metro will run on a Sunday schedule.

MARC

On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, MARC will only run the Penn and Brunswick Lines on an "S" schedule. There will be no Camden Line service.

Find more information about those schedules here.

There will be no MARC service on Christmas or New Year's Day.

VRE

VRE will not run on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

VRE will run trains on an "S" schedule on New Year's Eve.

Arlington ART bus

Routes 41, 42, 51, 77 and 87 will operate on a Saturday schedule on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. No other routes will operate on those days.

Route 41 and 51 and will operate on a Sunday schedule on Christmas Day and New Year's day. No other routes will operate on those days.

Fine more information about those schedules here.

DASH

The DASH bus will run a Saturday schedule on Christmas Eve. All routes will stop running at 7 p.m. The DASH bus will not run on Christmas Day.

The King Street Trolley will run from 11:30 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Fairfax Connector

The Fairfax Connector bus will run on a regular weekday schedule on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Buses will run on a Sunday schedule on Christmas day and New Year's Day.

Fairfax CUE

Buses will run on a normal weekday schedule, with all service ending at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Buses will not run on Christmas or new Year's Day.

Loudoun County Transit

There will be no service on Christmas Eve, Christmas day or New Year's Day.

OmniRide

There will be reduced service on Christmas Eve. Find more information here

There will be no service on Christmas day or New Year's Day.

Ride On

On Christmas Eve, buses will be running on a weekday schedule, but buses will leave for their last trips at 10 p.m.

Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Find more information here.

The Bus

There will be no service Christmas Day or New year's Day.

Parking

D.C.

The city will not enforce meters, residential parking rules or rush hour restrictions on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

All parking rules will be enforced on New Year's Eve.

Maryland

Montgomery County will not enforce parking on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

Virginia

Arlington County will enforce parking meters on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, but not on Christmas Day or New Year's Day.

Alexandria will not enforce parking on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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.)