This weekend will see the Outer Loop ramp to go westbound on Interstate 66 closed and detoured during the overnight hours. In the District, Interstate 395 northbound over the Case Bridge will see overnight work stopping all traffic in 30-minute increments, plus closures again on the Suitland Parkway.
In Maryland, a big paving project begins on Interstate 270.
Metro riders should be prepared for some disruptions, too.
Here’s everything you need to know about getting around this weekend.
Roadwork
Maryland
The Capital Beltway Outer Loop lane closures are set to continue over the Northwest Branch Bridge between MD-650/New Hampshire Ave and MD-193/University Boulevard in Montgomery County.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration is continuing its long-term work, which will have intermittent closures of one, two and three lanes during off-peak hours.
The project, which was originally slated for completion in the summer, is now looking to continue through the end of the year, weather permitting.
For the weekend, scheduled repairs will run from 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday.
During these work times there will be signs to alert drivers of the changing traffic patterns. Motorists should expect delays, add extra commute time and use alternate routes during the repairs. There will be additional work times and lane closures possible to complete this work.
In Frederick, crews begin pavement repairs to I-270 southbound between MD-85/Buckeystown Pike and MD-80/Fingerboard Road and I-270 northbound between MD-80 and the Montgomery County line just north of MD-109 Old Hundred Road.
The crews will start on the southbound lanes of I-270 nightly between 7 p.m. Sundays through 4 a.m. Fridays. Once they’ve completed the southbound, they will begin work northbound, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Friday.
The $340,000 project is expected to be completed by December requiring single lane closures during working hours.
In Anne Arundel County, pavement repairs have begun on I-97 in both directions between MD-3 and MD-174. Motorists can expect lane shifts from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, with single lane closures between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
D.C.
There is a work zone scheduled, weather permitting, for I-395/Southwest Freeway northbound overnight Friday into Saturday morning, which will reduce travel to one lane and implement periodic full stops of up to 30 minutes.
The District Department of Transportation plans to temporarily stop all traffic on I-395 northbound just before the 12th Street Expressway/Capital One Arena exit 3.
Beginning Friday around 11 p.m., the work area will reduce travel to one lane, followed by 30-minute full stoppages between the Potomac Park/U.S. Park Police exit 2 and the 12th Street Expressway ramp, which is the Case Bridge over the Southwest Waterfront.
During this time, the following ramps will be closed:
- Ramp from the I-395 Express Toll Lanes to the I-395, closed and detoured
- Ramp from I-395 Northbound to the 12th Street Expressway, closed and detoured
- Ramp from I-395 Northbound to Exit 2 — Potomac Park/U.S. Park Police
Throughout this week, the work continued in the overnight hours with closures on the Suitland Parkway.
DDOT reports they will be continuing this work into Saturday. The overnight work, between 8 p.m. through 5 a.m., closes the Suitland Parkway between South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue, SE, which means no access to I-295/Suitland Parkway interchange.
This Saturday, the work is scheduled to continue through 9 p.m. with detours in place to help motorists navigate the closure. In the event of an unforeseen delay, or bad weather, the Saturday closure will be pushed to Sunday.
These closures are necessary for construction activities associated with the South Capitol Street Corridor Project, which includes construction of the New Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and the reconstruction of the I-295/ Suitland Parkway interchange.
In addition, there has also been a nightly closures of Howard Rd underneath of I-295, which has been in place every night since Monday between Firth Sterling Avenue, SE and the WMATA parking garage.
Virginia
In Fairfax, I-66 west at the Beltway will close in the overnight hours this weekend for crews to lift bridge beams in place for the new I-66 Express Lanes ramp as part of the I-66 Transforms Outside the Beltway Project.
On Friday through Sunday, overnight traffic will be detoured using I-495 and the Route 50 Interchange. This is expected to cause delays and motorists should consider alternate routes between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. overnight Sunday to Monday, when I-66 West at I-495 will be closed and detoured.
To access I-66 westbound during these closures, traffic will be directed to continue on I-495 south to the Route 50 East exit, stay to the right and follow signs to I-495 North, then follow signs to I-66 West. All lanes will open by 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, 4 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 25.
Also, in Fairfax, there will be overnight closures of the ramp from Route 50 East to I-66 East for bridge beam installation.
Beginning Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, the ramp from eastbound Route 50 to eastbound I-66 will be closed nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. with drivers directed farther east to U-turn at Waples Mill Road.
According to VDOT, it has also scheduled weekend work in the overnight hours on I-395 during the entire month of October from just north of Duke Street/Little River Turnpike exit 3 through Shirlington, which could close multiple lanes.
As of this publication, VDOT has not confirmed anything beyond what is listed above.
In Herndon, the bridge rehabilitation project on Route 7 over Sugarland Run is scheduled again for this weekend, with continuous double lane closures expected westbound.
Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday and running through Monday morning, the westbound lanes of Route 7 between the Fairfax County Parkway and Dranesville Road will have two left lanes blocked for a project focused on a new bridge deck, pier and abutment repairs plus upgrades to the guardrails, curbs and gutters.
Be sure to stay tuned to WTOP for traffic on the 8s to get the latest details. As always, if you encounter something that doesn’t make our survey, please call the Traffic Center at 866-304-WTOP.
Metro
This weekend will see scheduled routine maintenance on all but the Red Line.
From Friday after 7 p.m. through Sunday closing, there will be single-tracking between Eastern Market and Cheverly/Addison Road on the Blue, Orange and Silver Lines. Blue Line trains are running between Franconia-Springfield and Eastern Market only, for switch replacement.
The Green and Yellow Line trains will single track between U-Street and Georgia-Petworth after 10 p.m. for fire system upgrade. The minimal impact Reagan National Airport platform rehabilitation project continues through December.
All 91 stations are open this weekend during the hours of 7 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday.
Weekend service summary:
Red Line — trains every 12 to 15 minutes.
Blue Line — trains every 34 minutes between Franconia-Springfield and Eastern Market only. Between Eastern Market and Largo use the Silver Line; transfer at Metro Center or L’Enfant Plaza.
Orange Line — trains every 34 minutes, single tracking between Eastern Market and Cheverly due to switch replacement.
Silver Line — trains every 34 minutes (15 to 17 minutes at downtown stations), single-tracking between Eastern Market and Addison Road.
Yellow, Green Line — trains every 15 to 20 minutes and will single track between U Street and Georgia-Petworth after 10 p.m. for fire systems upgrades.
