After a rainy end to the workweek, the weekend should be a pleasant — if a little brisk — one.
If you’re planning to hit the road this weekend to enjoy the fall weather or take part in some Halloween festivities, here’s what you need to know in the D.C. area.
Roads
Maryland
In Montgomery County, the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) between MD-650 (New Hampshire Avenue) and MD-193 (University Boulevard) will see single and multiple lane closures during the off-peak hours during the week. On the weekends, those lane closures will stay in place from Fridays at 9 p.m. through Mondays at 5 a.m., through the rest of the year.
In Frederick County, a bridge rehabilitation project will close MD-28 (Dickerson Road) Bridge over the Monacacy River every weekend from Fridays at 10 p.m. through Mondays at 5 a.m. However, the bridge will be open for this holiday weekend.
Virginia
In Fairfax County, sometime on Saturday morning, Route 28 will be shifted to a new bridge over I-66. This new alignment is part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.
For about two weeks following this shift, drivers on Rt. 28 North traveling to I-66 East will temporarily access eastbound I-66 from the left-most travel lanes while crews finish constructing the new, permanent ramp from Rt. 28 North to I-66 East.
Drivers coming from Rt. 29 (Lee Highway) will not be able to get to the temporary, left-side ramp from Rt. 28 North to I-66 East. Instead, they will be detoured farther south on Rt. 29 to the I-66/Rt. 29 Interchange in Centreville until the permanent right-side ramp from Rt. 28 North to I-66 East is opened.
To accommodate this changing traffic pattern, drivers should expect to see the following changes starting Friday:
- The ramp from Rt. 29 South to Rt. 28 North will be closed from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. To reach Rt. 28 North and/or I-66 East, drivers will be detoured farther south to the I-66/Rt. 29 Centreville Interchange, stay to the right and follow signs to I-66 East. Drivers heading to Rt. 28 North will continue east to Rt. 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) North, stay to the right and follow signs to I-66 West, then follow signs to Rt. 28 North.
- The ramp from I-66 East to Rt. 28 North will be closed from 10:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. Traffic will be detoured farther east to Rt. 286 North, stay to the right and follow signs to I-66 West, then follow signs to Rt. 28 North.
- Around 11 p.m. Friday, northbound Rt. 28 between Old Centreville Road and Walney Road will be reduced to one travel lane for crews to implement the traffic shift.
- Around 8 a.m. Saturday, all lanes will reopen and drivers on Rt. 28 North will be shifted to the new, permanent alignment using the new bridge over I-66.
DC
As part of several of projects aimed at improving I-295 in D.C., there will be temporary lane closures in the I-295/DC-295 corridor throughout the weekend.
A full list of what areas will be impacted is available online.
Arlington Memorial Bridge closure
The Arlington Memorial Bridge will be closed for repairs during Halloween weekend, starting Friday, Oct. 30, the National Park Service said Friday.
The temporary closure will begin at 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, according to a news release.
Metro
Metro will run trains from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, with 90 of 91 stations in service.
The Green and Yellow lines will see normal train frequencies, but maintenance will cause some slow downs on the Blue, Orange, Silver and Red lines.
Blue Line:
- Trains run every 24 minutes
- Due to grout pad replacement and radio cable installation, trains will single track between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery
Orange Line:
- Trains operate every 24 minutes
- Due to grout pad replacement and radio cable installation, trains will single track between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon
Silver Line:
- Trains operate every 24 minutes
- Due to switch replacement, trains will operate between Wiehle-Reston East and Ballston only
- Transfer to Orange Line to continue trip
Red Line:
- Trains operate every 12-15 minutes
- Due to switch replacement, buses replace trains between Rhode Island Ave and Takoma
- Brookland and Fort Totten (upper level platform) stations closed
- Consider using the Green or Yellow lines as an alternate for travel to/from downtown D.C.
WTOP’s Mary DePompa contributed to this report.
