WASHINGTON — During the morning of one of the busiest travel days of the year, two separate crashes closed down parts of the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway — one of the busiest travel routes in the area.
Traffic volume and other minor crashes, meanwhile, gummed up Thanksgiving getaway traffic across the D.C. area.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., all lanes on the Capital Beltway had reopened after the two major crashes, but major delays persisted.
“Earlier accidents that we had this morning have left us in major delays that we have yet to recover from,” WTOP traffic reporter Reada Kessler said early Wednesday afternoon. “Add to that all the people getting on the roadway right now to get out of town, and every artery is going to be clogged. Basically, just expect to sit in delays and if you can delay your trip, it would be a good idea to do so.”
The first of the two crashes occurred at about 7:45 a.m. after a southbound Freightliner box truck approaching the American Legion Bridge struck another box truck, overturned and landed on top of a BMW and PT Cruiser.
The drivers of two of the vehicles suffered minor injuries, according to Pete Piringer of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. But as far as he knew, they didn’t need to be transported to hospitals, he said.
The box truck that was struck leaked fuel requiring a HAZMAT unit to respond.
The New Jersey driver of the Freighliner has been charged with negligent driving, operating on a suspended license and other charges, Maryland State Police said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The crash led to severe delays after the roadway was shut down for a collision investigation. At about 10:45 a.m. all lanes had been reopened.
However, just before 11 a.m., another multivehicle crash right again closed lanes right after the Georgetown Pike. At about 12:30, all lanes had reopened but, again, residual delays continued.
