Demonstrators halt DC-area traffic for the 2nd time this week

Amid the morning rush hour, traffic came to a standstill on the George-Washington Parkway Wednesday morning as a group of demonstrators blocked the D.C.-area roadway.

It’s the second time a roadway in the region has been blocked during rush hour this week.

Commuters in the northbound lanes of the GW Parkway in Arlington, Virginia, came to a standstill as demonstrators carrying signs protesting climate change took a seat on the roadway at around 8:30 a.m.

The protesters were moved out of the road and traffic was moving about an hour after demonstrations began, WTOP traffic reported.

 

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A post shared by Declare Emergency (@decemergency)

An Instagram livestream from the group shows several protesters in handcuffs, but it isn’t clear if any were arrested and charged.

The closures comes two days after the same group of demonstrators staged a similar protest in D.C. A small group of demonstrators from Declare Emergency blocked traffic near the northbound exit of D.C.’s Third Street Tunnel on Monday morning.

That closure lasted around half an hour and three people were arrested.

This week’s round of protests follow Earth Day.

The group has staged other blockades in the past two years, including on the Capital Beltway in Maryland and Interstate 395 in Southwest D.C. over the last two years.

WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez contributed to this report.

Jessica Kronzer

Jessica Kronzer graduated from James Madison University in May 2021 after studying media and politics. She enjoys covering politics, advocacy and compelling human-interest stories.

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