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.)
