Get There

Beltway HOT lanes: Beginning Friday night, northbound and southbound traffic on the Capital Beltway will shift left approaching the Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) interchange. Beltway lanes in this area will narrow so workers can safely demolish and rebuild parts of the roadway and the bridges over Route 50. This traffic pattern will remain for 12 to 18 months.

All lanes on the inner loop (I-495 North) will be closed by 11 p.m. Drivers will be directed to the exit ramp lanes for Route 50. They will continue through the ramp lanes to get back onto I-495 North. All four lanes will reopen by 7 a.m. Saturday. The traffic shift for I-495 north will begin near the Gallows Road interchange heading towards Route 50.

On Saturday night, all lanes on the outer loop (I-495 South) will be closed by 11 p.m. Drivers will be directed to the exit ramp lanes for Route 50. They will continue along the ramp lanes to get back onto I-495 South. All four lanes will reopen by 9 a.m. Sunday. The traffic shift for I-495 south will begin past the Lee Highway overpass toward Route 50.

Entrepreneur-turned-District transportation czar Gabe Klein opined on everything from bike sharing to streetcars during an hour-long online chat Friday, the first in a monthly series of chats he plans on transportation topics.

Klein took questions and requests from the public for more than an hour. Some people wanted more tree boxes on public sidewalks; others complained about unrepaired utility cuts; another asked when streetscape improvements to Pennsylvania Avenue SE would start (within the next month).

It's clear that Klein has a host of innovative projects on his plate to enhance biking, parking and walking and to get traffic moving faster in the city. Funding and bureaucracy could slow some big projects, like the ambitious network of eight streetcar lines the Fenty administration envisions covering 37 miles along K Street through downtown, H Street and Benning Road, Georgia Avenue/14th Street/Seventh Street, and Rhode Island Avenue/U Street.

For a text of the chat, go to http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/agency/ddot/section/2/release/18608.

-- Lisa Rein

There's a big traffic shift coming in the Rockville area, a Saturday morning walkathon in downtown Washington and a parade in Silver Spring. You'll find details below about these and other weekend events that might affect your travels, plus a look ahead to next week.

Montrose Parkway section opening
The big traffic change is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Friday, and the work will continue till about noon Saturday. (The result will be improved access to Randolph Road from I-270, but avoid the area while the traffic shift is underway.)

This is what will happen:
-- Drivers from the west who are heading along Montrose Road for Randolph Road will be directed off to the right near Tilden Lane onto Montrose Parkway.
-- The Montgomery County Department of Transportation will open the last segment of Montrose Parkway West between East Jefferson and Old Georgetown Road. So eastbound traffic on the parkway will have direct access to the new underpass beneath Rockville Pike and will emerge onto Randolph Road on the other side of the pike.
-- Local traffic heading east on Montrose Road will be able to turn right or left onto East Jefferson Street and Rockville Pike, but will not be allowed to cross the pike to Randolph Road. Drivers on eastbound Montrose Road who want to reach Randolph Road will need to turn right on Old Georgetown Road, then make an immediate left onto the new eastbound Montrose Parkway.
-- Traffic going north on Rockville Pike will need to use a new ramp to turn right onto Randolph Road.

Weekend games
It's a relatively quiet weekend locally. These sporting events are likely to cause extra traffic congestion.
Friday: Washington Capitals vs. Montreal, 7 p.m. at Verizon Center in downtown Washington; Maryland Terrapins vs. New Hampshire, 8 p.m. on the College Park campus.

Downtown walkathon Saturday
The Help the Homeless Walkathon starts at 9 a.m. on the National Mall between 7th and 14th streets NW and around the Tidal Basin. See a route map here.

Metrorail opening early Saturday
Metrorail will open one hour early, at 6 a.m., to handle crowds heading to the marathon. The best stations to use for the event are L'Enfant Plaza on the Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green lines; Archives on the Green and Yellow lines; Smithsonian on the Blue and Orange lines; Gallery Place on the Red, Yellow and Green lines. Parking at lots and garages operated by Metro is free on weekends.

Silver Spring parade
The annual Silver Spring Thanksgiving parade will close several streets in downtown Silver Spring on Saturday morning and early afternoon and will restrict traffic on Georgia Avenue. The parade is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. It will start at Sligo and Georgia Avenues, then make a right on Ellsworth Drive in the new shopping area, then end on Fenton Street around noon.

The northbound lanes of Georgia Avenue between East-West Highway and Colesville Road will be closed from 7 a.m. till about 1 p.m. Look here for a map of the parade route, parking and blocked roads.

Metrorail weekend delays
These delays are caused by maintenance work along the tracks. Keep them in mind if you're going to the marathon. Orange Line riders between East Falls Church and Ballston should add at least 20 minutes to their normal travel times from 8 p.m., Friday till the system's midnight closing on Sunday. Red Line riders between Medical Center and Grosvenor should add at least 20 minutes to their normal trip times from 9:30 p.m. Friday to the midnight close Sunday.

Blue and Yellow Line riders between Van Dorn Street and King Street should add at least half an hour from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All Yellow and Blue Line trains will operate to Huntington during these times. Metro will operate a special Blue Line shuttle train between Franconia-Springfield and King Street. At King Street, catch a Blue or Yellow Line train to Largo or Fort Totten. If you normally would park at Franconia-Springfield or Van Dorn Street, consider parking at Huntington instead this weekend, to avoid delays.

Metrobus detours
Routes F4 and Z8: From 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, buses will be rerouted around the Silver Spring Thanksgiving parade, which closes Fenton Street between Wayne Avenue and Colesville Road.

Routes 32, 34, 36, 52, 54, 64, 70 and V8: From 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, buses will be rerouted around the Homeless Walk-A-Thon that will close Independence Avenue NW between 7th and 14th streets NW.

Routes 32, 36 and 38B: From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, buses will be rerouted around heavy crane lifting operations that will close I Street NW between 18th and 19th streets.

Wilson Bridge opening
One of the now-rare openings of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge is scheduled for 6 a.m. Saturday, to allow the sailing vessel Amistad to get through.

Tysons shuttle
Just in time for holiday shopping and local events, a free midday bus shuttle is starting up Monday in Tysons Corner. The Tysons Connector buses will run every 10 minutes between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on weekdays. There are two routes (Tysons Connector 1 and 2) serving big employers and businesses along the way, as well as the Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria malls. See a map here.

Chain Bridge Road work
Usually when we talk about construction in Tysons Corner, it's the HOT lanes project on Route 123 and the Dulles Metrorail project on Route 7. But right now, the rail project is warning drivers to be very careful traveling south on Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) in from Monday morning through noon Wednesday. The right-turn lane to Capital One Drive will be closed so workers can remove poles in the area. Right turns to Capital One Drive will be allowed from the right through lane.

Also, the rail project announced, a short stretch of the right lane will be closed between the Capital Beltway off-ramps and on-ramps during the days. At night, there will be numerous closings near Tysons Boulevard and International Drive, because of utility work. Watch for police out directing traffic.

Fairfax Connector changes
Starting Sunday, the Fairfax Connector will be adding additional bus trips, adjusting schedules, creating Route 402 and consolidating 10 bus stops. The affected routes include 401, 621, 622, 623 and 950. Ten stops, mostly along Elden Street in Herndon on Route 950, are being consolidated. See details here.

WASA work on Connecticut
The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority will be doing some utility work this coming week that will result in temporary lane closings along Connecticut Avenue at off-peak hours, but this still could result in traffic delays. So watch for this work Monday through Wednesday between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Traffic on Connecticut will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Calvert and Cathedral streets, and there will be no on-street parking in those blocks. If it's not done during that time, the work will resume on Monday, Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving construction zones
Transportation departments pull up most of their orange cones from noon Wednesday through Monday morning to clear the way for Thanksgiving traffic. The longer-term construction barriers, lane narrowings and lane shifts, such as those in place for the Beltway HOT lanes project, remain where they are.

Thanksgiving getaway advice
I'll have some suggestion on the Commuter page in Sunday's Post, and watch the blog early next week for more postings for long-distance travelers and those hanging around town to shop.

Bob Marbourg steers listeners through traffic: Despite all the hardware, Marbourg will tell you that the greatest recent advance in traffic reporting is the cellphone. He has a network of dozens, maybe hundreds -- he's never really counted -- of commuters who phone in real-time tips about delays, accidents and the like. (Paul Farhi)

Marbourg's desk has banks of scanners and traffic camera displays. That's all backup. He spends the 10 minutes between traffic reports listening to drivers calling in from the roads. When he starts his report, he doesn't read from notes. He's got this road network in his mind. Marbourg says he knows more about the current condition of traffic from sitting in his studio and taking drivers' calls than he would have in the days when he was flying over the roads.

On Marbourg's station, WTOP, Adam Tuss has been doing a series of reports marking his three decades of traffic reporting. You'll find links to listen on this page.

[This post has been updated]

6:30 A.M. UPDATE: All lanes are now open and cleared. Traffic is still backed up to Nutley Street -- about 2 miles -- which is fairly typical of the morning rush hour commute on I-66 East.

As for what happened: A tractor-trailer hauling produce hit a jersey wall set up as part of HOT construction on I-66 at the Beltway, according to Trooper B.J. Burns of the Virginia State Police. Troopers arrived on the scene at 3:15 a.m. and found that while none of the cargo was spilled, the driver's fuel tanks had ruptured and approximately 100 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the through lanes of I-66 East, Burns said. The lanes exiting to 495 North and South were unaffected; the lanes continuing on 66 to Arlington and Washington were the ones impacted. So there was heavier-than-usual traffic for regular Beltway commuters, since drivers heading east on 66 were routed temporarily onto the Beltway along with them.

All lanes reopened to travel at 6:24 a.m. There are lingering backups, but it is generally in keeping with the usual I-66 East backups and delays. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation, but looks to be driver error, Burns said.

6:20 A.M. UPDATE: Traffic is backed up at least as far back as Nutley Street, according to traffic cameras.

6 A.M. UPDATE: The accident took place at about 3:15 a.m., involving a single car (the tractor-trailer) and a diesel fuel spill, an official with the Virginia State Police said. And Fairfax County Fire Department units are on the scene, but leaving within minutes. More information as we get it.

ORIGINAL POST, 5:40 A.M.: A tractor trailer accident on I-66 East at the Beltway will cause major delays for commuters this morning. The east left lane, center lane and right lane are all closed. The Virginia Department of Transportation recommends this detour: Take exit 64 B to the Beltway (heading north), take exit 47 B to Leesburg Pike (Route 7) heading east and then re-enter I-66 East.

Beltway HOT lanes: One lane will be closed on the I-495 South exit ramp to I-395 North overnight while workers reinforce the steel beams for the High Occupancy Toll lanes project.

The changes that would have affected transit benefits for many thousands of riders will be delayed for a year, according to Metro officials.

The revisions, which caused widespread confusion among riders and among the employers responsible for administering the benefits, were to take effect in January.

Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. had signaled that the transit authority was rethinking whether to go ahead. During an online chat Nov. 6 on Metro's Web site, he said: "Over the past couple of weeks, we have heard a lot of comments from customers about this change in SmartBenefits. I've decided that we need to rethink the changes that we are making." This morning, the iMetro blog reported that Catoe had said at a Wednesday night meeting in Prince George's County that the changes would be postponed.

The transit authority said the changes were necessary to comply with IRS guidelines on how to protect the benefit system from misuse. The revised system would have required that riders tell their benefits administrators how much to set aside for transit rides and how much for transit parking. Starting in January, those benefits would have been downloaded directly to the riders' SmarTrip cards when they swiped them at the fare gates, the bus fare boxes or the exit gates in transit parking areas.

The provision that drew the most concern: At the end of each month, unused benefits would be returned to the employer. That particularly riled up private employees who set aside a portion of their salary for a pre-tax allocation to SmartBenefits. That's our money, they said. Why is that being returned to our employers?

Many other questions were raised, as you can see from my Nov. 9 online chat during which Metro's SmarTrip director, Cyndi Zieman, fielded readers' inquiries and comments about the changes.

Employers clearly did not know ahead of time about the postponement. Just before posting this blog entry, I got an e-mail from The Post benefits office explaining the impact of the now-postponed changes on those of us who take advantage of the pre-tax deduction. Now, we'll have a year to figure it out.

The transportation project having the biggest impact on travelers this fall is the HOT lanes construction along the western side of the Beltway in Virginia. This is so despite the fact that through lanes are not blocked during peak travel periods.

Here's the latest advisory from the Virginia Department of Transportation:

Beginning Friday night, northbound and southbound traffic on the Capital Beltway will shift left approaching the Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) interchange. Beltway lanes in this area will narrow so workers can safely demolish and rebuild parts of the roadway and the bridges over Route 50. This traffic pattern will remain for 12 to 18 months.

Work schedule
On Friday night, all lanes on the inner loop (I-495 North) will be closed by 11 p.m. Drivers will be directed to the exit ramp lanes for Route 50. They will continue through the ramp lanes to get back onto I-495 North. All four lanes will reopen by 7 a.m. Saturday. The traffic shift for I-495 north will begin near the Gallows Road interchange heading towards Route 50.

On Saturday night, all lanes on the outer loop (I-495 South) will be closed by 11 p.m. Drivers will be directed to the exit ramp lanes for Route 50. They will continue along the ramp lanes to get back onto I-495 South. All four lanes will reopen by 9 a.m. Sunday. The traffic shift for I-495 south will begin past the Lee Highway overpass toward Route 50.

More driving this holiday season: That's what AAA predicts. The travel organization pointed to a longtime trend in which air travel continues to decline as a percentage of total Thanksgiving travel. Since 2000, the number of Americans traveling by air during the Thanksgiving weekend has dropped 62 percent. (Sholnn Freeman)

I'm writing up some suggestions about the holiday getaway for drivers, to appear on Sunday's Commuter page in The Post, and I plan to post some blog entries combining the advice I get from travel experts and officials with the advice I've gotten from you. I collect the getaway advice you send to me at drgridlock@washpost.com, here on the blog and on our new discussion group, called Taken for a Ride.

The holiday time drives get to be something of an obsession with me and my readers. I get inquiries all the time about best routes and best times to travel. (You veteran travelers know this is not exactly a science, but I try to offer options and issues to think about.)

I can illustrate the variety of inquiries with this one that came in on Wednesday. It also shows that there are many reasons people take to the roads over the holidays:

Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I recently got a job in DC (yay!) and, due to start dates and such, am forced to move from NYC to DC over the Thanksgiving weekend (boo!). I was planning on driving down to DC on Saturday, the 28th. Here are my questions:

1. Do you think Saturday is the best option? Will leaving earlier in the day be better? Will I be traveling with traffic, against traffic, or are all bets off because of the holiday?

2. Do you suggest another route other than the possible horrors of 95?

Dr. G: I said yes to Saturday and leaving early. I think that on Saturday, out of all the days of the long Thanksgiving weekend, sticking to I-95 should be better than any of the longer-mileage alternatives.

In Virginia: Overnight lane closures on I-95 and the Beltway are cleared up. But I-66 is predictably sluggish. I-95 North in Occoquan and Dale City is brimming with delays, too.

In Maryland: I-95 at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (Prince George's County) has inner loop lane closures, though traffic is easing up as the morning rush kicks off. And a disabled car on I-495 Inner Loop at Colesville Road could also lead to delays [6:50 A.M. UPDATE: This has been resolved].

Dulles Metrorail construction: Lane closure scheduled for tonight on the Dulles Toll Road (route 267) has been canceled.

I-95 Widening: Three miles south of the Fairfax County Parkway exit (Exit 166), VDOT is closing several lanes on southbound I-95 to allow workers room to hang steel beams for the additional lane over Pohick Creek, one half mile north of the Lorton Road exit (Exit 163). One right lane of southbound I-95 will be closed at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, followed by another at 10:30 p.m. The lanes will reopen by 5 a.m.

Overnight, one southbound lane will remain open to all traffic. The HOV lanes will remain open to southbound traffic until 1:30 a.m. (They normally close to southbound traffic at midnight.)

Beltway HOT lanes: Capital Beltway Exit 57) from I-495 south (outer loop) to I-395 North will be closed from 9:30 p.m. to 5 o'clock Thursday morning so workers can install steel beams for a new bridge at the Springfield interchange.

Detour: From I-495 South, exit onto I-95 South, to Exit 166A, the Newington-Fairfax County Parkway (Route 7100). Follow signs around the exit ramps back to I-95 North and continue onto I-395 North. This will probably add 10 to 15 minutes to your trip.

Ramp closing at 9th Street SW Bridge
A ramp that connects the southbound 9th Street Tunnel with southbound I-395 will be closed temporarily overnight through Friday, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night. Alternative route: Continue straight across the 9th Street Bridge to Maine Avenue, make a right turn and then take the left exit for I-395 South. Watch for signs marking this detour.