Traffic Alert: Massachusetts Ave. Closed in NW by Suspicious Package

This cause significant delays on Connecticut Ave. from Cathedral Ave. to Florida, NW. Also, people bailing out and heading north flooded Connecticut from Columbia Rd. north to Cathedral.

Oooooo! Another cardboard box with lightbrights!!!!

what is going on at I street between 6th and 7th, NW. Totally blocked off. Has been since at least 8:20 a.m.

ACORN is mad because President obozo is throwing them under the bus too.

Jeez, the whako teabaggers are even infecting the traffic blogs!

No news on the Chinatown 7th Street closing? Helllllloo? Guess I will check WTop instead.

Actually there is another suspicious package in a building on I St NW between 6th and 7th Streets NW. They originally just blocked I between the two streets, then they blocked 7th from the Convention Center down to H Street. I slipped into my building before all this happened so I am not sure what they are doing now, but this all started around 8:15 am this morning.

Normally, there is a surge of traffic on inbound Connecticut between 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM...and it generally clears out quickly after 9. This morning, it was still gridlocked until 10:15. I'm surprised an incident on Massachusetts managed to affect traffic all the way on Connecticut. Oh wait this is DC, so I'm not surprised at all...

I think Conn. Ave. traffic is managed quite effectively by the city. Why slam the city for your inconvenience? Perhaps you should take metro rather than drive into the city each day.

Mass. Ave. was closed this morning due to a problem I found out later at the mosque. I was on a bus stopped at Mass. & Observatory at the police line along with 3 other buses. The bus driver received no instructions from Metro during the 1/2 hour I sat on the bus. Likewise, the police officers provided no information on the problem or what to do. If Metro had provided adequate, timely communications to the drivers we could have been directed to walk back to Wisc. or the buses could have detoured back to Wisc. instead of sitting for hours.

Due to pressing business after 1/2 hour I started walking down Mass. When I got to Wayside the sidewalk was also closed. The police at Observatory should have told the many people who choose to walk down Mass. that Mass. was closed at Wayside. We would have then known that a better option would have been to walk back up Mass. to Wisc. had to walk thru the park to Wisc. Ave. to get transportation.

At the police line at Wayside, the police were not able to tell us where the trail (to the right, west) thru the park, our only option, came out. They didn't seem to be familiar at all with the area. Another victim of this lack of information fortunately was able to direct us thru to Wisc.

There were many people on the bus less able to walk the distance I did and were stuck for several hours without knowing what their options might be.

If the police at Observatory had provided adequate, timely communication, we could have been directed to walk back to Wisc., a shorter option. Likewise the police at Wayside should have known the area better to be able to direct us.

At 10:30 am neither the metro site nor the police site had any info on the problem. Metro not only needs a better communication strategy, it needs a way to communicate on a timely basis with the bus drivers who are basically ordered not to make decisions but await a supervisors instructions.

What about the stupid Uniform Secret Service Police blocking two lanes on Wisconsin Ave. below Mass. Ave.NW. They were just chatting not doing anything. I know their no minorities to harrass this time a day fellas but don't be apart of the problem.

Parts of Mass Ave, Conn Ave, Rock Creek Pkwy,and other streets are closed during this morning's rush hour -- reportedly because of one or more suspicious packages near the Islamic Center -- and traffic is snarled AND the Post has no story on it? How sad -- to see the paper's coverage decline like this.