A collision that has left a tractor trailer dangling over a bridge on the I-495 Beltway and I-270 Spur has led to significant disruptions and emergency response efforts after midnight early Thursday morning.
I-495
On Friday afternoon, a tractor trailer carrying food products veered off-road and crashed into trees on the outer loop of I-495, between Georgia Avenue and Connecticut Avenue in Kensington.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will close and detour two ramps on I-95/I-495 (Capital Beltway) in Prince George’s County as part of a ramp resurfacing project beginning July 6. Work will take place overnight Sundays through Thursdays, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. All work is expected to be complete by the end of July, weather permitting.
|
Edited for additional clarity
The Capital Beltway, officially designated as I-495, is a major highway that encircles Washington DC and its inner suburbs in Maryland and Virginia. When you’re driving on the Beltway, you’ll often hear references to the “inner loop” and the “outer loop.” These terms simply describe the direction of travel around the circular highway. Below, we explain what they mean.
At approximately 4:45am Wednesday morning, a significant crash occurred on the inner loop of the I-495 Beltway between Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road, near Exit 31– closing the inner loop of I-495.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Chief spokesperson Pete Piringer reported a collision involving two tractor trailers, one of which overturned and began leaking fuel, leading to some lanes being blocked. The incident, initially dispatched around 4:45am, involved a substantial fuel spill and debris scattered across the roadway. MCFRS HazMat units were called in to manage the fuel leakage, while emergency medical personnel transported one adult from the scene.
Starting last night, Friday, June 27, crews began to implement the first of two traffic shifts of all four lanes on southbound I-495 (Beltway Outer Loop) within the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project area. This first phase shifts southbound I-495 lanes from just north of George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) to just south of Georgetown Pike onto newly constructed lanes on the outer section of the highway. Work began Friday night, with all southbound lanes in this section of the Beltway reopened in their new alignment by 10 a.m. this morning (Saturday, June 28). Delays extended onto I-270 in Maryland.
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded Friday morning to a single-vehicle collision on the ramp from Colesville Road to the Outer Loop of I-495, where a vehicle went off the road into the woods. (more…)
|
3:33pm Update: All travel lanes reopened on Outer Loop I495 past Old Georgetown Rd (MD187) from earlier traffic incident. Expect residual delays.
UPDATE: “Multi-Vehicle Crash with Injury. I-495 WB (Outer Loop) past MD-187 (Exit 36). Mont Co, MD. All OL lanes are blocked. Traffic is diverted to I-270. Delays begin before MD-355. The ramp from MD-355 northbound to the OL is also blocked. An extended closure is expected”
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a single-vehicle collision on the I-495 Beltway exit ramp to River Road around 6:20pm on Friday.
|
A vehicle fire has closed all lanes of Outer Loop I-495 after Old Georgetown Rd. on Tuesday morning, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a reported pedestrian struck on Georgia Avenue at the I-495 Beltway, possibly due to a fall from the bridge above on Monday morning. (more…)