It’s going to be a long holiday weekend travel-wise, which means most road work in the D.C. region will be suspended. There will be changes on Metrorail to facilitate travel downtown for Fourth of July festivities.
It’s going to be a long holiday weekend travel-wise, which means most roadwork in the D.C. region will be suspended. There will be changes on Metrorail to facilitate travel downtown for Fourth of July festivities.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration suspended major lane closures for nonemergency roadwork on major roads and interstates from 5 a.m. Thursday, June 30, through 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 5. You can always check its website for real-time traffic information.
The busy summer travel season continues this weekend as families and friends gather to celebrate the Fourth of July. With heavy traffic anticipated on state highways, bridges and at BWI Airport, MDOT urges everyone to embrace the spirit of civic responsibility by traveling with safety, awareness and courtesy.
AAA Mid-Atlantic expects more than 977,460 Marylanders to travel this Fourth of July weekend. Despite gas prices, 90% of those travelers — nearly 880,000 — will hit the roadways, a slight increase over 2021.
Travelers should anticipate congestion beginning Thursday, June 30, along US-50 to Ocean City, Interstate 70 and Interstate 68 toward Western Maryland, and Interstate 95 north toward Delaware. Volumes are expected to be heavy Saturday, Sunday, Monday and even Tuesday, as travelers return home.
The Bay Bridge and the US-50 corridor are expected to be busy throughout the weekend. For those using the Bay Bridge, motorists are reminded to stay on US-50 on both sides of the bridge to keep local roadways open for first responders and residents. The best times to travel the Bay Bridge this holiday include:
- Friday, July 1 — before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
- Saturday, July 2 — before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
- Sunday, July 3 — before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
- Monday, July 4 — before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
- Tuesday, July 5 — before 6 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
Weather- and traffic volume-permitting, the Maryland Transportation Authority will use two-way operations to help alleviate eastbound delays at the bridge. As a reminder, two-way operations are prohibited during bridge wind warnings and restrictions, fog, or times of precipitation. Learn more about two-way operations here.
Upcoming Roadwork
With most roadwork suspended, there is a new travel pattern expected on Interstate 66 as part of the Transform 66 Outside of the Beltway Project, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday, July 5, if weather allows.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, on I-66 West the travel lanes at Nutley Street will shift to a new roadway configuration. The two right lanes will be temporarily separated from the two left lanes while construction continues — drivers will stay to the right to exit to the Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metro station.
Travel lanes on I-66 West between Nutley Street and Vaden Drive will be shifted to a new, long-term configuration beginning the early morning hours on or about Wednesday, July 6.
When this traffic change is implemented, the two right travel lanes will be separated from the two left travel lanes by barrier. Drivers will be directed by signs and message boards to stay to the right at the lane split to exit to the Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metro station (Country Creek Road and Virginia Center Boulevard).
This temporary traffic pattern will remain in place for approximately two months.
The ramps from Virginia Center Boulevard to I-66 West and from I-66 West to Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metro station will reopen during the early morning hours on or about Wednesday, July 6, as part of the implementation of this traffic shift.
These ramps have…
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