As usual, the U.S. Capitol Police will close most of the streets near the Capitol this evening for the State of the Union address. Unless you're an "authorized pedestrian," you won't be able to access Capitol Square starting at 6 p.m., while the following roads will be closed between 7:00 p.m. and the conclusion of the speech. more ›

Chain Bridge will be closed again this weekend, from 9 p.m. on Friday, May 21 through 6:30 a.m. on Monday, May 24. District Dept. of Transportation officials say that, weather permitting, this should be the final weekend of the major part of the bridge overhaul. When it reopens Monday morning, the traffic pattern return to what it was before construction began: two lanes for inbound rush hour traffic in the morning, and two lanes for outbound rush hour traffic outbound in the evening. more ›

D.C. police have closed 16th Street NW between S and R streets for a suspicious package investigation. MPD spokesperson Lt. Nicholas Breul said this was the second suspicious package police had responded to in the area this morning. No details were available on the nature of the package. That block of 16th Street is directly adjacent to the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry headquarters. more ›

Several street closures are in effect this morning in Foggy Bottom due to a water main break in the area. Two westbound lanes on Pennsylvania Ave. NW at 20th Street are closed, as are parts of I Street between 20th and 21st NW, and all southbound lanes at the intersection of 21st and K streets NW. Authorities expect the general vicinity of 21st Street between K and Pennsylvania to remain a mess throughout the morning. MORE: DC WASA spokesperson Alan Heymann tells DCist the water main in question was installed all the way back in 1859. That's some old main! more ›

A few lane and road closures to be aware of this weekend, courtesy DDOT. more ›

The massive Nuclear Summit heading to the Washington Convention Center next week is bringing along with it major road closures, barricades, checkpoints, bus rerouting, the shuttering of an entire Metro station, and all sorts of other headaches for the Mt. Vernon Square, Shaw and Chinatown neighborhoods. For all the specific details on what will be closed and when, see our earlier post and map. more ›

View Nuclear Summit road closures in a larger map more ›

The 5th Annual SunTrust National Marathon is happening this Saturday, March 20, lasting from approximately 7 a.m to 1 p.m. Temporary, intermittent street closings will occur along the race route (which includes the 26.2-mile marathon, a 13.1 mile half-marathon, and relay races) starting at 6:45 a.m. more ›

Mother nature just didn't seem to want to let the city close Chain Bridge for an entire weekend of reconstruction work earlier this year. Work on the bridge was originally scheduled for late January and early February, but freezing temperatures, several snow storms, and last weekend's lengthy rain storm prevented it from getting back on track. But the District Department of Transportation says that finally, weather permitting, the work is a go for this weekend. more ›

A hazmat investigation at the building that houses the National Postal Museum has shut down several blocks in the immediate area as well as around nearby Union Station. U.S. Capitol police, D.C. police and D.C. Fire/EMS crews are on the scene investigating an unknown suspicious substance found inside a bottle. One employee inside Postal Square, located at the intersection of North Capitol Street and Massachusetts Ave. NE, tells DCist he's been asked to shelter in place -- meaning the building has not been evacuated, but no one is being allowed to leave, either. We'll update when we have more details. MORE: No illnesses have been reported, but the bottle apparently came with a note that raised suspicions. Mass. Ave. is currently closed from New Jersey to Columbus Ave., as is North Capitol from E to G Streets NE. 10:17 a.m.: DDOT now says Mass. Ave. and North Capitol streets have reopened. more ›

The 700 block of First Street NE is currently closed while crews respond to a suspicious substance found in a nearby building. more ›

As westbound routes across the city go, R Street is often a great choice, but you'll want to avoid it on your commute home this evening. The 1500 block of R Street NW has been closed most of the day while a Pepco crew is out making emergency repairs, and DDOT confirms it will remain closed through rush hour. Thankfully 15th Street remains open, but drivers should still expect backups and plan to avoid the general area of 15th/1416th and R streets NW. Pepco is out on the scene working to repair a damaged manhole cover. more ›

Chain Bridge was scheduled to be closed this weekend for major construction work, but word from the District Department of Transportation today is that the work has been canceled due to expected inclement weather. It's going to be cold and probably snowy this weekend, with temperatures ranging from the upper teens to the low 30s. But the Chain Bridge work had been planned to include a concrete pour, and it needs to be at least 35 degrees to do that, according to DDOT spokesperson John Lisle. Weather permitting, the closures will be moved back a week, so look for Chain Bridge to be closed off to all traffic, vehicular as well as pedestrian, on starting the night of Feb. 5 through the morning of Feb. 8, and then again the night of Feb. 12 through the morning of Feb. 15. more ›

View Road Closures for State of the Union in a larger map more ›

The Eastern Avenue Bridge over Kenilworth Avenue NE (295) is set to close on Monday, Feb. 1 for a ten month-long reconstruction project. The District Department of Transportation is advising both drivers and pedestrians that there will be zero public access to the bridge during this time, and everyone should plan to use alternate routes through at least mid-October. more ›

In addition to the dread wintry mix and the giant annual anti-abortion march, those of you trying to get around downtown on Friday will also need to contend with a number of Metrobus route alterations. The changes are being put in place to avoid the road closures associated with tomorrow's March for Life event. From noon to 5 p.m., Metrobus routes 32, 34, 36, 54, 70, 96, P2 and P6 will be detoured around closures at 1st St. NE/SE, between Constitution and Independence Ave. And between 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Metrobus routes 32, 34, 36, 42, 54, 63, 64, 70, D6, P2, P6, S2 and S4 will be detoured around the closures along F St. NW, 10th St. Constitution Ave., and 12th St. to the National Mall. Make a note of it. more ›

Guantanamo protesters may be marching from the White House to the Supreme Court today, but tomorrow is the big 'un, the annual March for Life. The anti-abortion crowd will once again wend its way around the National Mall on Friday as they mark the anniversary of Roe. v. Wade. more ›

Chain Bridge will be completely closed on two upcoming weekends for major construction work, officials said today. The bridge will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29 and will reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 1. It will close again on the following weekend, from 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5 to 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 8. The closures will mean zero access to the bridge from either the District or Arlington on those two weekends. DDOT says drivers should plan to use alternate routes to cross the river, including the American Legion, Key, Roosevelt, Memorial and 14th Street Bridges. DCist says: don't forget that the 14th Street bridge is pretty messed up these days, too. The Chain Bridge project began in June, and all of the lanes of the bridge are expected to reopen to traffic in mid-to-late February, weather permitting.
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Temporarily lane closures will be in place on the eastbound side of the Southeast Freeway this weekend while crews work to complete the demolition of two RFK access ramps. So DDOT is warning drivers that there will be no access to RFK Stadium or Pennsylvania Avenue from the SE Freeway between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16, with additional closures possible on Sunday. more ›

Massachusetts Avenue NW is temporarily closed between Whitehaven Street to 34th Street due to police activity. The activity in question is an investigation of a suspicious package in the area. The District Department of Transportation is advising motorists use alternate routes for their evening commutes, including Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues. UPDATE 4:47 p.m.: Just as soon as we posted this, DDOT announced that the street had been reopened. more ›

In a follow-up to this morning's Georgetown road closures following an electrical fire in the 2800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, we can now report that at least two lanes on Penn. Ave. have since been reopened, and both Rock Creek Parkway and the Key Bridge, which were both closed, have been fully reopened as well. Fire department spokesperson Pete Piringer said the fire now appears to have been caused by electrical cables associated with the street lights along the Pennsylvania Ave. bridge. more ›

Police closed off the entirety of Thomas Circle this morning, with no vehicle nor foot traffic allowed through the circle, due to a suspicious package investigation. The Massachusetts Ave. tunnel was also closed. more ›

As we mentioned already, tonight is the annual National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse. The event starts at 5 p.m., and if you've never ended up stuck in the horror show that is downtown traffic near the White House during this event, be forewarned: it's always a disaster. Road closures, parking restrictions, and streams of pedestrians filling the adjacent streets will all combine tonight for a nice big chorus of honking horns to go along with those silver bells. So take note of all these advisories, and if your office is anywhere in the vicinity, ask if you can go home early today. more ›

Just as work to lay down tracks for the H Street NE streetcar line disrupted traffic in August, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation is warning drivers that the ongoing installation of streetcar tracks for the Anacostia Line will change traffic patterns at the intersection of South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue for the next couple of weeks. more ›

Georgetown is, as always, one of the biggest destinations for Halloween revelers, and the District Department of Transportation has sent out the following advisory for road closures and parking restrictions for the weekend. The roads marked in orange below will be closed to through traffic from 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31 until 4 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. Only motorists who are residents and employees of businesses within these areas will be granted access during this time. Also keep in mind that additional streets may be closed and/or opened at the direction of D.C. police. Drivers must present proof of residency or work identification to access the closed streets. more ›

A partially collapsed roadway has forced city officials to close the 1400 block of Meridian Place NW to vehicular traffic this afternoon. District Department of Transportation spokesperson John Lisle said the sunken area is about 20 feet by 4 feet, and that DDOT is already on the scene making repairs. more ›

Several hundred office workers in the vicinity of the 500 block of D Street NW got to go home early today after a construction crew ruptured a gas line in the area this afternoon. Fire crews responded to a call of a large gas leak at about 2 p.m., and several buildings in the area of 6th, 7th & D Streets and Indiana Ave. NW were evacuated as a precaution, according to D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer. Some of those streets were also closed to traffic while the Washington Gas Co. worked to repair the leak. Most of the evacuated buildings were cleared for re-entry by about 3:30 p.m., but some streets remained closed for the rush hour. more ›

The District Department of Transportation says it will close some lanes of traffic at the South Dakota Ave. bridge this week as rehabilitation work continues on the bridge itself. Beginning Tuesday, October 20 through Thursday, October 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, there will be only one lane open to traffic in each direction in the area of the bridge on South Dakota Ave. NE. Drivers are reminded to pay attention to the overhead lane signals and to use caution when traveling through the work zone. more ›

Two different suspicious package investigations shut down several downtown streets and the Foggy Bottom Metro station today. The first, inside a bank in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Ave., was called in just after 11 a.m. and forced the partial closure of 9th, Pennsylvania and D Street in the area. That package has already been cleared. The second incident is an unclaimed suitcase in the Foggy Bottom Metro station, and police have since shut down the station itself, along with 23rd Street from G to I Streets and I Street from 21-23rd Streets NW. The Metro station remained closed as of about 3 p.m. UPDATE 3:56 p.m.: Foggy Bottom Metro and all related streets have been reopened.
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The 1300 block of Kenyon Street NW (between 13th and 14th streets) closed beginning this morning as part of the ongoing Columbia Heights Streetscape Project. DDOT is advising motorists that crews are scheduled to complete an asphalt overlay on that block of Kenyon by close of business on Wednesday (9/23), weather permitting. Traffic is being detoured to Park Road or Columbia Road. more ›