Interstates around D.C. were at nearly a standstill on Friday afternoon, as police responded to a convoy of truckers headed into the District. 

The Metropolitan Police Department closed roads throughout the afternoon to try to contain the convoy, which has been headquartered at the Hagerstown Speedway for nearly two weeks and cruising around the District to protest pandemic restrictions. By 4:30 p.m., MPD tweeted that all road closures had been lifted. 

An MPD spokesperson told DCist/WAMU that there are no significant delays anticipated for the rest of the evening.

Expect heavy traffic, delays, road closures along Inbound 395 from Virginia into Washington, DC due to the Trucker Convoy.
⛔ Inbound 14th Street Bridge Toll Road (HOV)
⛔ Inbound 395 at Exit 3 to 12th Street Tunnel
⛔ Eastbound on Maine Avenue at the split to I-395 split/Wharf

— DC Police Traffic (@DCPoliceTraffic) March 18, 2022

Throughout the afternoon, transit authorities and commuters across the region were reporting convoy-related delays on I-395, I-695, and I-295. The Virginia Department of Transportation told the Washington Post that delays stretched for a mile into Arlington. At one point, the convoy appeared to splinter into two groups, causing additional delays. 

Though police have been blocking highways to keep trucks off District streets, some trucks in the convoy were spotted downtown and near the National Mall. 

At least 10 Big Rigs in the People's Convoy are driving downtown near Chinatown/Penn Quarter/Mt. Vernon Triangle. @DCPoliceDept appears to be driving near the group. pic.twitter.com/saK2qFcHG9

— Beatrice Peterson (@MissBeaE on all platforms) (@MissBeaE) March 18, 2022

NEW: Ramps remained block in DC with a report of a second #TruckersConvoy2022 group heading north on I-395. They'll run into the backup that now begins on the south side of the Pentagon. @WTOPtraffic @ARLnowDOTcom @esilverman11 @cuneytdil @dclinenews #police #dctraffic #vatraffic pic.twitter.com/fjK7KKiTwT

— Dave Statter (@STATter911) March 18, 2022

This is the latest time this week that the protesters, nicknamed the People’s Convoy, have been roaming around the region. Truckers first rolled into the region in early March with plans to shut down all but one lane within the Beltway. And though their early protests left traffic largely undisturbed, the group has inched closer and closer to the heart of the District in recent days. 

Organizers of the convoy have said they’re clogging the District’s traffic to protest pandemic restrictions, much like the convoy that blocked border lines between Ontario and Michigan. Last week, they were joined by Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson. 

The convoy already made headlines today, when one of the protesting truckers stood onstage at a rally in Hagerstown and vowed to remove the paint from D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza. 

“All that paint is coming off that street,” the protester said, according to VICE. “Before I get put in my grave, it’s gonna get tarred and feathered.”

While many pandemic restrictions have been lifted locally and throughout the country, it’s not clear if the drivers will continue next week.