The smoke and flames reached the Outer Loop overpass and drivers on the Beltway reported seeing smoke billowing out from the underpass.

Firefighters with Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department requested that the Outer Loop be closed for emergency bridge inspection.

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An emergency work zone was cleared ahead of Exit 11; delays remain. All northbound laned of Pennsylvania Avenue, where the vehicle burned, reclosed around 9:30 p.m.

The vehicle burned for a while around 6:30 p.m. before firefighters arrived and extinguished it.

The Outer Loop was closed around 6:50 p.m. with all northbound traffic sent southbound on Route 4.

Below is a map of where the fire broke out:

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小萝莉影视 listener Joanna D. from Rockville, Maryland, correctly guessed Reagan National Airport’s 6.9 inch snow total as part of 小萝莉影视’s聽Snowzilla 2026 Contest. Joanna wins her own D.C. Snowzilla Gauge, custom made 小萝莉影视 Traffic Reporter Dave Dildine.

Joanna told 小萝莉影视 she was “quite excited” to win the prize, because “I was sure you would be inundated with entries and I had such a small chance.”

The extra-wide measuring board lists all of the District’s top snowstorms 鈥� like the Megalopolitan Snowstorm of 1983, the two Presidents Day snowstorms and the Blizzard of 1996. The largest snowstorm of all-time, the Knickerbocker Storm, is listed at the top of the board at the 28 inch mark.

The gauge is an unofficial way to compare current snow depth to snow totals from the most memorable and infamous D.C. snowstorms.

“The idea is simple but the motivation was perspective 鈥� the key to understanding the present is knowing the past. Whether I’m doing traffic or weather, I always try to make that a cornerstone. Crashes, disabled vehicles 鈥� they number in the hundreds everyday, snow happens every winter,” Dildine said.

“But ‘the big ones,’ those are the things we can use to reset our focus and maybe better react in the present.”

The contest tasked 小萝莉影视 listeners with predicting the final tally in tenths of an inch. The guesses ranged from 0 to 18.5 inches. Seven people submitted 8.5 inches, the most common guess. The median guess was 9.3 inches and the average was 10.2 inches.

Joanna was the only person to correctly guess 6.9 inches.

It may come as no surprise that she used to work for the National Weather Service.

“I spent 35 years with the NWS which was a very satisfying career. I spent time working at what was then NMC and finished up in the Office of Hydrology. I retired <<mumble>> years ago but continue to watch the weather with great interest,” she told 小萝莉影视 via email.

But her prediction was less than scientific, she said: “I saw that 6 inches was sort of in the range of possibilities and I tossed a die to get the tenths. Not terribly scientific.”

The contest closed at 5 p.m. on Friday when snowfall forecasts were slightly higher. The precipitation fell as heavy sleet most of Sunday, which lowered the totals. Nonetheless, anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow and sleet blanketed the greater D.C. area.

The National Weather Service measures snow and sleet as one. Sleet pellets are snowflakes that melt then refreeze before reaching the ground. It accumulates at a slower rate compared to fluffy snow.

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Monday evening’s deluge around the D.C. area caused flooding issues on some major roadways, including the Capital Beltway both in Virginia and Maryland.

According to local highway officials, the volume and force of the water caused mud and debris to be dislocated and sucked into drainage pipes.

With enough notice, local road crews can try and clear as many drains as possible. But when a severe summer storm pops up, drains can get clogged and water can back up into the roadways 鈥� as it did Monday on the Inner Loop between Connecticut and Georgia Avenues; near River Road and the exit for the Baltimore Washington Parkway in Maryland and in Virginia; the Outer Loop of the Beltway near Georgetown Pike; as well as the Dulles Toll Road.

“It’s sometimes like holding the ocean back with a broom,” said Maryland State Highway Administration spokesman Charlie Gischler. “What we’ve been doing is going out with our (vacuum) trucks 鈥� and trying to get as much of that litter from the drainage inlets to make sure we have positive drainage.”

Drainage is especially poor in long term work zones, like on the Beltway in McLean, where storm drains and culverts are still under construction and concrete walls blocks runoff. The torrent of water that rushed across the Beltway near Old Dominion Drive banked against the concrete walls and was more than half-a-foot deep in some areas.

In Vienna and McLean, more than four inches of rain fell in just over an hour, inundating storm drains.

The extreme rainfall rates led to flash flooding on the George Washington Parkway south of Route 123 as well. Some of the construction barrels in that work zone actually floated away.

The National Park Service said 90% of the drainage work is complete, and ponding is better than it was last year, but there are still places where water pools deeply.

When you have such exceptionally heavy rainfall, the storm drains can only accept so much water before they’re overwhelmed.

In recent years, we’ve had heavy rainfall events with extreme rainfall rates, coupled with aging infrastructure.

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Erratic driving and crashes on the Southeast-Southwest Freeway at the 3rd Street Tunnel could continue for several more years as D.C.’s interstate renumbering plan stalls.

At the Southeast-Southwest Freeway’s midpoint, the quirky divergence of Interstate 395 at Interstate 695 contributes to a flurry of eastbound weaving and swerving. 小萝莉影视’s dedicated traffic camera shows last-second lane changes and drivers suddenly sending their vehicles in reverse dozens of times every hour at the ramp for the 3rd Street Tunnel.

Nearly four years after proposing more logical route and exit numbers, the District’s Department of Transportation has asked federal officials to void the original deal in order to buy more time.

DDOT acting Director Sharon Kershbaum wrote to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials that the department now wants to withdraw its applications for the changes until it can actually move toward fixing the signage to “eliminate unintended confusion.”

DDOT never amended the signs in the three years following federal approval. The city’s inaction has worsened an already confusing exit at the 3rd Street Tunnel. Some paper maps and navigation apps incorporated the new but unsigned numbers. The agency has reached out to some of those app makers and asked that the old numbers be displayed.

The plan originally called for signing the entire freeway as I-395 and smoothing out the exit numbers. Currently, there are two sets of exit numbers for the freeway 鈥� a sequential scheme for I-395 and a mile-based set of exits for I-695. DDOT also sought to lessen confusion by giving the 3rd Street Tunnel its own route number, I-195.

The letter to the transportation association, of which Kershbaum is a voting member on its board of directors, states the agency needs an additional two to three years to figure out how to re-sign the freeway and tunnel in a way that makes sense to local and out-of-town drivers.

“DDOT anticipates completing relevant procurement, design and construction activities in support of the proposed changes within the next 2-3 years. Following this, DDOT will resubmit the application for the proposed changes,” the letter reads.

This crash just happened a few minutes ago at ‘s notorious I-395/I-695 interchange. Last-minute lane changes happen repeatedly here because of the confusing exit condition. (1/3)

鈥� 小萝莉影视 Traffic (@小萝莉影视traffic)

The association’s Special Committee on Route Numbering rescinded the application in April. The transportation organization sent a confirmation letter to DDOT on May 7.

The Federal Highway Administration is still weighing whether to accept DDOT’s request for additional time.

“The Federal Highway Administration has reviewed and provided comments on the District Department of Transportation’s renumbering request and expects to receive an updated request from the District soon,” a FHWA spokesperson told 小萝莉影视 in early August.

A DDOT spokesperson insists the agency is not delaying the renumbering.

“Before the renumbering can be done, DDOT will first need to procure a design company,” a DDOT spokesperson told 小萝莉影视. “Once the design is completed, DDOT will move to secure construction funding, make a construction contract, and then change the numbering.”

A major concluded in late 2020, but the new signs that were fabricated displayed the old route numbers. A spokesperson told 小萝莉影视 at the time that the shields and exit tabs would be amended with metal overlays.

I-395 is , carrying more than 160,000 vehicles per day, many from out of town.

小萝莉影视’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.

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Officials said Flavio Cesar Lanuza, 27, of Laurel, Maryland, struck more than a dozen drivers in the state’s CHART vehicle before being arrested at 6:30 p.m. 鈥� more than an hour after the incident began.

State police believe the incident started when four vehicles were struck in a hit-and-run on the Inner Loop of the Beltway shortly before 5 p.m.

“One of the motorists, who was driving a Ford Ranger, fled the scene,” the department said . According to a preliminary investigation, Lanuza had driven into the I-495/I-95 Park and Ride lot before going off the road and striking a guard rail.

Afterward, police said, Lanuza “exited his Ford and stole the SHA vehicle.”

The 小萝莉影视 Traffic Center reported the pursuit started on the Capital Beltway at Interstate 95 in College Park, Maryland, and the person leading police on the chase was driving a stolen Maryland State Highway Administration truck.

Lanuza was “maniacally crashing into vehicles,” including a Maryland state trooper, 小萝莉影视’s Dave Dildine reported.

Dildine reported several police agencies pursued the truck on roads including I-95, Route 1, Powder Mill Road, Old Gunpowder Road, Konterra Drive and the Intercounty Connector. Lanuza eluded police for nearly 30 miles through Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, Dildine said.聽聽

Officers said Lanuza struck two vehicles when Maryland State Troopers attempted a stop, continuing a police chase through Beltsville, College Park, Calverton, Fairland聽and Laurel.

The truck veered into a parking lot at the Calverton Tower near Beltsville Road, striking a pole attached to a powerline before ramming “a Maryland State Police vehicle and several civilian vehicles,” officials said.

“During the pursuit, the vehicle struck power lines and was ramming other vehicles,” a Maryland State Police spokesperson said in a statement to 小萝莉影视. “The vehicle then struck multiple vehicles on southbound Route 29 in the area of Prelude Drive.”

The rampage culminated as Lanuza crashed into several cars near Lockwood Drive, drove off Route 29 near Burnt Mills Park and bottomed out in a wooded area near the Northwest Branch, before being taken into custody.

According to a preliminary investigation, Lanuza is alleged to have “struck 13 vehicles, which led to a civilian and two law enforcement members, a Maryland state trooper and a Montgomery County Police officer, being transported to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries,” the department said.

Charges are pending in this case, including vehicle theft and first-degree assault.

Helicopter footage captured by 7小萝莉影视 appears to show the truck’s front left tire blowout. The loss of control happened moments before Lanuza crashed into several more vehicles, coming to a stop between White Oak and Four Corners.

Watch the police response and chase below:

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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The placement of boulders and other riparian safeguards requires occasional of Glebe Road between Route 123 and Military Road from about 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

During the closure, drivers are detoured to Route 123, Kirby Road and Chesterbrook Road.

Measures to control erosion and sediment loss began in early January, with occasional midday work. Traffic is allowed through the work site on these days.

In late 2019, a torrent from a ruptured 36-inch water main below Glebe Road led to significant slope erosion. The restoration effort includes rehabilitation of the ditch near the water main break site, stabilization of a bridge pier for the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and installation of a new guardrail.

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Now, the Federal Highway Administration is getting involved.

It has been nearly three years since the District Department of Transportation began the process of renumbering the Southeast/Southwest Freeway and 3rd Street Tunnel.

In mid-2021, the Federal Highway Administration signed off on a DDOT request to redesignate the 3rd Street Tunnel as Interstate 195 and extend Interstate 395 across the entire length of the Southeast-Southwest Freeway.

Some apps and maps, including the Lyft ridesharing app and the 2024 edition of the Rand McNally road atlas, label the tunnel and freeway by their new route numbers. However, the city’s overhead signs show the opposite.

Apple and Google Maps, along with the app Waze, follow the older numbering scheme.

Officials at the Federal Highway Administration are concerned about the numbering discrepancies and said they have encouraged District officials to fix the problem.

“FHWA has discussed concerns with regard to inconsistencies with road signage with DDOT 鈥� and DDOT is working on a solution. DDOT is estimated to begin work on the updated signage later this year and FHWA will work with DDOT to ensure signage on the roadway is aligned with paper and digital maps,” a spokesperson told 小萝莉影视 on Monday.

While the Federal Highway Administration did not specify a timeline for the execution of a route renumbering, the spokesperson made clear that local transportation departments should “implement a route renumbering through a coordinated plan to minimize any conflicting information that the public would use for navigational purposes.”

Most of the confusion arises when northbound drivers on I-395 approach the 3rd Street Tunnel. 鈥淓xit 5鈥� was classified an exit but is also a continuation of the Southeast/Southwest Freeway. The redesign of I-395 eliminated this left exit, but the overhead signs were never changed.

Camera surveillance shows northbound vehicles suddenly weaving across multiple lanes of traffic several times a minute at the 3rd Street Tunnel ramp. Frequently, big trucks can be seen stopped on the ramp, impeding northbound traffic, or even backing up on the Interstate, attempting to reconnect with the Southeast/Southwest Freeway in reverse.

Yup, ‘s freeway signs are still confusing and trucks keep ending up at the 3rd Street Tunnel, as was the case a few minutes ago. Just another day in .

鈥� 小萝莉影视 Traffic (@小萝莉影视traffic)

There have been at least 164 crashes on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway within a half mile of the 3rd Street Tunnel interchange so far this year, according to 小萝莉影视 Traffic Incident Management records. 小萝莉影视 records and archives all known crashes on area interstates in an internal database. The crashes are verified using a proprietary traffic camera set up to monitor conditions on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway.

The renumbering process began when the District’s department of transportation sent a request to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in late 2020. To support its request, the city pointed out that “motorists are often surprised and confused by the atypical conditions presented by the termination of the I-395 and the beginning of the I-695.”

Both the association and the Federal Highway Administration approved the city’s request the following spring to renumber the freeway and the tunnel. While the changes were intended to improve clarity for drivers and road safety, the delay in updating overhead signs to match the new route numbers shown by maps and digital navigators have increased driver confusion and worsened safety.

There is a long history of confusing road signs along this stretch of freeway in Southwest D.C. In 2015, the wrong exit signs were posted in the same area. It took nearly a year to resolve the error.

小萝莉影视 has reached out to DDOT officials several times in the last year for information regarding the discrepancy but has not received a response.

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鈥楾was the night of the tree lighting, when near the White House,
Many commuters were stirring, rushing home to their spouse;
A route ill-conceived, without alternates or care,
In hopes that traffic would flow freely here to there;

But the cars were gridlocked for blocks ahead,
With views of brake lights abeam and widespread;
Beyond the South Lawn there arose such a clatter,
The Christmas Tree road closures were the fact of the matter;

Out my rear window I saw a bright flash,
A red light camera clicks and away goes some cash;
When what out my passenger side did appear,
But a white-knuckled driver with his car in low gear;

The old driver was confident, lively and quick,
I knew in a moment his plan would be slick;
Steadfast as ever, at throngs he took aim,
And he whistled, shouted, cursed and called names:

“Now, driver! Now, cabbie! Now biker and walker!
Move, Honda! move, Ford! move, scooter and jaywalker!
Outbound to the freeway, from the National Mall,
Winter getaway! Getaway! Getaway all!”

I followed with haste, hoping his course was profound,
Down the 9th Street Tunnel crawling farther southbound;
From his tailpipe came smoke through gridded teeth,
Circling his red truck like a giant grey wreath;

But the wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon let me to know I had much less to dread;
Weaving between cars, he did most of the legwork,
Then accelerated firmly, and merged with a jerk;

Laying off his horn, our speed gradually rose,
And giving a nod, sticking with the lane that he chose;

On the Key Bridge he gave one final sharp whistle,
And away we all drove like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight 鈥�
“If you plan for the tree lighting, you will have a good night!”

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In metro areas where traffic is often heavy, however, turning around is easier said than done.

When the skies unleash extreme rainfall and a Flash Flood Warning is聽issued, drivers should take action immediately. Roads that dip into valleys, span low-water crossings or parallel streams should be avoided as water levels will rise suddenly. Find higher ground and consider waiting there until the heavy rain subsides and the water recedes into storm drains.

On flood-prone roads at creeks like Woodburn Road聽in Annandale, Virginia, or , turning around is easy. There’s no excuse to charge into聽swift water; you risk totaling your car and losing your life. The submerged road could be washed out. Turn around.

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What do you do, however, if you find yourself on a limited-access highway or one-way road? It’s possible to become stuck between rising floodwaters and bumper-to-bumper traffic on guardrail- and wall-lined highways and byways without a way to turn around or escape. This happened on to several drivers.

Those who encountered flooding wisely braked聽at the water line, but were blocked聽by the backup. They could only watch as the flash flooding overtook first the wheel wells, then the hood and eventually the cabin of their car.

Don’t panic. Try to gesture or signal to the drivers behind you with your hazards and backup lights that you are in danger. If the queue of traffic can reverse even a few dozen feet, the reversal of traffic may prevent the submersion of the vehicles closest to the flood.

It’s unlikely police or authorities will arrive at the scene to direct traffic in time. Do not attempt to drive the wrong way down a highway unless you are truly in a life-threatening emergency.

If water is filling the interior of your vehicle, as a last resort, roll down your windows or sunroof and be prepared to evacuate your vehicle. The NWS says if floodwaters rise around your car, to abandon the vehicle and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. A foot of water will float many vehicles.

Again, these drivers managed to reverse after venturing just past the point where Broad Branch spilled out of its banks.

— Dave Dildine (@Dildine小萝莉影视)

Flooding on urban highways is usually the result of excessive runoff from impervious surfaces overwhelming the storm drainage system. It is usually, but not always, still or slow moving water. Still-water flash flooding can cause loss of property, but won’t result in loss of life when the proper actions are taken. Assess the risks and use common sense.

Remain put on higher ground until the threat passes. Flash flooding occurs quickly, but recedes nearly just as fast. When the heaviest rain ends, the storm drains and creeks will begin accepting聽the runoff.

Some larger tributaries around the region, such as Rock Creek, will rise as much as an hour later when the heaviest rains occur upstream. This often leads to delayed flash flooding and water level rises along Beach Drive near Porter Street and Rock Creek Parkway near Waterside Drive.

Flood emergency continues in with road, structure damage on Main Street

— Dave Dildine (@Dildine小萝莉影视)

Preparation is the first step a driver can take to keep themselves safe in torrential rain. A Flash Flood Watch means conditions that could lead to flooding are possible. A warning means that flooding is immanent or occurring. When a watch is issued, plan to take an elevated route that does not cross or dip into a watershed like Rock Creek Park, Difficult Run, or the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. If a warning is issued for your area before you depart, consider postponing your trip.

Local roads that meander through stream valleys and that are notorious for flash flooding include Beach Drive, Sligo Creek Parkway, Broad Branch Road and Goldsboro Road along Minnehaha Branch. These roads become waterways during excessive rainfall and should always be avoided when a Flash Flood Warning is in effect.

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Around 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Prince George鈥檚 County firefighters responded to a large vehicle fire on the Outer Loop thru lanes near Interstate 295.

According to officials, the trailer was uncoupled from the semi-truck when they arrived. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

During the day, highway crews used an excavator and roll off dumpsters to remove thousands of pounds of burned orange juice containers from the trailer.

Beltway Outer Loop Thru Lanes near I-295, juice cleanup ongoing after morning truck fire

鈥� Dave Dildine (@Dildine小萝莉影视)

All lanes on the Outer Loop of the Beltway were reopened around 6 p.m.

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Then people started time-shifting, vowing never to be caught in the sudden crush of vacation traffic. The rush to the beach or mountains began earlier a few days before that Friday. In the case of Thanksgiving, it started the Friday before that Thursday.

Beginning some 10 years ago, awareness of current traffic conditions increased through smartphone apps. Modeling and depiction of traffic thanks to smartphones improved the public’s ability to comprehend where and when traffic was likely to be bad. Travel habits and routines further evolved.

In the modern traffic era, armed with more technology, leave, telework and flexibility, a higher percentage of white-collar workers now hit the road a week or more before the holiday, further diluting the traditional getaway. Numbers from local departments of transportation last year showed that the highest trip counts on the Capital Beltway and Interstate 95 were recorded two Fridays before some of the annual holidays.

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The getaway is no longer what it once was. Some highways will be congested Friday, but the phenomenon is different now, and the term conjures visions of something that ended a long time ago: the bygone burst of traffic a day before a long holiday weekend. The getaway is more diffuse than ever.

Nowadays, there are daily and weekly swells of traffic on I-95 and the Capital Beltway during the warm season, with less congestion early in the week and more on Thursdays and Fridays. Other factors, such as weather forecasts and gas prices, are known to play a role in overall highway demand.

On Fridays immediately before the holidays, the traffic on some highways is certainly heavier compared to other days of the year, but there is no longer a getaway day. By the time the traditional getaway day arrives, the majority of the getaway traffic is long gone.

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Shortly before midnight, a tractor-trailer jackknifed in high standing water on the Inner Loop before River Road (Exit 39). Authorities blocked all lanes for a short time early Wednesday morning, but through the afternoon, the left lane remained blocked. There appeared to be an issue with the drainage.

ADVISORY: I-495 Beltway Inner Loop before River Rd (x39), STAY RIGHT, 2 lanes get by flooding (STOPS possible!)

Traffic
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鈥� 小萝莉影视 Traffic (@小萝莉影视traffic)

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Transportation said Wednesday evening that “crews were continuing to work to remove remaining water and identify the cause of the conditions.”

Crews started reopening the left lane around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

UPDATE: High Water. I-495 NB (Inner Loop) before MD-190 (Exit 39). Montgomery County, MD. 2 left lanes remain blocked, traffic gets by in 2 right lanes. Delays are approximately 5.5 miles.

鈥� MATOC Alerts (@MATOC)

It took some drivers more than an hour to drive from Route 7 in Virginia to River Road. There were significant backups throughout the morning and afternoon at the Chain Bridge and Key Bridge, as drivers tried to use bridges other than the American Legion Bridge to cross the Potomac River.

Below is the area where it happened.

小萝莉影视’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.

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The eastbound ramp closures are over, Dave Dildine in the 小萝莉影视 Traffic Center said at about 5:40 p.m., but the traffic remains heavy — given that it’s a mild Friday, that was already going to be the case — and smaller groups of truckers are roaming through the city itself.

There are “no major incidents,” Dildine said, adding that as groups of trucks headed back to their home base at the Hagerstown Speedway, “We’ve effectively just settled into more of a typical slow Friday traffic pattern.”

All eastbound exits on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway were closed at 1:45 p.m., including the ramp from the 11th Street Bridge to northbound D.C. 295. All eastbound freeway traffic was being sent southbound on I-295.

Dildine said at about 3:30 p.m. that traffic on inbound I-395 took an hour to get from the Pentagon to the 14th Street Bridge. “That’s about a mile,” he said.

Smaller groups are roving around D.C., causing local congestion, he added, in areas including Tenleytown, Mount Vernon Square, Constitution and Independence avenues, the Roosevelt Bridge, Palisades and more.

A small group of trucks was headed down Wisconsin Avenue, in Bethesda, toward the city as well.

This video is no longer available.

The convoy, which began in California, has created varying degrees of traffic problems in the area since almost-daily trips down I-270 to and around the Capital Beltway began March 6.

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