Tim Bracken, wtop.com

Editor's Note: The closure was originally expected to begin at 7 a.m. but has been rescheduled until about 9 a.m.

WASHINGTON - There will be no access Thursday morning from Massachusetts Avenue to the Rock Creek Parkway due to paving on Waterside Drive.

Drivers will be directed to access the Rock Creek Parkway from P Street, NW.

Expect delays on Massachusetts Avenue near Sheridan Circle and the Naval Observatory. Delays also are likely on streets surrounding Sheridan Circle due to the detour.

Waterside Drive will reopen by 3 p.m. Thursday.

Expect delays to continue on the Rock Creek Parkway due to the ongoing workzone on the Rock Creek Parkway southbound after Waterside Drive. A single lane will remain open through the long-term work zone.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - If you usually take the Pennsylvania Avenue westbound entrance on to the SE/SW Freeway/395, you are going to have to plan a new route after Thursday morning's rush hour.

The District Department of Transportation late Thursday morning will close the Pennsylvania Ave westbound entrance to the Southeast-Southwest Freeway and the portion of the westbound freeway from Pennsylvania Avenue/Barney Circle to 8th Street, SE.

The closure will last 18 to 20 months.

The easiest alternative from Pennsylvania Avenue westbound would be to exit onto D.C. 295 southbound and then take the next exit onto the 11th Street Bridge, Southeast-Southwest Freeway westbound or Interstate 695/Capitol Hill as it's now known. This provides direct access onto the freeway westbound and will let you access the 8th Street, SE exit.

Also this week a new entrance ramp from 11th Street, SE directly onto the westbound freeway will open.

The work is part of the second phase of DDOT's 11th Street Bridge Project.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON - The best news for those traveling in the region on Thanksgiving: D.C. and Montgomery County residents don't need to feed the meter.

As for the rest:

Residents planning to ride Metro on Thanksgiving Day should give themselves extra time as trains and buses will be running on a Sunday schedule.

Regular operations will resume Friday, but there won't be any track work until Sunday evening.

From Metro:

• Metrorail will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight. Off-peak fares will be in effect all day, and parking will be free at Metro-operated facilities.

• MetroAccess will operate during the same hours as Metrorail and Metrobus. Subscription trips will be cancelled.

More transportation changes around the region to note:

• MARC won't run on Thursday or Friday.

• On Friday, VRE will run on the "S" schedule.

• Ride On will operates on a Sunday schedule for Thanksgiving and resume normal service Friday.

• Rush hour lanes rules won't be in effect for D.C. on Thanksgiving, but will will resume on Friday.

• Services like DASH will have special Black Friday service.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved/)

David Dildine, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - All eyes will be on the Beltway this weekend. The toll gantries have been activated, the lines have been striped and the 495 Express Lanes are ready for business.

By the time D.C. area residents wake up Saturday morning, four additional lanes will be open between Braddock Road and the Dulles Toll Road. The lanes rely on dynamic tolling, with weekend tolls expected to range between one and two dollars. VDOT and Transurban, the operator of the Express Lanes, are reminding drivers that the exact cost will depend on the distance they travel and the amount of traffic using the lanes during their trip. Drivers will need an E-Z Pass or E-Z Pass Flex to use the lanes, which will be tolled 24 hours a day, even on holidays.

Even though the 495 Express Lanes will be opening this weekend, the project is not complete. Although it does appear that the dreaded "triple-lane" and "total temporary closures" are over, a few on- and off-ramp closures are scheduled on Sunday night at the Dulles Toll Road, Route 7 and Route 50. Crews will be focusing on what they call "punch list items" which are touch-ups and finalizations of the new infrastructure.

The biggest project on the Maryland portion of the Beltway, the Northwest Branch Bridge Rehabilitation, is also nearing an end. On Friday and Saturday night overnight paving will block multiple lanes in both directions between University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue, beginning at 9 p.m.

In Northeast D.C., inbound New York Ave will be reduced to a single lane over the railroad bridge between Penn Street and Florida Avenue. The work will take place on Saturday between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The southbound Baltimore-Washington Parkway/Route 295 will be closed for a few hours early Saturday morning at West Nursery Road for overhead sign installation.

Metro Forward

On Metrorail, the six-year-long "Metro Forward" operation continues. There will not be any station closures this weekend, but rail work zones will necessitate single-tracking on the Red, Orange, Yellow and Blue lines.

On the Red Line, trains will single-track between the Takoma and Forest Glen stations. As usual, track work begins at 10 p.m. on Friday night and lasts through closing on Sunday.

In Falls Church, crews continue to test the Silver Line's rail connection to the Orange Line both on Friday night and during the day on Sunday. During the testing, inbound and outbound trains will share tracks on the Orange Line between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church stations. Orange Line trains will run on a normal schedule Saturday.

On the Yellow and Blue lines, trains will single-track between Pentagon City and National Airport on Saturday, but will otherwise run on a normal weekend schedule Friday night and Sunday.

Also on the Blue Line, trains will single-track between the Stadium-Armory and Addison Road stations. This may inconvenience those headed to RFK Stadium for the DC United Conference Championship. Metro advises its customers to give themselves an extra 15 to 20 minutes of additional travel time.

Sports

Both the Washington Redskins and DC United have big home games on Sunday, which may lead to heavy evening traffic near these venues when the games let out. While early-open doors and tailgating help to diffuse the rush of pre-game traffic, when the game clock runs out thousands of fans will leave at once, meaning post-game traffic may be worse than crowds flocking to the game.

The Redskins face off against the Eagles at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Delays are likely on the Capital Beltway before kickoff and on the routes away from FedEx Field in Landover after 4 p.m. after the game. Authorities have become very good at facilitating the flow of traffic before and after Redskins games. Look for extra police presence on the Beltway during the afternoon and evening.

An increase in volume may be detectable as far north as the Laurel exits on both the BW Parkway and I-95. For those driving to the game on the Beltway, Route 214/Central Ave (#15) also leads to the parking lots. The popularity of Route 202/Landover Road and Arena Drive among Redskins fans tend to make these exit points slower options.

At RFK Stadium, DC United plays in their Eastern Conference Championship against the Houston Dynamo at 4 p.m. This is United's first appearance in the Championship since 2006 and big crowds are expected. The stadium's parking lots open four hours before match time.

Fans headed to the stadium will want to be aware of DDOT's long-term 11th Street Bridge project and the implications it may have on pre- and post-game travel. Phase 2 of the project is now underway and a portion of the Southeast Freeway will eventually be downgraded to a boulevard. Although fans headed to the stadium via I-395 (the Southeast/Southwest Freeway) will be able to access Lot 8 from the freeway, they will not be able to exit the stadium the same way they came in.

DDOT has permanently reduced the westbound lanes from Barney Circle to a single- lane condition and there is no longer direct access to I-395 from RFK and Lot 8. Post-game traffic headed for Virginia or points west should use the outbound East Capitol Street Bridge (Whitney Young Bridge) over the Anacostia River, then bear right onto D.C. 295 southbound.

DDOT normally blocks the right lane of two on D.C. 295 before the on-ramp from East Capitol Street to accommodate the large amount of outbound volume following events at RFK Stadium. Traffic can either head back to the Southeast Freeway by using the new southbound ramp to the inbound 11th Street Bridge or proceed south on I-295 toward the Beltway and Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Events

Christmas on the Potomac and the Gaylord National's ICE! kick off Saturday with a celebration at National Harbor. The event will feature fireworks, musical performances, an indoor snowfall and a laser light show. Delays are possible on National Harbor Drive into the parking areas, but it is unlikely this will spill back onto the Beltway.

On Saturday morning, numerous Turkey Trots will be out and about, running and walking for charity in places throughout the metro area.

In Washington, a popular 5K run/walk will begin near Freedom Plaza around 8:30 a.m. The Cranberry Crawl 5K/10K Run and Race Walk will take place in Potomac Park around the same time. The participants are expected to remain on sidewalks. No street closures are scheduled at this time.

A Keystone Pipeline demonstration will encircle the White House on Sunday between 3 and 4 p.m. This activity may progress onto the north side of Constitution Ave. Brief delays are possible but the demonstrators are not expected to have a major impact on traffic.

The Alexandria Film Festival will take place throughout the weekend. It features screenings throughout the City of Alexandria at various venues.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Like most people who drive in the D.C. metro region, I have been excited yet somewhat confused by the prospect of the new Capital Beltway Express Lanes that are scheduled to open this week.

What I've found is that the best analogy may be riding an express train on the New York City subway or a Northeast Corridor Amtrak Acela train.

The lanes are not there to expedite your trip to all exits on the Beltway. They are there for specific exits only, so you must plan where you will enter or exit.

From the Beltway you can only get in or exit the Express Lanes north of Dulles International Airport in the Tysons area or south of Braddock Road in the Springfield area.

In other words, once you are in the Express Lanes, you can only take the designated exits between those two points, you can't get off and on the regular Beltway lanes.

There is a distinct difference between the Express Lanes and the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes.

HOV lanes are just that, designated lanes for vehicles with a minimum of two and sometimes three passengers. In our area HOV lanes are free of charge.

The new Express Lanes are a "pay as you go" system that will carry different rates depending on the distance between the points you travel, much like Metro.

There will be signs at all entry points with fares posted.

If you are carpooling or have at least three passengers in the car, you can ride for free in the Express Lanes with an E-ZPass Flex transponder.

The "Flex" is a modified version of the E-ZPass and allows two different settings, one for carpooling and one when there are fewer than three people in the car.

All vehicles traveling in the Express Lanes must have an E-ZPass or E-ZPass Flex.

Many people have voiced concerns about how these lanes will be plowed in snowy weather, but rest assured the Virginia Department of Transportation does have a solid plan in place.

The plan includes high-pressure flush trucks to remove snow around the bollards that separate the express and main lanes. In the main lanes, the plowing will be done with a line of trucks all at once so that snow can be pushed to the right side since the Express Lanes are now on the left.

Though it remains to be seen what effect these lanes will have on our daily traffic volume, we can be hopeful that the months of suffering through major construction will pay off.

How many times have you said to yourself while sitting in a terrible traffic jam," I would pay whatever it takes to get out of this and get home!"?

The Express Lanes offer the chance of escaping that terrible jam as long as you're willing to pay for it. The Express Lanes are scheduled to open Saturday, Nov. 17.

The 495 Express Lanes website has detailed information on how to use the lanes.

Of course, WTOP wants to hear how much you like or dislike the lanes. Tweet @WTOPTraffic with your thoughts.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - The Dulles Airport Access Highway eastbound between Route 123/I-495 and the Dulles Connector Road, will be closed overnight during the next week.

From Nov. 13 through Nov. 16, the road will be closed between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. It will be closed on Saturday, Nov. 17 between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Traffic will be diverted onto the Dulles Connector Road eastbound each night.

Signs will be posted and police will be directing traffic. This closure is to allow for drainage installation on the overhead rail bridges.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Amy Freedman, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Starting the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 13 and continuing the next 10 nights except Sunday, the District Department of Transportation will re-pave Pennsylvania Ave NW between 3rd and 14th streets.

Crews will mill and pave two lanes at a time starting with the right lanes of eastbound Pennsylvania Ave.

The bicycle lanes are included in this project and will be not be available when the work reaches the center lanes. All work will take place between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. and is always weather permitting.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON - Veterans Day is observed Monday by the federal government, which means there will be a lot of changes to the roads, rails and government services.

The federal government will be closed, as will most local government offices in the D.C. area.

Most banks will be closed.

Transit

Metro continues its track work on the Orange, Red and Green lines through closing Monday. Metro trains will be on a Saturday schedule, with service starting at 5 a.m. Metrobus will be on a Saturday supplemental schedule.

There will be no MARC or VRE service Monday.

HOV restrictions will been lifted on all roads in Virginia, and on Route 270 in Maryland.

You don't have to feed the meter in D.C., Alexandria, Arlington, or Montgomery County.

Libraries

Most libraries in the D.C. area, except in Alexandria and Anne Arundel County, will be closed.

D.C.

• Courts: Closed

• Trash and Recycling Collections: There will be no trash and recycling collections on Veterans Day. Trash and recycling collections will "slide" to the next day for the remainder of the week.

• Parking Enforcement: DPW will not enforce parking meters, residential parking, and rush hour lane violations. DPW also will not tow abandoned vehicles.

• Libraries: Closed

• The Ft. Totten Transfer Station: Closed

Maryland

Montgomery County

• County Offices: closed

• Libraries: closed

• County liquor stores: open

• Recreation: aquatic and community centers are open as scheduled. Aquatic classes and programs will meet as scheduled. All other classes, administrative offices, senior centers and all senior programs will be closed

• Ride On: Special modified holiday schedule (www.rideonbus.com), click on "Holidays" to see specific schedules)

• TRiPS Commuter Stores (Silver Spring and Friendship Heights) - closed

• Refuse/recycling pickup: regular collection

• Transfer Station: open

• Parking at public garages, lots, curbside meters - free

• MCPS Administrative Offices: open

• State offices & courts: closed

Prince George's

• Government Offices: Closed

• Trash Collection: Normal Monday schedule, including the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill

• The Bus: Normal service except for Routes 51, 51-Extended, 52 and 53, which service County government buildings. In addition, the County's Para-transit service, Call-A-Bus, will not run.

Virginia

Alexandria

• Government: Open

• City of Alexandria government offices, libraries, and recreation centers are open on Veterans Day, which is observed on Monday, November 12. All Veterans Day- related updates and closures are listed below.

• Health Facilities: The Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St., and the Flora Krause Casey Health Center, 1200 N. Howard St., will be closed on November 12. The Teen Wellness Center, 3330 King Street, will be open on November 12.

• Libraries: All Alexandria Library branches will be open on a regular schedule on November 12.

• Recreation Centers: All City recreation centers are open on a regular schedule.

• Refuse Collection: Residential refuse and recycling will be collected on a regular weekday schedule.

• Schools: Alexandria City Public elementary and middle schools will hold parent-teacher conferences on November 12. Students will be dismissed two hours early.

• State Offices: The following Commonwealth of Virginia offices located in Alexandria will be closed on November 12: the Circuit, General District, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts, and the DMV Office on 2681 Mill Rd.

• Transit: Alexandria Transit Company's DASH bus service will operate on a regular weekday schedule.

Arlington

• Government offices: Closed

• Courts: Closed

• Libraries: Closed

• Barcroft Community Center open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., all others closed.

• Schools: Closed

• ART Bus: 41, 42, 51, 77, 87 on Saurday schedule. Other routes not operating

• Parking: Meters not enforced

• Trash/recycling: Normal operations

Fairfax County

• County Government: Closed.

• Courts:Closed.

• Public Schools and School Offices: Open.

• Library: Closed Sunday and Monday.

• Fairfax Connector: Operating a holiday weekday schedule. Routes with weekday service operate according to the weekday schedule except routes 335, 395, 585, 595 and 597, which will not operate.

• Fastran: Not in service.

• Park Authority: RECenters will operate on regular schedules. Nature centers and historic sites closed. Visitor center at Huntley Meadows Park open noon to 5 p.m.; Frying Pan Farm Park open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and visitor center open 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.; Green Spring Gardens open noon to 4:30 p.m. and historic house closed.

• Teen and Senior Centers: Closed.

• Community Centers: Closed.

• McLean Community Center: Closed; Old Firehouse Teen Center - Open 2-6 p.m. for after-school program.

• Reston Community Center Hunters Woods: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Reston Community Center Lake Anne: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• County Trash and Recycling Collection: Regular collection.

• Recycling and Disposal Facilities at I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex: Open.

Loudoun County

• Government: Closed

• Schools: Open

• Libraries: Closed

Prince William County

• Offices: Closed

• Landfill: Open from 6 a.m. To 6 p.m.

• Libraries: Closed

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON - Amtrak train number 66 to Washington, D.C. has been stopped at Richmond's Main Street Station due to a CSX train derailment.

Amtrak tells WTOP all passengers will get buses to their final destinations, all the way north to Union Station.

The CSX train derailed just north of Richmond, according to an Amtrak spokesperson.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Dave Dildine, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Warmer temperatures and a long weekend will provide an excellent opportunity for weekenders to venture downtown. Many of the memorials will host ceremonies honoring veterans on Sunday. Traffic to and from the city may be heavier leading up to these special events late Sunday morning.

On Metrorail, construction continues this weekend in spite of the holiday. Single- tracking will occur on the Green and Red lines and a portion of the Orange Line will close in Arlington, where buses will replace trains.

On the Virginia Beltway, crews will perform last-minute touch-ups to the 495 Express Lanes. The new lanes are expected to open next weekend.

The American Heart Association will host a walk near Nationals Park to raise awareness of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The walk is expected to include 12,000 participants.

No major delays are expected from local sporting events as the Redskins have a bye-week and DC United will be playing their championship game in Houston this weekend. However, George Washington Men's Basketball will begin their 99th Season on Saturday at the Charles E. Smith Center. Fan traffic may cause localized delays in the West End. The game will be preceded by a tailgate which will close 22nd Street between F and G Streets NW.

Read on for the details, and have a great weekend!

Veterans Day ceremonies

Veterans Day will draw crowds downtown this weekend. Numerous wreath-laying ceremonies will take place at war memorials in Arlington and near The National Mall on Sunday. As always, there is the potential of heavy traffic heading for the Potomac River bridges. The National Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is scheduled at 11 a.m. on Sunday and may cause delays on the George Washington Parkway to and from the bridges.

Additional special ceremonies and events are on tap at many of the other memorials including Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Women's Memorial, World War II Memorial, Navy Memorial, Air Force Memorial late Sunday morning.

The American Freedom Festival will take place all day Saturday at the Patriot Center in Fairfax. The event will conclude with a tribute concert by Chicago and Kansas at 7:30 p.m. Expect heavy traffic at times on Braddock Road and Route 123 near George Mason University.

In Historic Manassas the Veterans Day Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Quarry Road and Prescott Avenue. It will ride along Center Street and conclude at West Street.

Metrorail construction update

Track work on Metro continues this holiday weekend. Trains will single- track on the red and green lines and a segment of the orange line will close in Arlington to accommodate Silver Line construction. The blue and yellow lines should remain construction free. On Monday, the Metrorail system will run on a Saturday schedule, opening at 5 a.m. and closing at midnight.

Orange Line

The orange line will close between East Falls Church and Clarendon this weekend. The Ballston and Virginia Square stations will be closed. Buses will replace trains along this stretch and travelers should expect delays. Trains will single- track between Vienna and East Falls Church. The orange line between Courthouse and New Carrollton will operate on a normal weekend schedule.

Red Line

Customers riding metro through Bethesda this weekend should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time. Trains will be single-tracking between Grosvenor and Friendship Heights for maintenance work.

Green Line

Metro is building a new test track along the green line in Prince George's County to test the new 7000-Series railcars. For this project, trains will single-track between College Park and Greenbelt stations this weekend.

Road construction update

Construction of the 495 Express Lanes will be winding down this weekend, but motorists should continue to expect overnight lane closures through Veterans Day. The four additional lanes on the Beltway will open next weekend. In the meantime, crews will be putting the final touches on the infrastructure.

In Merrifield the overnight and morning paving will block the right lane of westbound Route 50/Arlington Blvd between Prosperity Drive and Stonehurst Drive. The work should end by noon on Saturday.

In Maryland the Northwest Branch Bridge project is nearing an end as well. Crews will be paving the left side of the Outer Loop between New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday night. Overnight paving is also scheduled to close multiple lanes on the Outer Loop near Southwest Branch and Central Avenue. Lane closures will begin on Sunday night at 9 p.m.

The Baltimore-Washington Parkway/Route 295 will be closed Friday and Saturday night at West Nursery Road for the bridge replacement project. As has been the case, traffic will ride the ramps to and from West Nursery Road to detour around the work zone. The State Highway Administration advises motorists to use I- 95 and Route 29 instead of Route 295 during the overnight hours to avoid potential delays.

Construction will also close I-95/I-395 HOV lanes between Route 234/Dumfries Road and Route 236/Duke Street from late Saturday night until 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

The Greater Washington Heart Walk

The American Heart Association will host the The Greater Washington Heart Walk near Nationals Park on Saturday morning. The route takes an estimated 12,000 participants out the third base gate down to Potomac Avenue SE. Streets near Nationals Park including Potomac Avenue, 1st Street SE, and N Street SE will be closed after 8 a.m. Participants will walk along the sidewalk of South Capitol Street nearing the end of their walk but South Capitol Street is expected to remain open.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)