Drivers were hit with major delays Wednesday on the Capital Beltway in Prince George’s County, Maryland, after a truck burned to the ground.
ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ was “wall-to-wall,” stretching about eight miles, according to ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Reporter Dave Dildine, shortly before 4 p.m. making for a “bad Beltway day between Alexandria and Camp Springs on the outer loop.”
Yikes, truck fire on the Beltway. Updates ahead.
— ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ (@ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´traffic)
Vehicles were only able to move in the two left lanes, for more than two hours. All lanes opened by about 4:30 p.m.
The truck fire started shortly before 2 p.m. between Allentown Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. The recovery process also required a hazardous materials response, according to Dildine, because the truck’s fuel tank ruptured and caused a “spill that reportedly tricked off the Beltway.”
“The recovery of a badly burned vehicle, especially a truck, can be time consuming since it can’t just be rolled away,” said Dildine.
Beyond the area where the fire occurred, the backups have “stirred up traffic on a regional level,” according to Dildine. ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ is heavy on Suitland Parkway and the Southwest Freeway (Interstate 395). There are also delays at the Anacostia River bridges, as drivers “went for the wider workaround on [Interstate] 295,” Dildine said.
