POST Local

2:40 P.M. Update:

Heading out of town this afternoon? Here's a look at things that might impact you. Remember, from this point on the roads are going to be pretty crowded with people heading away for the weekend; expect to encounter congestion and delays for the remainder of the afternoon and early evening. Be patient and be careful.

I-95 South is fairly clear between the Beltway and Lorton, with heavy delays kicking in around Woodbridge and becoming very severe at the Prince William Parkway. From that point on, expect to sit through a lot of congestion; traffic remains sluggish through Dale City and basically until well after Triangle.

Closer to the District, I-395 North is very sluggish at the 14th Street Bridge. Delays continue for traffic heading onto the Southeast/Southwest Freeway en route to Pennsylvania Avenue.

As people head out of town, expect to encounter heavy delays on Pennsylvania Avenue approaching DC-295 and along northbound DC-295 and MD-295.

If you’re heading south through Virginia, remember that the I-95/395 H.O.V. lanes are all southbound until 2 p.m. on Saturday.

In Maryland, eastbound U.S. 50 remains pretty smooth sailing from the Beltway on over to Annapolis. There’s a bit of congestion around Annapolis, but traffic on and after the Bay Bridge looks like it’s still moving smoothly.

Also in Maryland, I-95 North is slow in a couple of places between the Beltway and Baltimore. It’s mostly just congestion in a few spots, but otherwise traffic is moving pretty steadily. Things are moving around and after Baltimore, though we emphasize that this is the case right now; expect heavier traffic if you’re staying at work for another couple of hours.

Flying today? The earlier delays affecting San Francisco and Baltimore have been cleared, but delays remain for LaGuardia and Newark airports in the New York area. Make sure to check with your airline to see if your flight is delayed.

Remember, there are no real shortcuts or trips; your best bet is to leave early or leave late. Here's our Summer Getaway Guide for some tips.

You should also take a look at Dr. Gridlock’s preview of things that could impact you over the weekend — including lots of Metro work and related delays.

And don’t forget the various traffic/transit changes that will be in effect on Monday due to the holiday (covering parking meters, Metro’s hours and more).

Safe travels!

The Metro Riders’ Advisory Council has submitted a letter to the Metro board addressing “one of the consistent topics of concern raised by council members and riders alike” — communication with riders.

(Sarah L. Voisin - The Washington Post) The council’s concerns about “the need for that communication to be clear and informative” are well founded. So let’s look at what the council said.

“Metro has made significant strides in its communication to report delays as well as planned and unplanned service outages, often taking advantage of new technology to deliver more targeted messages to riders.”

This is true. Metro has made strides in its electronic communications: the Web site, the electronic alerts and the Twitter feed.

Monday is Memorial Day, which means there will be quite a few transportation and transit changes in honor of the holiday.

If you are heading out of town, make sure to check out the Summer Getaway Guide with routes for driving out of the D.C. region. And regardless of whether you’re staying or going, look at Dr. Gridlock’s preview of traffic and transit issues facing commuters this weekend and beyond. The Capital Weather Gang forecast calls for heat, heat and more heat.

Here’s what you need to know for getting around Monday:

Metro

Metrorail will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight. Trains will operate on a Sunday schedule. Off-peak fares will be in effect all day, while parking will be free at any Metrorail parking station.

Metrobus will also run on a Sunday schedule.

MetroAccess subscription trips are canceled for Monday. If you want to travel on Monday, make a separate reservation.

This weekend may be the unofficial start of summer, but the Capital Weather Gang gives it the official rating of “hot.” The high temperatures could be in the 90s through Memorial Day, with chances of thunder. “Beaches slightly cooler,” the gang said. That always sounds so nice.

Use this link to see our summer getaway guide to driving routes out of the D.C. region.

But here’s the bottom line: There are no undiscovered shortcuts, only alternative routes. So your departure time counts at least as much as which set of roads you pick. Traffic leaving the D.C. area is likely to be heavy on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon and evening. Traffic also is heavy most of the day on Monday. While many are returning from long-distance trips, others who stayed local are heading to holiday cookouts, parades and outdoor activities.

For those staying local, I’ve got some advice on the traffic and transit issues you’ll face on your way to holiday weekend events.

Road work

This is one thing you should not have to worry about this weekend, whether you’re staying local or driving long distance. Most highway departments will pull up their temporary work zones during the peak travel times Friday through Memorial Day Monday. But the long-term work zones, with their lane narrowings and shifts, rough pavement and shoulder closings remain in place. Maryland’s speed cameras in work zones also will be operating.

Metro weekend delays

The Metro work zones for rehabilitation projects will be set up at 10 p.m. Friday and remain through the Metrorail’s midnight closing on Monday, Memorial Day.

Green Line: Buses will replace trains between Greenbelt and Fort Totten during a switch replacement project. The shuttle bus system works fairly well during scheduled disruptions, but the buses still must drive through local streets while picking up and discharging passengers at other stations.

Metro will operate express and local shuttles. The local will stop at all stations between Greenbelt and Fort Totten. A rider who did the entire trip this way probably would add about 50 minutes to normal travel time, Metro estimated. An express bus, traveling between Greenbelt and Fort Totten without stops, probably will add about half an hour to normal travel time.

The rest of the Green Line will be on its normal weekend schedule.

Yellow Line: No work is scheduled, but because of the work on the Green Line, Yellow Line trains will operate only as far north as Mount Vernon Square. (On weekends, they normally would continue on to Fort Totten.) Yellow Line riders who want to continue north of Mount Vernon Square will need to switch to the Green Line trains, which arrive on the same platform.

Red Line: Trains will share a track between Forest Glen and Takoma as crews work on platforms and install fiber optic cable. I’m glad to see the work on the platforms. A new type of tile is being installed, and the bumpy tiles near the platform edges are being replaced.

Trains are scheduled to leave the ends of the line every 20 minutes. Metro said riders should add about 10 minutes to normal weekend travel times, though many weekend riders find their delays are longer than that.

From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., additional trains will operate between Shady Grove and New York Avenue. In that zone, trains should arrive about every 10 minutes, Metro said.

Metro’s board of directors is expected to pass on Thursday its annual budget, which totals $2.5 billion for the 2013 fiscal year. The budget covers the operating cost for the Metro’s rail and bus lines and the agency’s capital budget for fiscal 2013.

To deal with a $100 million-plus budget gap the agency raised fares across the board for riders and parking fees for drivers and asked the three area jurisdictions for more money in subsidies.

Some riders have complained about having to pay higher fares, given Metro’s poor service and delays on both trains and buses.

Follow the live tweets from @postmetrogirl.