Drivers Prepare, Or Don't, for Delays

Deborah Sims said there's no way, no how she's getting near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge this weekend. "I won't be going over that bridge, and I won't be coming back over that bridge," the Alexandria resident said.

Tanya Green said that's just the kind of sentiment she's counting on, and that's why she's planning for a nice, easy ride over the bridge. "A lot of people will stay away, so all that means is there's more reason for me to head across," the Accokeek resident said.

What drivers such as Sims and Green do will be critical for traffic across the Washington region this weekend, when all but one lane of the inner loop of the Capital Beltway are scheduled to be closed on both sides of the bridge from 8 o'clock tonight until 5 a.m. Monday so workers can realign a section of highway. Severe weather could delay work, and a final decision on whether to go ahead will be made at 6 p.m. today.

Managers of the project have virtually begged motorists to stay away, warning of backups of up to 15 miles on the Beltway and crowded local roads even if most people take alternate routes. They've been airing radio ads across the East Coast and sending e-mails to truckers and other regular highway users for two weeks to get people to go another way.

But many drivers said they were inclined to ignore those warnings after similar work was accompanied by similarly dire warnings a month ago. Not only did no major backups occur, traffic on the Beltway was lighter than on a normal day. Drivers were able to zip around more or less at their leisure.

"I remember what they said last time, and that didn't happen," said Oxon Hill resident Catherine Foster, who said she would be willing to drive through the area this weekend.

That's just what scares project managers.

"Our biggest concern is that people will not listen to us and heed warnings themselves, thinking other drivers will stay away," said John Undeland, spokesman for the bridge project. "If everybody does that, nobody stays away. We really need people to take the warnings seriously or we could face a very serious slowdown."

During the work period, the inner loop will be reduced to one lane from just before Interstate 295 in Maryland to Route 1 in Virginia.

Ramps from southbound I-295 and Route 1 to the inner loop will be closed, as will ramps from the inner loop to Route 1 and Church Street (to Mount Vernon). Detours will be posted for all routes.

The work being done this weekend will connect the inner loop to a newly paved stretch of road on the Virginia shore.

Last month's work connected the outer loop to the new section.