Trucker convoy back on the road Tuesday
A day after making a mess of traffic for drivers heading into D.C., the so-called “People’s Convoy” is at it again Tuesday.
WTOP Traffic Reporter Reada Kessler said they’ve split into groups and that I-295 is the most impacted so far.
“That’s where you were seeing some exits blocked off, as one portion of the convoy made its way onto I-295 to try to get on to the 11th Street Bridge,” Kessler said. “However, cops have blocked off the 11th Street Bridge. They also blocked off the Laboratory Road exit, so there was no entrance to the inbound 11th Street Bridge for anybody else on I-295. They continued up DC 295, where they’ve also blocked the northbound DC 295 exit to Pennsylvania Avenue.”
So expect more traffic and another round rolling road closures Tuesday.
The response to the convoy from D.C. residents is less than enthusiastic, as DC REALTIME NEWS noted.
OH BOY https://t.co/yyM9PAqXLr
— DC REALTIME NEWS (@RealTimeNews10) March 15, 2022
Video of the convoy being streamed on platforms like Twitch and YouTube showed that it was largely populated by cars, consumer trucks, SUVs and RVs. CB chatter had members on the lookout for “infiltrators.”
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Monday’s traffic meltdown stemmed from the trucker convoy. It spread out and moved through the District on interstates 395, 695 and 295 — eastbound on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway from the 14th Street Bridge to the 11th Street Bridge — as well as traffic control operations that blocked exits to keep traffic flowing.
Chris Rodriguez, the director of D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said the plan is to continue to block the offramps so the convoy would move through the District and head back to Hagerstown, where they have been congregating since last week.
“We have to assume it’s going to continue at least for the next several days,” Rodriguez said, but added that the number of trucks and vehicles in the group has decline significantly.
Last week, the “People’s Convoy,” a group of truckers and supporters, circled the Capital Beltway twice on Sunday and again on Monday, but didn’t cause major disruptions.
The convoy, which is inspired by similar efforts in Canada, are protesting COVID-19 mandates, although most restrictions have already lifted.
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.