The shooting at the Holocaust Museum early Wednesday afternoon tied up traffic during the afternoon commute even after officials reopened the 14th Street Bridge to vehicles leaving the city.
Officials had closed roads around the museum off 14th Street near the National Mall after the 12:50 p.m. shooting.By 3:15 p.m. officials had reopened the southbound lanes of the 14th Street Bridge but were continuing to direct northbound traffic from the bridge into the District onto the Southeast/Southwest Freeway.
Independence Avenue from 12th to 15th streets remained closed at the start of the evening commute, as were portions of 14th and 15th streets. About a dozen District Department of Transportation traffic officers were helping direct vehicles, said spokeswoman Karen LeBlanc, but traffic volume remained heavy.
As of 4:40 p.m., Metro was still detouring buses on the 30s, 50s and V7 lines around the area, said Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates. The rail system was not affected, she said.
– Kytja Weir
