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'Unprecedented' factors halted airport traffic on Friday, officials say

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Rob Yingling said gridlock near the airport and the surrounding major roads "made it impossible for ground transport to function to the level of demand."

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Officials are not assigning blame after an "unprecedented convergence of several factors" nearly stopped traffic near Reagan National Airport on Friday, leaving some with no choice but to walk. On Twitter, some said they spent almost an hour on the airport access road.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Rob Yingling said gridlock near the airport and the surrounding major roads "made it impossible for ground transport to function to the level of demand."

RELATED: Metro Blue/Yellow Line track work causes traffic tie ups in Northern Virginia

It was a combination of factors, said Yingling.

On Friday-- the outset of a long Veterans Day weekend-- Metro had closed part of its Blue and Yellow lines. Reagan National Airport and Crystal City stations were closed. During the planned track work (which is over now) Metro provided free shuttle buses, but they too were stuck in traffic. Metro tweeted an apology on Friday saying "The mix of traffic & weather are impacting our ability to continuously move our shuttles." Metro has not responded to new requests for comment.

There were a lot of people catching flights on Friday. Airport passenger traffic was not as high on Saturday and Sunday of the Veterans Day weekend, so slowdowns were not as pronounced, said Yingling.

There was some roadwork at the airport. Crews were waterproofing a section of road on the departures level, part of a billion-dollar construction project for new security checkpoints. Drivers were not able to use all the lanes as they left the departures level. Yingling says that construction will end by Thursday at the latest. Airport construction is on hold until after the Thanksgiving travel rush, he said.

There is more Metro work on the horizon. Starting the Monday after Thanksgiving, Metro is repairing its bridge over the Potomac River. This means there will be no Yellow Line service system-wide until December 10. Riders can take the Blue Line instead.

Metro is launching another major track work project next summer. All yellow line stations south of Reagan National Airport will be effectively shut down from Memorial Day 2019 to Labor Day 2019. Yingling said "there's a lot of regional coordination even as we speak."