FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Drivers on I-495 felt the sting of living in the D.C. area on Tuesday as a section of the Capital Beltway closed down during rush hour for the Secret Service.
Right now, traffic is moving normally, but hours ago, northbound lanes were shutdown through Fairfax and Montgomery counties.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said the closure was at the request of the Secret Service.
Montgomery County Council President Evan Glass tweeted a picture while stuck in the traffic nightmare.
He wrote, "The Beltway comes to a complete stop for the presidential motorcade. I knew I should have taken the bus!"
Though others have also said it was the motorcade for President Biden, the Secret Service would not confirm that for security reasons.
The Secret Service said to WUSA9 in a statement, "The Secret Service does not specifically discuss the means and methods used to conduct protective operations in order to maintain operational security; however, the agency does work diligently with our state and local partners to make every effort possible to anticipate and minimize potentially adverse impacts to the public and local communities during a protective movement."
The map below shows the extent of the closure in the northbound lanes of I-495. The closure went all the way to Chevy Chase.
We can confirm that the president had an event in Chevy Chase on Tuesday night.
A White House Press Pool email stated, "The motorcade arrived at the site of the first fundraiser in Chevy Chase, Maryland at 5:21 p.m after an uneventful ride."