Truck Convoy Threatens To Clog DC Area Roads Over Weekend

VIRGINIA/DC — Police are preparing for traffic disruptions this weekend and possibly into early next week as truck drivers and others inspired by last month's occupation of Canada's capital city begin to arrive in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region.

One group, The People's Convoy, left Southern California several days ago for a cross-country trip to the D.C. area. The number of participants has fluctuated as the convoy makes its way across the country, with 100 vehicles in some states and several hundred in others.

Participants in the U.S. convoys are protesting COVID-19-related restrictions at the federal and local levels, although most of those restrictions have been lifted.

Law enforcement officials believe the convoys may block main roads across the D.C. area over the weekend and into next week.

The Virginia State Police said it is monitoring “potential commercial and passenger vehicle affecting traffic” in Northern Virginia. The police agency said it has been in contact with the groups’ organizers to ensure they understand Virginia’s traffic laws.

“These communications have also enabled us to share our expectations related to keeping traffic flowing safely and efficiently on Virginia highways, especially in the case of emergencies and for first responder vehicles,” the state police said.

Residents should expect to see an increased presence of state troopers “as part of the department’s operational plan for this still-fluid situation,” the agency said.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said Friday that Metrobus customers may experience significant delays and disruptions this weekend due to the truck convoys.

"Traffic disruptions may continue for an extended period of time and demonstration activity may create additional impacts throughout the Washington, D.C. region," WMATA said in a news release.

Customers are encouraged to avoid the downtown area and use Metrorail to avoid delays or traffic issues caused by the convoys. If buses are unable to serve the downtown D.C. area, routes may be detoured or buses turned back, WMATA said.

The convoys are modeled on the Freedom Convoy that blockaded downtown Ottawa for three weeks in protest of vaccine mandates in Canada.

Brian Brase, a People's Convoy organizer, told The Washington Post that his group wants an end to the national emergency declared by former President Donald Trump in March 2020 and wants Congress to hold hearings on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are the people of the United States of America and we stand together under the banner of freedom — freedom is the one thing that unites us all," a message on the People's Convoy website says. "Liberty flows through all our veins."

D.C. police, who joined with the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Capitol Police to provide security for Tuesday's State of the Union address, said they will remain on guard.

Police officers from New York City, who came to help the U.S. Capitol police for the State of the Union, remain in the city. Metropolitan Police Department officers also are positioned along highway entrances to the District and some exit ramps, along with trucks from the Department of Public Works, in case roadways need to be blocked from the convoys, the Post reported.

Buses also are lined up near the Pentagon in Arlington.

"We have some Metrobuses on standby in partnership with our federal, state and local partners to provide resources for any potential law enforcement strategic response measures," Metro said in a statement to WJLA.

D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said at a news conference Monday that officers will aim to get voluntary compliance from any truck drivers who initially refuse to move their trucks. But if truckers fail to move their vehicles, "it could lead to an arrest," he said.

SEE ALSO: Truck Convoys Lead To Heightened Security For State Of The Union

When asked how long the MPD plans to be on alert in response to trucker protests to avoid the type of blockades that paralyzed Ottawa last month, Contee said, "I don't plan on going anywhere."

The Arlington County Police Department said it is working with other law enforcement agencies in the region and monitoring potential traffic impacts from the convoys. Heavy-duty trucks, including tractor-trailers, are prohibited from Interstate 66 inside the Beltway at all times.

Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department's Civil Disturbance Unit worked in D.C. on Tuesday to provide security for the State of the Union address due to possible truck convoys. Only a few protesters sympathetic to truckers showed up in D.C. on Tuesday.

Although the Virginia State Police is taking the lead on securing the region during the convoy, Fairfax County police said Friday they will continue to monitor and assist regional partners to ensure the roadways remain safe.

The People's Convoy has stretched for many miles in some states and consists of tractor-trailer rigs, pickup trucks, cars and recreational vehicles. When the convoy stops for the night, supporters carrying signs with pro-Trump, anti-Biden and anti-vaccine messages bring the drivers food and other donations, The Kansas City Star reported.

The convoy is scheduled to arrive in Hagerstown, Maryland, for an overnight stay Friday night. It then plans to arrive in the D.C. area Saturday evening, according to the group's website.

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