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Highway safety event, ICC opening, Hunter Mill Rd. to reopen, construction in the District

By WTOP Staff

There will be a few things to be thankful for during this holiday work week: The opening of the ICC, Hunter Mill Road reopens in Reston, a safe driving event, and Metro work will be less intense than in recent weeks. There will be an overnight closure on the SE-SW Freeway, so check that out if you plan on driving late-night in the District on Monday or Tuesday.

Share the Road safe driving event

Today in Jessup, Md.,  TravelCenters of America and the American Trucking Associations will host the Share the Road driving event. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., professional truck drivers will be on hand to educate other drivers on how to safely share the road with big rigs. The TA travel center is at 7401 Assateague Drive in Jessup, exit 41A off of I-95.

ICC will open this week

Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, the full Intercounty Connector will open on Tuesday. The 18.8-mile road will connect the I-370/I-270 corridor in Gaithersburg to the I-95 corridor in Laurel. Earlier this month, WTOP’s Adam Tuss took a tour of part of the ICC.

The ICC will be toll-free for drivers until December 5. Rush hour drivers will pay $4 to travel between Gaithersburg and Laurel. The ICC will also be free of any toll booths, so you’ll have to own an E-ZPass tag unless you want to get an up-charged bill in the mail.

Overnight closure of the SE-SW Freeway

On Monday and Tuesday night between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., DDOT will close all lanes of the eastbound SE-SW Freeway between the 11th Street Bridge and Pennsylvania Avenue. On the westbound side between Pennsylvania Avenue and the 11th Street Bridge, there may be total temporary closures throughout the overnight hours as well.

Eastbound traffic on the freeway will be diverted to South Capitol Street and the Douglass Bridge to access DC-295.

If you’re planning on traveling into the District and you usually take the inbound Sousa Bridge to the westbound freeway, you might want to consider using the inbound Douglass Bridge and South Capitol Street as an alternate.

Hunter Mill Road to reopen

Today in Reston, Hunter Mill Road will reopen between Hunter Station Road and Lawyers Road. Crews were building a temporary bridge over Difficult Run. The 3.2 mile detour that was in place caused serious delays last week.

Metro weeknight work

Thankfully, Metro construction will be light this week, as targeted track circuit replacement continues on the Red Line. Metro will operate additional 8-car trains during the late evening hours. Here are the details:

Red Line – 8 p.m. to closing, Monday, Nov. 21 to Wednesday, Nov. 23

  • Trains will single track between the Van Ness and Friendship Heights stations.
  • Customers should allow 15 minutes of additional travel time.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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