Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495): Express/local configuration?
Raymond C Martin Jr
The ramp from I-95 South to I-95/I-495 South is only 2 lanes. I
believe that northbound was 2 or 3 lanes. So, most likely that is
adequate for I-95 thru traffic...
So, could an express/local configuration work on the multiplexed
section of the Capital Beltway? Perhaps either 3-2-2-3 or 3-3-3-3,
with cross-overs every 3 or 4 miles?
=====
Raymond C Martin Jr
Third Year Meteorology Undergraduate, Cook College, Rutgers University
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Boulevard/7642/index.html
Webmaster, New Jersey Expressways and Tollways
http://www.njfreeways.com/
SPUI
"Raymond C Martin Jr" <fama...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fffb30ce.01102...@posting.google.com...
> Watching my footage from driving to D.C. today gave me an idea:
> The ramp from I-95 South to I-95/I-495 South is only 2 lanes. I
> believe that northbound was 2 or 3 lanes. So, most likely that is
> adequate for I-95 thru traffic...
>
> So, could an express/local configuration work on the multiplexed
> section of the Capital Beltway? Perhaps either 3-2-2-3 or 3-3-3-3,
> with cross-overs every 3 or 4 miles?
This is what is planned, at least over the WWB and on the VA side, with HOV
express lanes.
--
Dan Moraseski - Going into 14th grade at MIT
http://spui.cjb.net/ - FL NJ MA route logs and exit lists
Kenny Dancy
"SPUI" <sp...@mit.BUTIDONTLIKESPeduAM> wrote in message
news:3bddaf63$0$1923$b45e...@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu...
>
> "Raymond C Martin Jr" <fama...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:fffb30ce.01102...@posting.google.com...
> > Watching my footage from driving to D.C. today gave me an idea:
> > The ramp from I-95 South to I-95/I-495 South is only 2 lanes. I
> > believe that northbound was 2 or 3 lanes. So, most likely that is
> > adequate for I-95 thru traffic...
> >
> > So, could an express/local configuration work on the multiplexed
> > section of the Capital Beltway? Perhaps either 3-2-2-3 or 3-3-3-3,
> > with cross-overs every 3 or 4 miles?
>
> This is what is planned, at least over the WWB and on the VA side, with
HOV
> express lanes.
Here is a link to a Capital Beltway website
http://project1.parsons.com/capitalbeltway/, which has project information
Steve Anderson
>
> Watching my footage from driving to D.C. today gave me an idea:
> The ramp from I-95 South to I-95/I-495 South is only 2 lanes. I
> believe that northbound was 2 or 3 lanes. So, most likely that is
> adequate for I-95 thru traffic...
>
Maryland, a two-lane left-exit, was constructed in 1986. Before then,
traffic simply used a one-lane cloverleaf ramp (it was the last exit
before the I-95 stub end). Around the time the new ramp was constructed,
a park-and-ride lot was constructed on the former I-95 right-of-way.
(kind of getting me in the mood to eventually do a dcroads.com...)
-- Steve Anderson
http://www.nycroads.com
http://www.phillyroads.com
http://www.bostonroads.com
Raymond C Martin Jr
> news:fffb30ce.01102...@posting.google.com...
> > Watching my footage from driving to D.C. today gave me an idea:
> > The ramp from I-95 South to I-95/I-495 South is only 2 lanes. I
> > believe that northbound was 2 or 3 lanes. So, most likely that is
> > adequate for I-95 thru traffic...
> >
> > So, could an express/local configuration work on the multiplexed
> > section of the Capital Beltway? Perhaps either 3-2-2-3 or 3-3-3-3,
> > with cross-overs every 3 or 4 miles?
>
> This is what is planned, at least over the WWB and on the VA side, with HOV
> express lanes.
I don't count HOV lanes. I'm thinking of a set up more like I-78 or
I-80 and I-95 in north Jersey.
scott
The old ramp is still there. You have to use it to exit at route !.
-------
Scott
SPUI
"Raymond C Martin Jr" <fama...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fffb30ce.01102...@posting.google.com...
> "SPUI" <sp...@mit.BUTIDONTLIKESPeduAM> wrote in message
news:<3bddaf63$0$1923$b45e...@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>...
HOV
> > express lanes.
>
> I don't count HOV lanes. I'm thinking of a set up more like I-78 or
> I-80 and I-95 in north Jersey.
So if the express lanes on any of these roads were made HOV, you wouldn't
count them?
Mike Tantillo
SPUI wrote in message
<3bde2ca5$0$1930$b45e...@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>...
>
>"Raymond C Martin Jr" <fama...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:fffb30ce.01102...@posting.google.com...
>> "SPUI" <sp...@mit.BUTIDONTLIKESPeduAM> wrote in message
>news:<3bddaf63$0$1923$b45e...@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>...
>> > This is what is planned, at least over the WWB and on the VA side, with
>HOV
>> > express lanes.
>>
>> I don't count HOV lanes. I'm thinking of a set up more like I-78 or
>> I-80 and I-95 in north Jersey.
>
>So if the express lanes on any of these roads were made HOV, you wouldn't
>count them?
I agree with SPUI here....on a lot of roads, the HOV restrictions are not in
effect 24/7 so it is possible for anyone to use the lanes. Example would be
the reversible lanes on I-95 and I-395 south of DC......I time my trips so I
can get to the lanes when there are no HOV restrictions and they are open in
my direction....it almost always saves time if you are headed from Richmond
into DC (or beyond if you don't mind using a few surface streets to get from
395 to the B/W parkway).
Patrick Donnelly
> I agree with SPUI here....on a lot of roads, the HOV restrictions are not in
> effect 24/7 so it is possible for anyone to use the lanes. Example would be
> the reversible lanes on I-95 and I-395 south of DC......I time my trips so I
> can get to the lanes when there are no HOV restrictions and they are open in
> my direction....it almost always saves time if you are headed from Richmond
> into DC (or beyond if you don't mind using a few surface streets to get from
> 395 to the B/W parkway).
>
Bah... the B/W Parkway... what a detestable little stretch of road. I
lived in DC for a few years, and I detest driving in it. Now I know
in the name of National Defense it was necessary that there be no
arterials to downtown. But goddamit when you're living in Dupont, it
can take literally 45 mins. to get to the highway to head up to
Baltimore. Going to the beltway you have to take intolerably slow
routes like 19th St. or Rhode Island Ave. frought with long lights,
construciton, pedestrians, and turning traffic.
And the BWP is a terrible highway. It's only two lanes each way most
of the way up, and because of the 55mph limit and lots of traffic,
it's slow as hell. It's taken me an hour and a half to get to
Baltimore from downtown DC using the BWP. The only advantage of the
BWP is that it is the only highway with good easy access from
downtown-- 395 dead ends at New York Ave and you can rock that all the
way up to the BWP [if you don't mind the nasty traffic involved with
the current construction projects].
But one day I decided, hell I'll take 95 North to baltimore off of the
beltway instead. And I did. And it's at least 8 lanes, and bam... I
made it up to Baltimore in 35 minutes.
my 2 cents
-Patrick
There is fear in the air of the streets. Fear walks through the city,
fear without name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to
speak.
-Rand
Allen Seth Dunn
Space is a serious concern. In some places, the exit ramps hug the road,
making the main line hard to widen by much. So, when it comes down to money,
it would probably never come up just because of the sheer costs of the
widening of approximately 30 miles of roadway and the redesigning of several
existing interchanges.
"Raymond C Martin Jr" <fama...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fffb30ce.01102...@posting.google.com...
scott
>Bah... the B/W Parkway... what a detestable little stretch of road. I
>lived in DC for a few years, and I detest driving in it. Now I know
>in the name of National Defense it was necessary that there be no
>arterials to downtown. But goddamit when you're living in Dupont, it
>can take literally 45 mins. to get to the highway to head up to
>Baltimore. Going to the beltway you have to take intolerably slow
>routes like 19th St. or Rhode Island Ave. frought with long lights,
>construciton, pedestrians, and turning traffic.
>
>And the BWP is a terrible highway. It's only two lanes each way most
>of the way up, and because of the 55mph limit and lots of traffic,
>it's slow as hell. It's taken me an hour and a half to get to
>Baltimore from downtown DC using the BWP. The only advantage of the
>BWP is that it is the only highway with good easy access from
>downtown-- 395 dead ends at New York Ave and you can rock that all the
>way up to the BWP [if you don't mind the nasty traffic involved with
>the current construction projects].
>
>But one day I decided, hell I'll take 95 North to baltimore off of the
>beltway instead. And I did. And it's at least 8 lanes, and bam... I
>made it up to Baltimore in 35 minutes.
>
>my 2 cents
>
>-Patrick
During rush hours the Parkway is badf but at other times it's just ass quick to
Baltimore as 95, and it has no trucks! There are other ways to get on the
Parkway than you mentioned. I used to work in Virginia and found it quicker to
take the Parkway to 295 then 495 over the Wilson Bridge than to use 495 to the
A.L Bridge to get tro work in Western Fairfax in the morning rush. I think
it's a good road and oh, so smooth now.
-------
Scott
John R Cambron
You obviously have not used the Baltimore Washington Parkway
lately. I will admit that during peek travel time it can be a
pain in the ass. But in the last 10 or so years all of the
carriageway of the Park Service maintained section of the road
have been rebuilt with shoulders, mind you not full width
shoulders but shoulders never the less. All of the interchanges
have also been rebuilt eliminating the short accelerating
decelerating lanes at entrance and exit ramps. Only the MD-197
Laural Bowie Road interchange is yet to be completed and that
one is being worked on as I write this massage. The bigest
improvement is the road serface is much smother then it was 15
years ago. During non peek travel time average speed is well
over 60 MPH, but don't let the Park Police catch you going that
fast.
--
======================================================================
John R Cambron
North Beach MD USA
camb...@chesapeake.net
======================================================================
Mike Tantillo
John R Cambron <*camb...@chesapeake.net*> wrote in message ...
Also from I-95 south in Springfield to I-95 north of Baltimore, the B/W
parkway shaves a few miles off the route. I agree about not using it during
rush hour, but I've never had a problem any other time. Its a nice break
from I-95 too when you are driving for 9 hours in one day.
Patrick Donnelly
And once the current construction is done on the NY Ave. approach,
it'll be a really smooth ride after you cross the bridge by Brentwood.
My problem with it is that even at off-peak times, traffic seems to
go fairly slow. When I say slow I mean that there's no way in hell
one could do 80-85, which is the minimum one can cruise at on 95 b/w
DC and Balt. Hehe and I like to speed whenever possible... =c)
-Patrick
Happy Halloween!!
"Mike Tantillo" <mj...@duke.edu> wrote in message news:<9rnqsj$pnp$1...@news.duke.edu>...
Mike Tantillo
Patrick Donnelly wrote in message
<702c55f.01103...@posting.google.com>...
>Yeah I'll admit that the BWP does have a very nice road surface. =c)
>And once the current construction is done on the NY Ave. approach,
>it'll be a really smooth ride after you cross the bridge by Brentwood.
> My problem with it is that even at off-peak times, traffic seems to
>go fairly slow. When I say slow I mean that there's no way in hell
>one could do 80-85, which is the minimum one can cruise at on 95 b/w
>DC and Balt. Hehe and I like to speed whenever possible... =c)
Well, being that my car is a POS that doesn't do so well over 75, I won't be
having that problem of wanting to go faster than I can. In fact, i'd prefer
the slower road over the I-95 speedway so i'm not confined to the right lane
with cars whizzing by me. Last time I was on the B/W parkway, I managed to
maintain about 70 MPH.....and the speed differential is somewhat made up for
byt the fact that B/W parkway is several miles shorter than I-95 between the
two cities.
Its a matter of personal preference....you take I-95, but i'll stick to the
parkway unless its rush hour.
Douglas A. Willinger
> Raymond C Martin Jr wrote:
> >
> > Watching my footage from driving to D.C. today gave me an idea:
> > The ramp from I-95 South to I-95/I-495 South is only 2 lanes. I
> > believe that northbound was 2 or 3 lanes. So, most likely that is
> > adequate for I-95 thru traffic...
> >
> The ramp from I-95 SOUTH to I-95/I-495 SOUTH just outside College Park,
> Maryland, a two-lane left-exit, was constructed in 1986. Before then,
> traffic simply used a one-lane cloverleaf ramp (it was the last exit
> before the I-95 stub end). Around the time the new ramp was constructed,
> a park-and-ride lot was constructed on the former I-95 right-of-way.
Are you sure? I recall the first time that I ever was at this "stump"
interchange, in July 1972, with my family vacationing in/near D.C.
when we stayed at the Holiday in Cheverly, as well as a subsequent
return in May 1976 when we stayed at the Hilton near Connecticut and
Florida Avenue.
In 1972, we came down to this interchange, crossing immediately south
of the I-495 Capital Beltway, and we used a temporary U turn ramp to
access what would have been the NB I-95 ramp to SB I-495.
In 1976, when we came down to this interchange again, we did not
remain on this mainline to the south of the Beltway; instead there was
a new split just north of the Beltway, with the lefthand two lanes
leading to the then recently constructed ramp to the SB Beltway.
Douglas A. Willinger
Takoma Park Highway Design Studio
Allen Seth Dunn
I drove the BW Parkway when coming back from a mini-trip to Arundel Mills
Mall from Northern Virginia. I must say, it really is nice not to have to
worry about trucks or people going 80 in the left and middle lanes, and 45
in the right lane.
John R Cambron
Douglas,
Before I moved to Southern Maryland in the mid 1990s I use to
live in the apartment complex on Cherry Hill Road between the
Cherry Hill Road overpass over the Capitol Beltway MD I-495 95
and MD US-1 Baltimore Boulevard (Seven Springs Village), this
was in the 1980s. During this time Maryland SHA (State Highway
Administration) and the Contractor Cherry Hill Construction
started building the left southbound 'sky ramp' form the MD
I-95 mainline to the Capitol Beltway MD I-495 95.
Where the Home Depot is now at Cherry Hill Road and Baltimore
Boulevard the elevation of the landscape was above the elevation
of the Capitol Beltway. Cherry Hill Road use to intersect with
Baltimore Boulevard at the intersection with Edgewood Road.
Maryland SHA closed the old Cherry Hill Road easement and move
all traffic to the present Cherry Hill Road easement.
Dirt from land that is now occupied by Home Depot was used by
Cherry Hill Construction for fill for both ends of the new left
hand MD I-95 'sky ramp' bridge approaches and some additional
dirt was removed from the site and dumped in a large pile on
the unused section of MD I-95 beyond the Capitol Beltway MD
I-495 MD I-95 interchange. The dirt in the dirt pile was used
on other project and is now gone.
In addition to building the 'sky ramp' Cherry Hill Construction
also reconfigured MD US-1 interchange on the inter loop
southbound MD I-495 95 and added CD (collector distributor)
lanes that connect to the MD US-1 interchange. Replace the bridge
that carries Cherry Hill Road over southbound MD I-495 95 to
accommodate 5 main line lanes an the 2 CD lane. Replace the bridge
that carries MD 212 Riggs Road over the outer loop MD I-495 to
accommodate 6 lanes. Replaced the original MD I-95 south bound
bridge over the ramps from the inter loop MD I-495 to north bound
MD I-95 to allow for the reconstruction of the ramp. Built the
MD I-495 Capitol Beltway MD I-95 interchange park and ride.
To sum it up, the left southbound MD I-95 'sky ramp' was built and
opened in the 1980s. Next time you use the ramp check the date
block on the parapet right side on the approach end of the bridge
I don't recall the exact date, but I know it is 198X.
Scott M. Kozel
>
> To sum it up, the left southbound MD I-95 'sky ramp' was built and
> opened in the 1980s. Next time you use the ramp check the date
> block on the parapet right side on the approach end of the bridge
> I don't recall the exact date, but I know it is 198X.
The expansion of the I-95/I-495 interchange in Maryland included the new
flyover ramp and lane additions to three other ramps.
My highway project completions diary has the date that I recorded when
the project was completed -- November 1986.
--
Scott M. Kozel Highway and Transportation History Websites
Virginia/Maryland/Washington, D.C. http://www.roadstothefuture.com
Philadelphia and Delaware Valley http://www.pennways.com
Mikey
news:9rn58t$caa$1...@bob.news.rcn.net:
<Regarding adding lanes to the Capital Beltway on the Maryland side>
> ...I'm not sure that would ever
> happen. Space is a serious concern. In some places, the exit ramps hug
> the road, making the main line hard to widen by much.
Not to mention the fact that at many points on the Beltway in MD, there are
huge sound walls just beyond the shoulder, if not downright abutting it.
Most of these walls were only built within the past few years, and in the
Potomac area, new sound walls are going up as we speak.
Also, reconstructing the I-495/I-95/US-50/Unsigned I-595 interchange in New
Carrollton, which is a three-quarter mixing bowl, to accomodate more lanes
would prove costly and unlikely.
Mikey
aveenyH...@aol.com
(remove HOV lanes to reply)
Joseph T. Adams
: Bah... the B/W Parkway... what a detestable little stretch of road. I
: lived in DC for a few years, and I detest driving in it. Now I know
: in the name of National Defense it was necessary that there be no
: arterials to downtown.
Maybe I'm just slow today, but *why* would it be in the interests of
national defense that there be no good access into (or out of) the
nation's capital?
Joe
Mike Tantillo
Joseph T. Adams wrote in message <9s3fo7$1hi$1...@plonk.apk.net>...
You actually think that the govt. officials are going to drive them selves
out of DC?
>
>
>Joe
Patrick Donnelly
> >Patrick Donnelly <smilnonc...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >: Bah... the B/W Parkway... what a detestable little stretch of road. I
> >: lived in DC for a few years, and I detest driving in it. Now I know
> >: in the name of National Defense it was necessary that there be no
> >: arterials to downtown.
> >
> >
> >Maybe I'm just slow today, but *why* would it be in the interests of
> >national defense that there be no good access into (or out of) the
> >nation's capital?
>
To make DC easily defendible. There are only a few arteries that make
it from outside DC all the way into the Capitol Area [i.e. Foggy
Bottom, the mall, etc.] so it would very easy to position defenses to
stop troop movements. Or if they want to expand the defense, the
beltway provides a nice perimeter around the District, no?
CPAMARV
no they ussually get run out of town!