Interstate Highways of the District of Columbia | |
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System information | |
Formed | August 14, 1957 [1] |
Highway names | |
Interstates | Interstate X (I-X) |
System links | |
In Washington, D.C., there are two current primary Interstate Highways and four current auxiliary Interstates. In addition, two proposed primary Interstates and two proposed auxiliary Interstates were cancelled in whole or in part.
Interstate 495, also known as the "Capital Beltway", creates an artificial boundary for the inner suburbs of Washington and is the root of the phrase "Inside the Beltway". Almost completely circling Washington, D.C., it crosses a tiny portion of the District at its southernmost point at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I-66 runs from the eastern edge of Georgetown, connects with the Beltway, and continues through Northern Virginia to I-81. I-295 comes up from the south starting at the eastern edge of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Beltway and crosses the Anacostia River into downtown, linking up with I-395 (the Southwest Freeway), a major commuter route extending from New York Avenue to the Beltway and Interstate 95 in Springfield, Virginia, via I-695 (the Southeast Freeway). The Inner Loop was a proposed network of freeways in the city center; however, only portions of it were ever built. Today, the "inner loop" is most frequently used to describe the inside lanes of 495. That is those that travel clockwise around Washington.
Number | Length (mi) | Length (km) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Formed | Removed | Notes | |
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![]() | 1.48 [2] | 2.38 | Theodore Roosevelt Bridge (I-66 / US 50) in Arlington, VA | Whitehurst Freeway (US 29) in Foggy Bottom | 1977 | current | Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, Potomac River Freeway | |
![]() | — | — | — | — | — | 1975 | Part of the planned North Central Freeway; Maryland portion was renamed I-270 in 1975 | |
![]() | — | — | — | — | 1961 | 1977 | Plans to run I-95 through downtown Washington via the planned Inner Loop and North Central Freeway were scrapped, prompting I-95 to replace I-495 along the eastern half of the Capital Beltway. Portions built were re-designated I-395. | |
![]() | 0.11 [2] [3] | 0.18 | Woodrow Wilson Bridge (VA–DC–MD border) | 1977 | current | No boundary crossing signage; concurrent with I-495 since 1991 | ||
![]() | 1.90 | 3.06 | Southwest Freeway / 3rd Street Tunnel (I-395) in Southwest Federal Center | New York Avenue NW (US 50) in Mount Vernon Square | proposed | — | Will replace I-395 through the Third Street Tunnel [4] | |
![]() | 1.79 | 2.88 | — | — | — | 1972 | Proposed loop route of I-66 between the District, and Arlington County, but canceled in the face of community opposition during Washington's "freeway revolts;" D.C. officials proposed designating the route Interstate 66N, a move opposed by the AASHTO.[ citation needed ] | |
![]() | — | — | — | — | 1975 | 1977 | Part of the planned North Central Freeway; Maryland portion was known as I-70S until in 1975 | |
![]() | 7.25 [5] | 11.67 | Anacostia Freeway (I-295) in Oxon Hill, MD | Anacostia Freeway (DC 295) / 11th Street Bridges (I-695) in Anacostia | 1964 | current | Anacostia Freeway (south of the 11th Street Bridges) | |
![]() | 3.48 [5] | 5.60 | 14th Street Bridges (I-395 / US 1) in Arlington, VA | New York Avenue NW (US 50) in Mount Vernon Square | 1977 | current | 14th Street Bridges, Southwest Freeway, 3rd Street Tunnel | |
![]() | 0.11 [3] | 0.18 | Woodrow Wilson Bridge (VA–DC–MD border) | 1991 | current | Previously existed 1961–1977, reinstated 1991; no boundary crossing signage; concurrent with I-95 | ||
![]() | 1.39 [5] | 2.24 | Southwest Freeway / 3rd Street Tunnel (I-395) in Southwest Federal Center | Anacostia Freeway (I-295 / DC 295) in Fairlawn | 1961 | current | Southeast Freeway, 11th Street Bridges; signage bearing I-695 shields were added in 2011; will be replaced by an extension of I-395 | |
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The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. The system extends throughout the contiguous United States and has routes in Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The highway largely parallels the Atlantic coast and US 1, except for the portion between Savannah, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., and the portion between Portland and Houlton in Maine, both of which follow a more direct inland route.
Interstate 97 (I-97) is a north-south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It runs entirely within Anne Arundel County, Maryland, for 17.62 miles (28.36 km) from U.S. Route 50/U.S. Route 301 (US 50/US 301) in Parole near Annapolis north to I-695 and I-895B in Brooklyn Park near Baltimore. The interstate is the primary highway between Baltimore and Annapolis. I‑97 connects Annapolis with Baltimore/Washington International Airport and links the northern Anne Arundel County communities of Crownsville, Millersville, Severna Park, Glen Burnie, and Ferndale. It is currently the second shortest primary Interstate Highway in the country after the unfinished I-87 in North Carolina.
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, just outside Baltimore, Maryland.
Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washington, D.C., at the eastern terminus. The route parallels State Route 55 (SR 55) from its western terminus at I-81 to Gainesville, and US 29 from Gainesville to its eastern terminus in Washington. I-66 has no physical or historical connection to US 66, which was located in a different region of the United States.
Interstate 380 (I-380) is a short 3.3-mile (5.3 km) east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California, connecting I-280 in San Bruno to US Route 101 (US 101) near San Francisco International Airport. The highway primarily consists of only three intersections: I-280, State Route 82, and US 101. Like the nearby I-280, I-380 never connects to I-80, its parent Interstate Highway. However, there is no rule that says that spur routes need to do so.
The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, also known as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge or the Wilson Bridge, is a bascule bridge that spans the Potomac River between Alexandria, Virginia and Oxon Hill, Maryland in Prince George's County, Maryland. The original bridge was one of only a handful of drawbridges in the Interstate Highway System. It contained the only portion of the Interstate System owned and operated by the federal government until construction was completed and it was turned over to the Virginia and Maryland departments of transportation.
The Capital Beltway is a 64-mile (103 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase "inside the Beltway", used when referring to issues dealing with US federal government and politics. The highway is signed as Interstate 495 (I-495) for its entire length, and its southern and eastern half runs concurrently with I-95.
Interstate 610 (I-610) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that forms a 37.972-mile-long (61.110 km) loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas. I-610, colloquially known as The Loop, Loop 610, The Inner Loop, or just 610, traditionally marks the border between the inner city of Houston and its surrounding areas. It is the innermost of the three Houston beltways, the other two being Beltway 8 and State Highway 99, of which various segments are under construction or planning. In Houston, the area inside I-610 is the urban core. Jeff Balke of the Houston Press wrote that the freeway "is as much a social and philosophical divide as a physical one". Mike Snyder in the Houston Chronicle wrote that, as someone from inside I-610, he historically felt "kind of special" due to being close to "the city's historical core and its major business, educational and cultural institutions".
Interstate 295 (I-295) also known as the Anacostia Freeway, is a six-mile (9.7 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Maryland and in Washington, D.C.. It connects I-95/I-495 and Maryland Route 210 near the Potomac River to I-695 and District of Columbia Route 295 (DC 295) in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Interstate 270 (I-270) is a 34.7-mile (55.8 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Maryland that travels from I-495 just north of Bethesda in Montgomery County north to I-70 in the city of Frederick in Frederick County. It consists of the 32.6-mile (52.5 km) mainline as well as a 2.1-mile (3.4 km) spur that provides access to and from southbound I-495. I-270 is known as the Washington National Pike, and makes up the easternmost stretch of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. Most of the southern part of the route in Montgomery County passes through suburban areas around Rockville and Gaithersburg that are home to many biotech firms. This portion of I-270 is up to 12 lanes wide and consists of a local–express lane configuration as well as high-occupancy vehicle lanes that are in operation during peak travel times. North of the Gaithersburg area, the road continues through the northern part of Montgomery County, passing Germantown and Clarksburg as a six- to eight-lane highway with an HOV lane in the northbound direction only. North of here, I-270 continues through rural areas into Frederick County and toward the city of Frederick as a four-lane freeway.
Interstate 255 (I-255) is a bypass route of I-55 in Greater St. Louis. Along with I-270, it forms a loop around the central portion of the bi-state metro area; a majority of I-255 is located on the Illinois half. It shares its southern terminus with I-270 at the junction with I-55; I-270 and I-255 go to the west and east, respectively. U.S. Route 50 (US 50) joins I-255 at Lemay Ferry Road. It crosses the Mississippi River on the Jefferson Barracks Bridge, enters Illinois, and then turns northeast. There is a junction with I-64, where US 50 breaks off and goes east, and then further north there is a junction with I-55 again, I-70, and US 40, all of which are all cosigned together. The next junction is another one with I-270, which is the northern terminus of I-255. After that, the limited-access freeway continues on as Illinois Route 255 (IL 255). I-255 is 30.82 miles (49.60 km) in length.
Interstate 283 (I-283) is an auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System located just east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It travels from the Harrisburg East interchange of I-76 north to I-83/U.S. Route 322 at the Eisenhower Interchange. Pennsylvania Route 283 continues southeast from near the southern terminus of I-283 to Lancaster as a freeway, functioning as an extension of the Interstate, though they are two separate roads.
State Route 241 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 1.88 miles (3.03 km) from U.S. Route 1 in Huntington north to SR 236 in Alexandria. SR 241 connects US 1 and SR 236, bypass Old Town Alexandria to the southwest. The state highway connects those highways with Interstate 95 and I-495, Huntington Avenue, and Eisenhower Avenue in a series of interchanges along the boundary of Fairfax County and the independent city of Alexandria. SR 241 also connects the above highways to the Huntington station of the Washington Metro, for which the portion of the highway from US 1 to the station is part of the National Highway System.
Transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia is by land, sea and air. Virginia's extensive network of highways and railroads were developed and built over a period almost 400 years, beginning almost immediately after the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and often incorporating old established trails of the Native Americans.
Interstate 95 (I-95) runs 179 miles (288 km) within the commonwealth of Virginia between its borders with North Carolina and Maryland. I-95 meets the northern terminus of I-85 in Petersburg and is concurrent with I-64 for three miles (4.8 km) in Richmond. Although I-95 was originally planned as a highway through Washington, D.C., it was rerouted along the eastern portion of the Capital Beltway concurrent with I-495. From Petersburg to Richmond, I-95 utilized most of the Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike, a former toll road. In addition to Richmond, the route also runs through the medium-sized cities of Emporia, Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria.
Interstate 95 (I-95) is an Interstate Highway running along the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida, north to the Canadian border at Houlton, Maine. In Maryland, the route is a major highway that runs 110.01 miles (177.04 km) diagonally from southwest to northeast, entering from the District of Columbia and Virginia at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River, northeast to the Delaware state line near Elkton. It is the longest Interstate Highway within Maryland and is one of the most traveled Interstate Highways in the state, especially between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., despite alternate routes along the corridor, such as the Baltimore–Washington Parkway, U.S. Route 1 (US 1), and US 29. I-95 also has eight auxiliary routes in the state, the most of any state along the I-95 corridor. Portions of the highway, including the Fort McHenry Tunnel and the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, are tolled.