Springfield Interchange | |
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![]() The Springfield Interchange in 2007. In 2012, reversible ramps from the I-95 HOV lanes (now Express Lanes) directly to the Capital Beltway (shown in the map below) were built. | |
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Location | |
Springfield, Virginia | |
Coordinates | 38°47′28″N77°10′34″W / 38.791°N 77.176°W |
Roads at junction | |
Construction | |
Type | Interchange |
Constructed | 1964 |
Maintained by | VDOT |
The Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl, [1] [2] is the interchange of Interstate 95, Interstate 395, and Interstate 495 in Springfield, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. The interchange is located at exit 57 on the Capital Beltway, exit 170 on I-95, and exit 1 on I-395.
Some people, including many Washington-area media sources, refer to this interchange as the "Mixing Bowl" because, prior to the reconstruction, local and long-distance travelers shared the same lanes and travelers had to merge to the right or left to reach the correct lanes for their destination. The last of this weaving and merging was eliminated on April 21, 2007.
The interchange was originally built completed in 1964 as a simple interchange between I-95 and the Capital Beltway. [3]
In 1966, only two years after completion, work to adjust the ramps onto the Shirly Highway began. It was competed in 1968. [3]
After community opposition prevented its construction through the city, a project began in 1974 to reconstruct the interchange. It involved repaceing the semi-directional ramp from I-95 northbound to I-495 westbound with the large 2-lane 35-mph loop ramp. This was competed in 1977, at this point I-95 was shifted to the eastern portion of the Beltway, between Springfield and College Park, Maryland, eliminating the I-495 designation there. Because of this route change, all traffic continuing on I-95 through the Washington area was exiting at Springfield through an interchange not designed for that purpose.
In 1989, the I-95 designation was restored.
By early 1970, there were 150,000 vehicles per day traveling through the intersection. Thirty years later, that number had more than doubled, with the effect that vehicles "traveling along the East Coast's main north–south artery [had to] be funneled through the ordinary exit ramps at Springfield, routinely causing backups several miles long." [4] A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined the interchange to be the site of 179 crashes between 1993 and 1994—more than any other spot on I-95—and found that the number of ramp accidents was more than double that of any other Beltway interchange. [4] In March 1999, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) began an eight-year, seven-phase reconstruction project, which also involved the reconstruction of the I-95/Route 644 interchange. The project was one of the largest highway construction projects in the U.S., costing $676 million.
Completed 1999
Completed November 2001
Completed October 2004
Completed May 2004
Completed July 2007
Upon completion, The Washington Post noted: "The project began in 1994 with a budget of $241 million. By 2002, it had nearly tripled, to $676 million, and a federal audit found that VDOT had underestimated costs and mismanaged funds. As recently as [2005], the project was months behind schedule, and managers predicted that it would not be completed on time. But VDOT officials pressured the primary contractor, including issuing a formal default letter, and work was put back on schedule without adding costs." [7]
The project was completed on time in July 2007. The new interchange has 50 ramps and bridges, is 24 lanes at its widest point, and has a capacity of 500,000 vehicles per day. [8]
Phase 8 involved the construction of ramps connecting Shirley Highway's reversible center carriageway (HOV lanes) to the Capital Beltway. It was originally planned to be part of the Springfield Interchange Project but, due to cost overruns, was moved to the future Capital Beltway widening project, which was to include HOV lanes on the Capital Beltway. Phase 8 was subsequently deferred when the Beltway widening was delayed. Phase 8 was eventually constructed as part of the I-495 Express Lanes (high-occupancy/toll lanes) project and the Phase 8 ramps opened to traffic on November 17, 2012.
To aid commuters during construction, VDOT added 5,000 park-and-ride spaces, created a vanpool program, increased safety patrols to clear breakdowns, created a project web site, and distributed notifications of lane closures via an email list. VDOT also maintained a storefront office in the Springfield Mall.
The term "Mixing Bowl" was previously used to refer to the interchange between I-395 and State Route 27 in Arlington, near the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery; this interchange, like the Springfield one, contains a large number of lanes and ramps. However, most news reports on the Springfield Interchange refer to it as the "Mixing Bowl", and the term has become generally accepted. [1] The other interchange is now known as the Pentagon road network.[ citation needed ]
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.
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 895 (I-895) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Maryland. Known as the Harbor Tunnel Thruway, the highway runs 11.44 miles (18.41 km) between one junction with I-95 in Elkridge and another interchange with I-95 on the east side of Baltimore. I-895 is a toll road that crosses the Patapsco River estuary via the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, connecting U.S. Route 1 (US 1), I-695, and the Baltimore–Washington Parkway in the southwestern suburbs of Baltimore with US 40 on the east side of Baltimore. In conjunction with a pair of spurs, unsigned I-895A and I-895B, I-895 provides access to the tunnel from I-97 and Maryland Route 2 (MD 2) in Glen Burnie. The highway is designed for through traffic by having partial interchanges that require vehicles from almost all starting points to pass through the tunnel and the tunnel toll plaza, where a $1.40-$6.00 toll is charged to passenger vehicles, before exiting the facility.
The Hampton Roads Beltway is a loop of Interstate 64 and Interstate 664, which links the communities of the Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads which surround the body of water known as Hampton Roads and comprise much of the region of the same name in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States. It crosses the harbor of Hampton Roads at two locations on large four-laned bridge-tunnel facilities: the eastern half carries Interstate 64 and uses the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the western half carries Interstate 664 and uses the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel. The beltway has the clockwise direction signed as the Inner Loop, and the counter-clockwise direction signed as the Outer Loop. The entire beltway, including the bridge-tunnels, is owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Interstate 695 (I-695) is a 51.46-mile-long (82.82 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway that constitutes a beltway extending around Baltimore, Maryland, United States. I-695 is officially designated the McKeldin Beltway but is colloquially referred to as either the Baltimore Beltway or 695. The route is an auxiliary route of I-95, intersecting that route southwest of Baltimore near Arbutus and northeast of the city near White Marsh. It also intersects other major roads radiating from the Baltimore area, including I-97 near Glen Burnie, the Baltimore–Washington Parkway near Linthicum, I-70 near Woodlawn, I-795 near Pikesville, and I-83 in the Timonium area. The 19.37-mile (31.17 km) portion of the Baltimore Beltway between I-95 northeast of Baltimore and I-97 south of Baltimore is officially Maryland Route 695 (MD 695) and is not part of the Interstate Highway System but is signed as I-695. The Francis Scott Key Bridge that crossed over the Patapsco River was included in this section of the route before the bridge's collapse on March 26, 2024. The bridge and its approaches were maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), while the remainder of the Baltimore Beltway is maintained by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA).
Interstate 295 (I-295) in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia, and a partial beltway of Trenton.
Interstate 395 (I-395) in Virginia and Washington, D.C., is a 13.79-mile-long (22.19 km) spur route of I-95 that begins at an interchange with I-95 in Springfield and ends at an interchange with US Route 50 (US 50) in Northwest Washington, D.C. It passes underneath the National Mall near the US Capitol and ends at a junction with US 50 at New York Avenue, roughly one mile (1.6 km) north of the 3rd Street Tunnel. Despite its proximity to I-395 in Maryland, the route is unrelated and unconnected.
State Road 202 (SR 202) is a 13.042-mile-long (20.989 km) state highway that extends from U.S. Route 1, in Jacksonville, Florida to SR A1A, in Jacksonville Beach, near the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Ponte Vedra Beach, and includes a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. To locals, the road is better known as J. Turner Butler Boulevard, Butler Boulevard, or JTB. Despite being named as a boulevard, the road is a completely limited-access expressway, with the exception of the westernmost 0.5 miles between US 1 and Interstate 95 (I-95),. It was constructed in sections by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. The first section opened in 1979, but the entire road was not completed until 1997.
State Route 236 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 15.63 miles (25.15 km) from U.S. Route 29 and US 50 in Fairfax east to SR 400 in Alexandria. SR 236 is a major suburban arterial highway that connects the independent cities of Fairfax and Alexandria via Annandale in Fairfax County. The state highway is known as Main Street in City of Fairfax, Little River Turnpike in Fairfax County, where the highway meets Interstate 495 (I-495), and Duke Street in Alexandria, where the road has junctions with I-395 and US 1.
State Route 27 (SR 27) is a freeway in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States, known as Washington Boulevard. It was built during World War II to connect the Pentagon with U.S. Route 50 (US 50) and northern Arlington to the west and Washington, D.C., to the east. Its 2.54-mile (4.09 km) route parallels the southern boundaries of Arlington National Cemetery. At its southernmost point, Route 27 passes through a complex interchange with Interstate 395. called the "Mixing Bowl," although local motorists more recently use that term also to refer to the Springfield Interchange on the Capital Beltway in Springfield. It is an important commuter route as well as providing access to a number of military installations, the cemetery and national memorials. Because Route 27 is the closest road to the site of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon, the route has been designated the "9/11 Heroes Memorial Highway."
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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.
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