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Background
The Capital Beltway provides an essential east coast highway link serving local, regional, and interstate trips. It is the only circumferential route in the Washington, D.C. area, connecting many radial routes such as I-270, US 29, I-95, I-295, and US 50. The eastern half of the Capital Beltway, designated I-95 as well as I-495, is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway System and functions as a link in the Maine to Florida interstate route.
The Capital Beltway provides an important highway link to many of the region's other transportation services including
- three regional airports - Baltimore-Washington International, Reagan National, and Dulles
- transit/rail facilities - WMATA's Metrorail and Metrobus services and the Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) Service
- port terminals
Because of the extensive linkage to other transportation facilities in the region, severe traffic congestion on the Capital Beltway has cumulative effects on regional mobility. In addition, projected increases in population and employment will place considerable pressure on the regional transportation network to provide adequate accessibility between suburban residential and business communities. Current traffic exceeds 200,000 vehicles per day in some sections and is projected to increase to about 250,000 vehicles per day by 2030.
Maryland Beltway Studies
Currently, SHA has four planning studies along the Capital Beltway:
- Full Beltway Study
- West Side Mobility Study
- South Side Mobility Study
- Existing Beltway Maintenance
Full Beltway Study
The Full Beltway Study limits include Maryland's entire portion of the Beltway, 42 miles, which extend from the American Legion Bridge to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The study area is within Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The Capital Beltway is generally eight lanes wide, except for the segment between the I-270 West and East Spurs where it is six lanes wide. The right-of-way along the highway varies between 200 feet and 300 feet.
Currently, the schedule for this study is pending as SHA focuses on the Joint Mobility Studies with Virginia.
West Side Joint Mobility Study
The West Side Joint Mobility Study is a 14-mile study that extends from SR 193 in Virginia , along the west side of the Capital Beltway, along the I-270 West Spur, along I-270, to the I-370 Interchange. The preliminary schedule is 18 months with completion in Spring 2007.
South Side Joint Mobility Study
The South Side Joint Mobility Study is a 14-mile study that extends from the Springfield Interchange in Virginia, along I-95/I-495, to MD 5 / Branch Avenue in Maryland. The preliminary schedule is 18 months with completion in Spring 2007.
Existing Beltway Maintenance:
SHA is currently evaluating the conditions of the Beltway pavement and bridges to determine which will need to be replaced or rehabilitated within the next 10 to 20 years. Due to the age and condition of the Beltway, it is likely that most of the pavement and many of the bridges will need improvements. The required rehabilitation that will be identified as part of the current evaluation could be implemented as part of the overall Capital Beltway Study or independent of the study.
