The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT), Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) along with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) are conducting a joint mobility study for the section of I-95/I-495 / Capital Beltway from the Springfield Interchange in Virginia to MD 5 (Branch Avenue) in Maryland. The study is approximately 14 miles long and it includes two phases of work. The entire study is anticipated to be completed in 2008.

There are two purposes for the Capital Beltway South Side Mobility Study.

1. There are many different projects that are under construction or being considered within the study limits including the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Springfield Interchange, VDOT's High Occupancy Toll ( HOT ) lane project west and north of the Springfield Interchange, and Maryland's Express Toll Lane project. This Mobility Study will examine how the lanes will connect among these various projects to ensure drivers have a smooth transition while traveling along I-95 and I-495 / Capital Beltway.
   
   
2. When the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in 2000, Maryland and Virginia agreed to the following major condition prior to opening all 12 lanes across the bridge: the median lanes (left-most lane in each direction) can only be operated as HOV or transit lanes. Additionally, the lanes can only be opened when the connecting systems are in place on both sides of the Potomac River . Consequently, this Mobility Study will examine what mode of transportation would be the most beneficial to operate on the two median lanes of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (heavy rail, light rail, bus, HOT / HOV ). These lanes will be used only for incident management and maintenance of traffic until they are opened permanently.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the Mobility Study was completed in Fall 2006. The Phase 1 efforts involved collecting all available existing literature, analyses, studies, designs and reports completed on transportation improvements in the general vicinity of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project in Virginia , Maryland and Washington DC . An interactive map was created to present the information on previous studies in a graphical format. The Phase 1 report and interactive map can be found at www.southsidecapitalbeltway.org .

Phase 2

Phase 2 will start in Spring / Summer 2007 and is scheduled to be complete by mid-2008. The study will include the following efforts:

1. Evaluate how many trips would use the median lanes for each mode of transportation assuming that is the only mode of transportation in the lane. The modes of transportation to be considered will include heavy rail (i.e. Metro), light rail transit, express bus service, high occupancy vehicle lanes ( HOV ), high occupancy toll lanes ( HOT ), and express toll lanes (ETL).

2. Identify how long it would take to design, fund, and construct each mode of transportation (i.e. year when the lanes could be opened).

3. Identify interim use of the lanes if the desired mode usage cannot be achieved in a reasonable time frame.

4. Evaluate how each mode of transportation would be connected to an adjacent network of that mode of transportation (i.e. if the Metro does not run along side of the Capital Beltway, how would a new proposed Metro rail line connect to the existing system).

In support of VDOT and SHA, the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the Maryland Transit Administration ( MTA ) will coordinate and lead the transit components of the South Side Mobility Study to ensure appropriate consideration is given to the transit alternatives.