• Maps covering Baltimore, Cecil and Harford Counties extracted from a geodatabase built of northeastern Maryland, including a shapefile created that covers some of the abandoned freeway proposals such as the defunct Interstate 70, the Windlass Freeway, the Jones Falls Expressway northern extension.
• A look at surface routes through Baltimore from several drives through the city during Summer 2010, including looks at Maryland 2, Maryland 25, Perring Parkway south, Maryland 129 north, Maryland 139 south, Maryland 144/Frederick Avenue west, Maryland 147 north, and various other smaller segments.
• An overhaul of all freeway pages, covering new Clearview-based sign assemblies on Interstates 83, 95, 395, 695, etc.
• New highway construction such as the I-95 Express Toll Lanes and the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
• Several road enthusiast items of interests including:

The new stack interchange between Interstates 95 & 695 east of Baltimore, including a stub for an eventual direct ramp with the new I-95 Express Toll Lanes.

A southbound look at the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Plenty instances of Clearview…

Revisits to routes previously covered.

Button copy signs.

Old reassurance shields in the city of Baltimore.

Old city-installed Interstate 83 trailblazers with the custom Maryland sign font.

And a few gems…

Suitland Parkway begins at a signalized intersection with Maryland 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) near its interchange with Interstate 95. Departing westward, the parkway first interchanges with Patrick Avenue at the north gate to Andrews Air Force Base. From there the route continues west underneath Interstates 95 & 495 (there is no direct access between the parkway and Capital Beltway).

Originally constructed during World War II by the Bureau of Public Roads (now the FHWA), Suitland Parkway was built to link the military facilities of Bolling Field Air Force base with Camp Springs (Andrews A.F.B.). Opened December 9, 1944 the parkway later became part of the National Capital Parks system, which preserves the forest and rural scenery along the route. This designation led to Suitland Parkway inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1995.

Suitland Parkway continues west and north to a three-quarter cloverleaf interchange with Maryland 458 (Silver Hill Road). National Park Service maintained sections of the road include brown signs with Clarendon font in most places. However replacement signs feature Arial font and some signs, such as those for the Maryland 5 interchange, are simply missing. Just before the Silver Hill Road interchange is an at-grade intersection for Meadowview Drive and the Meadowview subdivision. Meadowview is only accessible via the NPS-maintained Suitland Parkway.

Suitland Parkway gains an urban feel upon crossing the District of Columbia line at the Southern Avenue overpass. Sign standards decrease within Washington, with substandard guide signs for the ramps to Alabama Avenue, Sheridan Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Pictured here is the approach to the Sheridan Road slip ramp for MLK Jr. Avenue.

The roadway is used by commuters and visitors alike. Connections with South Capitol Street to the north provide a direct route into downtown Washington and the United States government center. Additionally drivers bound for the new Washington Nationals baseball park can use Suitland Parkway from the south, as the new stadium lies along South Capital Street north of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

A modified cloverleaf interchange joins Suitland Parkway, South Capitol Street / Douglass Memorial Bridge, and Interstate 295 (Anacostia Freeway). Suitland Parkway merges with South Capitol Street ahead of the Douglass Memorial Bridge.

South Capitol Street touches down at a signalized intersection with Potomac Avenue at the north end of the Douglass Bridge. Construction is well underway at the Washington Nationals ball park, with opening day slated for March 30, 2008. The stadium will seat 41,000.

Looking northward along South Capitol Street at P and O Streets, adjacent to the new Nationals baseball stadium. Two years ago this scene existed underneath the South Capitol Street viaduct.

$27 million construction involving the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge continues with an expected completion of April 2008. Work already completed includes the removal of a 400′ viaduct section (between Potomac Avenue and O Street) at the north end of the bridge and lowering of the north approach of the bridge to blend the span into the surrounding area. This work is part of an urban renewal project centered around the new Nationals ball park. An intersection with Potomac Avenue on the north side of the bridge begins the new urban boulevard leading north. Before this was completed, an industrial style viaduct carried motorists northward into a blighted area. The bridge carries an average of 77,000 vehicles per day.

A study is still underway on the overall replacement of the 1950-built Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge with a new signature span. Design concepts include some elaborate draw and swing spans on cable-stayed and arch bridges. Details of the study are available at South Capitol Street Bridge Study and JD’s “Near Southeast” DC Redevelopment blog.

South Capitol Street sinks below M Street on the approach to Interstate 695 and the United States Capitol complex. Ramps ahead join Interstate 695 west at its interchange with Interstate 395.

For much more on the Nationals ball park, redevelopment of the South Capitol Street corridor, and the Douglass Bridge, please see JD’s “Near Southeast” DC Redevelopment.

Sources:

1. Suitland Parkway, National Park Service.
2. “Douglass Bridge Closure Marks The Start of Construction Season.” Washington Post, January 25, 2007.
3. “Near Southeast” DC Redevelopment

Maryland 43 (Whitemarsh Boulevard) briefly exists as a freeway between Interstate 95 and U.S. 40. A full cloverleaf-interchange joins the freeway with Interstate 95 followed by a folded-diamond interchange at Maryland 7 (Philadelphia Road). The interchange between White Marsh Boulevard and Interstate 95 is in the process of upgrade to a directional-cloverleaf interchange associated with the Interstate 95 Express Toll Lane project. The missing sign pictured here once held a panel that displayed “Lane Ends 1000 Feet”.

Originally Maryland 43 ended at a partial trumpet interchange with U.S. 40. That connection was reconfigured into an at-grade intersection with a short access road joining both highways. 1970s highway maps show Maryland 43 proposed to the southeast as a freeway to Maryland 150.

The project opened to traffic on October 23, 2006 at a cost of $76.5 million with private contributions in the form of $2.4 million and 34 acres from the AV Williams Trust. The AV Williams Trust element results in the construction of four intersections to serve their land that is already accommodating new commercial development.

Maryland 43 (White Marsh Boulevard extended) eastbound at the future intersection with Campbell Boulevard. Rural lands surround the four-lane highway presently from U.S. 40 southward to Maryland 150 (Eastern Boulevard). Visible in the distance is a clearing associated with new commercial development at the AV Williams Trust land.

Maryland 43 reassurance marker posted after intersection number three of the White Marsh Boulevard extended project. A business park already lines the south side of the highway as it approaches the AMTRAK/MARC Railroad under crossing.

Maryland 43 elevates over the AMTRAK/MARC line before ending at a signalized intersection with Maryland 150 (Eastern Avenue) near Martin State Airport. Maryland 150 travels east-west between Essex and Middle River. The sign indicates the Expressway End, but with all of the future development, Maryland 43 will more resemble a controlled-access arterial than a high speed route.

Expressway or Sprawlway, with all the land opened up for development, the one will lead to another. See http://www.sha.state.md.us/businesswithsha/projects/ohd/md43/MD43handouts.pdf for a 2003 aerial overlaid with the completed path.

For additional details on the project, see MD 43 (White Marsh Boulevard) Extended “The Road to Opportunity” at the MDSHA website .

Elements of the project include the reconstruction of the Interstate 95/895 partial “Y” interchange to relocate the Interstate 895 southbound split from a left-hand to a right-hand ramp and the addition of direct ramps between Interstate 895 and the new express toll lanes. Work began on this project in October 2006 and should be completed by October 2008.

Merging with Interstate 895 north from Interstate 95 north in Baltimore. Construction of the new flyover that will carry Interstate 895 north onto the general purpose lanes of Interstate 95 is well underway.

Further east, the symmetrical directional interchange with Interstate 695 will be completely redesigned into that of a high-speed stack interchange, with connections to both the Interstate 95 mainline and the inner express lanes. Reconfiguration of this interchange will eliminate all of the left-hand movements drivers presently encounter. Phase one of the project began on January 22, 2007 to build a symmetrical stack interchange between the general purpose lanes of Interstate 95 and Interstate 695. Completion is expected in 2010. Phase two, the building of ramps between the new express toll lanes and Interstate 695, as scheduled will begin in May 2008 and end by June 2011.

Towering pillars and the future flyover between Interstate 95 north and Interstate 695 rise above the present interchange in east Baltimore.

Looking north along Interstate 95 at new flyovers to Interstate 695 north from Interstate 95 north and Interstate 695 south to Interstate 95 north. These ramps are slated to open in 2010.

Beginning in Spring 2008, crews will expand their focus to the Interstate 95 interchange with Maryland 43, a current full-cloverleaf interchange. Work includes widening of 1.1 miles of Maryland 43 from four to six lanes and rebuilding of the interchange with directional ramps from the Interstate 95 general purpose lanes and additional ramps from the express toll lanes. Work will take three years to complete.

Interstate 95 northbound approaching Maryland 2 (Exit 54) south. The entire Exit 54 features Clearview, including the Maryland 2 shield.

It is the megasized symmetrical stack interchange currently under construction at the eastern junction of Interstate 95 and 695 at Baltimore, Maryland! Construction began in 2006 on a multi-year project that will bring express toll lanes to the busy corridor. Presently Interstate 95 carries eight lanes between Interstate 895 and Maryland 24 (Exit 74). This project expands the overall lanes to 12 with the addition of four express lanes (two per direction) from the merge/split with Interstate 895 to Gunpowder Falls State Park east of Exit 67. Project completion is slated for 2011.

See the project site – http://www.i-95expresstolllanes.com/ for details

Five stages of construction are staggered in schedule over the next five years. Contract A, set to begin in July of 2007, involves the initial six-mile stretch between Interstate 370′s east end and Maryland 97 (Georgia Avenue). A tri-level stack interchange will join the new toll road with Interstate 370 just north of the Shady Grove Road partial-cloverleaf interchange. An eastbound off-ramp will join the ICC with Emory Lane and a partial-cloverleaf interchange will tie the freeway into Maryland 97.

See the Contract A diagrams (.pdf) file for details.

Elements involving Contract A include a depressed freeway design and a 600′ cut and cover tunnel at Old Mill Run. The crossing of Rock Creek will consist of an arch bridge to blend the freeway better to its surroundings. 3.3 miles of bike paths will be constructed in conjunction with the ICC. Total cost of Contract A is $478.7 million with a planned completion by late 2010.

Interstate 370 eastbound at the CSX Railroad under crossing east of Maryland 355 (Frederick Road). ICC’s planned tri-level stack interchange will rise along Interstate 370 where the freeway curves southward to the Shady Grove Road interchange.

Continuing eastward, Contract B includes a diamond interchange at Maryland 182 (Layhill Road) and a single-point urban interchange (SPUI) at Maryland 650 (New Hampshire Avenue). Work will extend the toll road eight miles between Maryland 97 (Georgia Avenue) and a point just west of U.S. 29 (Columbia Pike). Ranging between $410 and $460 million, Contract B may begin in June of 2008 and be completed by late 2011.

See the Contract B diagrams (.pdf) file for details.

Contract C will begin soon after work commences on Contract A. Work involves construction of a new stack interchange with U.S. 29 and the building of the ICC roadway between Columbia Pike and Interstate 95. A half-diamond interchange will join the ICC with Briggs Chaney Road from the east and a directional cloverleaf interchange ties the ICC with Interstate 95. Additionally work involves the building of collector/distributor roadways on Interstate 95 between the new ICC interchange and Maryland 212, and the creation of grade separations on U.S. 29 with Fairland and Musgrove Roads. Fairland Road’s new interchange will also tie into the ICC stack on U.S. 29.

See the Contract C diagrams (.pdf) file for details.

Costing between $460 to $520 million, Contract C work may begin in late 2007 and be completed by late 2011.

Contract D consists of the construction of collector/distributor roadways along Interstate 95 from the new ICC interchange northward to Maryland 198. These lanes tie into the planned Contee Road interchange to be built outside the ICC contracts. This $60 to 75 million contract should take place between 2009 and late 2011.

The final piece of work, Contract E, involves building of the easternmost 0.9-miles of the ICC. East of Interstate 95, the six-lane freeway will transition into a four-lane surface boulevard with a signalized end at U.S. 1. Construction of a half-diamond interchange (to the west) with Virginia Manor Road will be included as will redesign of both Virginia Manor Road and nearby U.S. 1 into boulevards. Work may begin in 2010 and be finished in 2011 on the $50 to 65 million contract.

Interstate 95 is rather docile in Volusia County south of Interstate 4, but north of it is a different story. The influx of traffic from Orlando and its array of resort areas puts a crush of traffic on the freeway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. Surprisingly not all of this corridor is yet to six-lane capacity. St. Johns and Volusia Counties are already six-lanes, but Flagler County is not. Therefore crews are out working on the expansion of Interstate 95 to eliminate the bottleneck between Interstate 4 and Interstate 295. From the FDOT website, expansion of the 18.6-mile stretch in Flagler County began on March 14, 2005. Completion date is unclear.

In a related project pertaining to the Interstate 95 corridor, upgrading of the Florida 9A (Future Interstate 295) diamond interchange with Florida 202 (J. Turner Butler Boulevard – JTB) is also underway. Florida 9A provides an eastern bypass of downtown Jacksonville as well as a commuter route for southeast Jacksonville. The substandard interchange between the two freeways is the only thing preventing the eastern beltway from becoming part of the Interstate 295 corridor. Upon completion of the $80.5-million project, high-speed flyovers will shuttle motorists between Interstate 295 and the JTB. Work began in July 2005 with a 2009 completion date anticipated.

Further northwest near downtown Jacksonville is the project involving redesign of the Interstate 10 and 95 interchange (Exit 351B). At present the junction between the two pivotal Interstate highways is quite substandard with left-hand ramps and tight curves. Replacement of the junction involves creation of high-speed flyovers with the capacity necessary for the downtown area junction. Work commenced on February 15, 2005, with an overall completion of the interchange and associated adjacent projects slated for 2011. See TheBigI.info for project details (note that “Big I” was the same moniker given to the massive overhaul of the Interstate 25 and 40 junction in Albuquerque, New Mexico).

Also of interest to that interchange is the fact that U.S. 17 and Florida 223 now both share alignments with both Interstate 10 east from the Roosevelt Expressway interchange to Interstate 95 and Interstate 95 north to the U.S. 23 (Kings Road/Union Street) interchange to the north. Signs merely mention the overlap in passing, but shields are no longer posted along the U.S. 17 & Florida 223 surface routing as of December 2006.

It is not just the Interstate 95 interchange with Interstate 10 under construction, but essentially the entire corridor of freeway between Interstate 10 and the northern terminus of Interstate 295. That section of roadway includes a narrow four-lane segment of freeway between the Trout River Bridge and Interstate 295/Florida 9A. Widening of that freeway is underway in conjunction with a replacement of the Trout River Bridge. Work on the Trout River Bridge replacement began on March 7, 2005 and very recently resulted in a shift of traffic onto the new future southbound bridge from the original northbound bridge. Completion of the widening and new bridge should be completed by spring 2008. See TroutRiverBridge.com for additional info.

The adjacent project involves expansion of the original four-lane freeway from Zoo Parkway north to Interstate 295/Florida 9A. Work began in October of 2007 and early results see a new concrete roadway partially in place. Completion of that expansion project should occur by summer 2008. NorthFloridaRoads.com has a wide array of information pertaining to this project and many others throughout the Jacksonville metropolitan area.

Perhaps its not really related to Interstate 95 expansion, but one road facet of Interstate 95 is the essentially defunct Business Loop Interstate 95 at Darien. The overall expansion of the Interstate 95 corridor in recent decades sees a wide array of services within easy reach of the entire corridor (except for say between Orono and Houlton, Maine!). The need for Business Loops from the freeway essentially is nonexistent nowadays. Therefore the two remaining loops, one at Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the other at Darien, Georgia, have become less important by definition of Business Loop. The Fayetteville loop remains an important through route into Fayetteville from the north and south. The Georgia loop at Darien is basically unsigned outside of two guide signs per direction. One lone shield still in place however lies at the U.S. 17 intersection with Georgia 99, about a mile east of the south end of the Business Loop.

Georgia began expansion on their section of Interstate 95 in the 1990s and is vastly complete throughout the state. Most recent widening involves McIntosh and Liberty Counties midway between Brunswick and Savannah. In particular, a six laning of Interstate 95 will extend the widened portion of highway south of the U.S. 84 eastern terminus. Pictured here during road work at Exit 67, the project began in April of 2005 and should overall be completed by 2009. Four bridges along the corridor require replacing with wider spans; hence the lengthy construction process. From U.S. 84 northward, Interstate 95 is already six lanes to the South Carolina state line.

Once in South Carolina, Interstate 95 reduces to four lanes for all but a short ten-mile section between Interstate 20 and U.S. 52 at Florence. That six-laning was a recent addition, completed in April 2004, to the overall four-lane roadway. Interstate 95 in South Carolina generally serves through travel interests between Florida and the northeast. Anyone driving along the route, especially south of Interstate 26, will notice that three out of four cars are generally Florida-plated cars or cars emanating from the northeastern states. Because of this, South Carolina wants to institute tolls on its 199-mile section of Interstate 95. Why pay for a road yourselves when it benefits those from another state? At least that is the logic behind the latest push to toll the roadway in order to fund its modernization and expansion. Looking northward here is the Exit 8 off-ramp to U.S. 278 midway between Jasper and Ridgeland. I’ve found the parallel U.S. 17 and further north old-U.S. 17 to be a benefit when it comes to avoiding growing traffic congestion through this stretch.

Much further north, Interstate 95, as mentioned on the Interstate-Guide site, has been under construction for several years now involving the upgrading of the Springfield Interchange with Interstates 395 and 495 and the nearby Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement project. The Capital Beltway, a commuter and through route of both Interstates 95 and 495 around Washington, D.C., has undergone such development and increases in traffic in recent decades that the road has declined into an utter state of failure on some sections. To augment some of these issues, VDOT began upgrading the rather substandard interchange between Interstate 95, 395 (Shirley Highway), and 495 (Capital Beltway) at Springfield in 2002. Work on that interchange is vastly completed, with high-speed flyovers now facilitating the movements between the north-south and east-west freeways. Overall completion of that project is expected by late-2007. SpringfieldInterchange.com provides more detail on this project.

Further east, road work continues in earnest involving the modernization of Interstates 95 & 495 between the Springfield Interchange and the Potomac River. Two aspects of the project involve the reconstruction and redesign of interchanges with both Telegraph Road (Virginia 241) and U.S. 1. Pictured here is gridlock along Interstate 95 south & 495 west near the Virginia 241 (Exit 168) interchange. Work began on this junction in mid-2004 and should be complete by late 2011. The lengthy time table involves overall road work involving not only the Capital Beltway but also the adjacent Virginia 241. East of there at junction U.S. 1, a similar project is underway with completion expected by mid-2009. Improvements here will aid to the overall expansion and improvement of the Capital Beltway in between. See WilsonBridge.com for more information.

Last but not least on our menu is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement project itself. Begun in mid-2001, work involves the wholesale replacement of the original draw bridges over the Potomac River on which Interstates 95 and 495 travel. As of late 2006, the future eastbound (outer) bridge was open to travel and carries six-overall lanes of Capital Beltway drivers. Work continues on both removal of the original spans and building of the new westbound (inner) bridge. Upon completion, the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge will remain a draw bridge, but with improved capacity to the order of ten lanes with the allocation of two additional HOV or transit lanes for the future.

Adjacent to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Interstate 95 in Maryland also is undergoing expansion and modernization. The Interstate 295 & Maryland 210 interchanges remains under construction for redesign and should be completed by mid-2008. The new ramp configurations accommodate widening of the Capital Beltway approaches to the Potomac River crossing.

Additional Sources: