Site Navigation Delaware District of Columbia Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania Virginia West Virginia     District of Columbia @ AARoads Introduction The capital of the United States, Washington, D.C., boasts a limited freeway system that supplements its spoke-like street system. Many of the originally planned freeways were not constructed, especially north of downtown. Interstate 95 was to have passed through the city center along current Interstate 395. Interstate 66 and 295 were to have also met the never built route, and never-built Interstate 266 was to act as a connector route between the two. Additionally, a southeast extension of the Southeast Freeway was never built (the "Barney Circle" Freeway). U.S. 1, 29, and 50 serve Washington. A deleted route, U.S. 240, was the original connector between the city and Frederick, Maryland, to the northwest. The District of Columbia had no signed state routes until the northern portion of the Anacostia Freeway was numbered as D.C. 295. Highway Guides Interstate 66 Interstate 295 Interstate 395 Interstate 695 D.C. 295 For the most part, Interstate 95 does not enter the District of Columbia; instead, it is routed along the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495). There is a very short portion of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge along the Capital Beltway as it crosses the Potomac River that is within the District of Columbia, but originally Interstate 95 was supposed to serve a much greater portion of the District. Interstate 95 was signed along what is now Interstate 395 within the District when the Interstate system was in its infancy. The route followed all of the existing Interstate 395 from the Capital Beltway to the Southwest Freeway and underneath the National Mall. The route was planned to continue northward through the city to meet the current Interstate 95 at the northern junction of Interstate 95/495 near College Park. A small stub of the planned Interstate 95 was built from the Capital Beltway southward. This segment now serves a metro station and park and ride line. Interstate 95 Maryland | Interstate Virginia 95 Although only touching the extreme southern point of the district, the Capital Beltway plays a pivotal role in the traffic scheme for metropolitan Washington. The zero milepost for the highway exists at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. That bridge represents one of the few Interstate drawbridges in the country. Overall the bridge carries six lanes, while the beltway varies between six and eight overall. The interchange with Interstate 95 and 395 at Springfield is undergoing a transformation from an outdated ground level one to that of a high level stack. The new interchange will include high speed ramps that will funnel traffic to and from the Capital Beltway. The beltway corridor has been engulfed with development, and overall the highway reflects this with high traffic counts. Interstate 95 was moved to the Capital Beltway when it was determined that it would not be completed between central Washington and the beltway. At this point, Interstate 395 was christened, with Interstate 95 taking over the Interstate 495 designation on the eastern side of the beltway. Interstate 495 was later cosigned with the eastern half to provide continuity with the western half. Maryland @ AARoads - Interstate 495 | Virginia @ AARoads - Interstate 495 U.S. Highways Three U.S. routes pass through the district. U.S. 1, which cosigns with U.S. 50 in central Washington, provides a main route to northeastern Washington from government complex area. The highway follows Rhode Island as it exits the city towards College Park, Maryland. An Alternate U.S. 1 is posted from the west end of the U.S. 50 freeway northward along Bladensburg Road. U.S. 50 enters the district on a freeway that connects Washington with Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland. The route links Interstate 395 with the aforementioned freeway along New York Avenue. This street facilitates six lanes of travel with a 35 mile-per-hour speed limit. The highway cosigns with U.S. 1 along Sixth and Ninth Street into central Washington. The highway crosses the Potomac River along the Interstate 66 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge into Virginia. The last existing U.S. highway routed within the city is U.S. 29. The highway enters the city from Arlington, Virginia along the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Upon crossing into Washington, U.S. 29 intersects the eastern terminus of Interstate 66 via the Whitehurst Freeway. U.S. 29 heads north from K Street north of the government district to Silver Spring and Wheaton in Maryland. There were two other U.S. routes that served the city: U.S. 211 and 240. U.S. 211 paralleled U.S. 29 and terminated near downtown; the duplication was eliminated. U.S. 240 was terminated with the completion and designation of Interstate 270. U.S. 240 followed Maryland 355 (Rockville Pike) from Rockville, Maryland into Washington via Wisconsin Avenue. U.S. 1 U.S. 1 south shield in downtown Washington, D.C. Photo taken 01/20/00 by Jeff Royston. U.S. Highway 1 | U.S. Highway 29 | U.S. Highway 50 Links For more background and other related information for Washington area highways, please see the Roads to the Future page by Scott Kozel. Page Updated April 20, 2005.