| 0.75 mile overhead of Exit 148 for Marine Corps Base Quantico. The Russell Road partial cloverleaf interchange represents the main exit of Interstate 95 for the military facility. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 northbound at Russell Road (Exit 148). Russell Road travels between Telegraph Road and Quantico Station (pop. 6,571) from Interstate 95. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Virginia State Secondary 619 (Joplin Road) skims the northern reaches of Marine Corps Base Quantico between Independent Hill, Joplin, and Triangle (pop. 5,500). Joplin Road intersects Interstate 95 at Exit 150. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Exit 150 departs Interstate 95 northbound for Virginia State Secondary 610 (Joplin Road). Virginia SSR 610 becomes Fuller Road at U.S. 1 en route to Quantico. The junction between Joplin Road and Interstate 95 is a partial cloverleaf interchange. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| One of the features of Interstate 395 is reversible high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. These lanes are located within the median of the main travel lanes on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. These carry two lanes of traffic, with ramps to each interchange. The reversible HOV lanes on Interstate 395 and Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia are "HOV-3," which means they require vehicles to have three occupants during morning (6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.) and afternoon (3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.) commuting hours. Motorcycles, alternative fuel vehicles and emergency vehicles are exempt from the HOV restrictions.1 At Dumfries (pop. 4,937 as of 2000 Census), Interstate 95 north expands with the addition of a reversible HOV-3 roadway within the freeway median at Dumfries. The expansion occurs just before the Exit 152 interchange with Virginia 234. Depicted here is the one mile guide sign for Exit 234 and VMS for the HOV system at the Mine Road underpass. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| The HOV lanes sees fewer interchanges than the freeway mainline of Interstate 95. The limited departure points allow for improved traffic flow as slowing due to traffic merging and departing is reduced. An HOV mileage sign displays the distance for those entering the system near Dumfries. The roadway travels northbound during the morning commute and southbound during the evening. Its anyone's guess as to the direction of travel during the middle of the night. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| One half mile south of Virginia 234 (Dumfries Road) on Interstate 95 northbound. Virginia 234 travels north-south between U.S. 1 and Dumfries to U.S. 15 near Catharpin. The highway represents the main route into the city of Manassas (pop. 35,135) to Interstate 66. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 northbound at Exit 152A (Virginia 234 southbound) at Dumfries. Virginia 234 northbound travels 17 miles to the independent city of Manassas. The southern terminus of the highway occurs one half mile to the east at U.S. 1. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| A 1972 MUTCD specifications Interstate 95 northbound reassurance shield, posted between Exits 152A/B and 156. The VMS/guide sign in the background relates to a nearby weigh station. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Passing under Cardinal Drive in the Dale City vicinity. Ahead is the junction of Interstate 95 with Virginia State Secondary 784 (Dale Boulevard). Dale Boulevard composes an east-west arterial between U.S. 1 and central Dale City (pop. 55,971). Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 expands to eight overall lanes at the Exit 156 cloverleaf interchange. Depicted here is the ramp departure of Exit 156 to Virginia State Secondary 784 (Dale Boulevard). Dale Boulevard transitions into Rippon Boulevard east of U.S. 1. Rippon Boulevard serves Rippon Landing, the second control point of Exit 156. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 northbound after the Opitz Boulevard/Smoketown Road on-ramp. Traffic entering the freeway from the right is provided an option to access the HOV-3 facility. A ramp to the two lane roadway is visible in the background of the northbound scene. Opitz Boulevard & Smoketown Road dump traffic onto Interstate 95 from nearby Potomac Mills and Potomac Hospital among other places. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 northbound approaching the 1990s completed Prince William Parkway (Virginia State Secondary 3000). Prince William Parkway exists as a multi-lane arterial from Interstate 95 northward to Dale City and Manassas. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Traffic to Prince William Parkway departs Interstate 95 via a collector/distributor roadway at Exit 158. Virginia SSR 3000 east used to transition into Horner Road (Virginia SSR 639) en route to the city of Woodbridge (pop. 31,941). But as of early 2005, Prince William Parkway was extended east to junction U.S. 1 at the pont where Longview Drive used to intersect the federal highway.1 Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 takes a gradual northeasterly turn to cross the Occoquan River between Prince William and Fairfax Counties. Just before crossing the river is the partial cloverleaf interchange of Virginia 123 (Exit 160). Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Like its numerical counterpart, Virginia 234, Virginia 123 begins nearby at U.S. 1. Traveling northward from Woodbridge, Virginia 123 (Gordon Boulevard) intersects Interstate 95 in 0.6 miles. The state highway proceeds another 0.4 miles northward to Old Bridge Road (Virginia State Secondary 641) and Occoquan. Old Bridge Road links Virginia 123 with the suburb of Lake Ridge (pop. 30,404). Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 northbound at the Exit 160B cloverleaf ramp to Virginia 123 northbound. Virginia 123 travels an arc in Fairfax County through the suburbs of Fairfax Station, Fairfax (pop. 21,498), Vienna (pop. 14,453), and Tysons Corner (pop. 18,540) to McClean (pop. 38,929) outside of Arlington County. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Crossing the Occoquan River on Interstate 95 northbound. A slip ramp to the reversible HOV roadway is present nearby. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| U.S. 1 & Interstate 95 again intermingle at Exit 161 to the north of the Occoquan River. A pair of partial "Y" interchanges links the two highways as U.S. 1 (Richmond Highway) glances the northbound side of Interstate 95. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| From Exit 161 northward, U.S. 1 (Richmond Highway) diverges from the Interstate 95 corridor. The federal highway travels eastward through Fort Belvoir to Alexandria (pop. 128,283). Virginia 235 loops from U.S. 1 into historic Mt. Vernon (pop. 28,582) east of Fort Belvoir. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 bends back northward between Exit 161 and Exit 163 at Lorton (pop. 17,786). Virginia State Secondary 642 (Lorton Road) sees a folded cloverleaf interchange with Interstate 95 at Exit 163. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Five miles out from the busy Springfield Interchange, Interstate 95 northbound motorists are already advised to keep right for the impending split with Interstate 395 (Exit 170B). Crossing over the freeway in this scene is Pohlick Road (Virginia State Secondary 638). Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| A second auxiliary sign for the Springfield Interchange and Interstate 95 north. While Washington represents the southern end of the Northeastern U.S. Megalopolis, New Jersey and New York tend to be the destination of choice for many northbound travelers of Interstate 95 from Florida and other points south. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 is amassed within the thick of Washington metropolitan area traffic between Lorton and Springfield (pop. 30,417). The freeway expands to ten overall lanes (eight mainline and two HOV) on the approach to Exit 166A/B (Fairfax County Parkway). Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| One half mile south of the full cloverleaf interchange of Exit 166 at Newington (pop. 19,784). At present the Fairfax County Parkway exists in two segments. The southernmost portion travels from Interstate 95 to U.S. 1 through Fort Belvoir. The second portion travels between the Franconia-Springfield Parkway & Rolling Road and Reston (pop. 56,407). Traffic on the HOV portion sees a one-mile guide sign for the slip ramp back to the Interstate 95 mainline for the Springfield Interchange (Interstate 395 & 495). There are no HOV ramps directly to the Capital Beltway currently. However Phase VII of the Springfield Interchange project will see the construction of those ramps. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Virginia State Secondary 7100 eastbound resumes at Fullerton Road on the west side of Interstate 95. Exit 166A curves southward onto the Fairfax County Parkway at Newington Road. The segment of Virginia SSR 7100 between Interstate 95 and Franconia-Springfield Parkway (Virginia SSR 7900) is still only proposed. The segment remains unconstructed likely because of the projected path between an annex of Fort Belvoir Military Reservation. Traffic utilizing Exit 166B can access Backlick Road (Virginia SSR 617) or Fullerton Road however. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| The second ramp in this interchange connects to Backlick Road/Fullerton Road. Note the mileage sign for the high-occupancy vehicle lanes in the center of the freeway. It is in this vicinity where the traffic delays that plague Interstate 95 from near Woodbridge to Virginia Secondary 7100 break up a bit during the morning commute. Photo taken 06/07/04.
|
| One-mile overhead of Exit 169A/B (Virginia State Secondary 644) on Interstate 95 northbound. There is no direct access between the Interstate 95 mainline and the Franconia-Springfield Parkway (Virginia SSR 7900). The east-west arterial crosses the freeway just south of Virginia SSR 644
(Old Keene & Franconia Roads) and the Springfield Mall. A ramp does connect northbound with nearby Spring Mall Road however. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 66 & 270 and Dulles Airport traffic are given a heads-up before Interstate 95 makes its approach to the Springfield Interchange of the Capital Beltway. Interstate 495 northbound (Inner) carries motorists via Exit 170B through western Fairfax County. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Two things to talk about in this northbound photograph. One, while the mainline of Interstate 95 northbound sees no exit for the Franconia-Springfield Parkway, the HOV roadway does. A ramp departs for Virginia State Secondary 7900 from the median of Interstate 95 ahead. Two, a large diagrammatical overhead displayed for the mainline advises motorists of the upcoming junction with Interstates 395 & 495 (Exits 170A/B). At present the interchange features cloverleaf ramps to Interstate 495 north (Inner) from Interstate 95 northbound and Interstate 95 north & 495 east from Interstate 395 southbound. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Interstate 95 northbound at Franconia-Springfield Parkway (Virginia SSR 7900). The HOV roadway ramp departs as does the Exit 169A/B collector/distributor roadway. Virginia State Secondary 644 travels eastward as Franconia Road 2.6 miles to Franconia (pop. 31,907) and westward as Old Keene Mill Road to West Springfield (pop. 28,378). Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Entering the directional cloverleaf interchange of Exit 169 on Interstate 95 northbound. Departing to the left is a HOV ramp for the reversible lanes of Interstate 395 into Washington, D.C. In the background is a flyover ramp from Virginia State Secondary 644 eastbound onto Interstate 95 north. The ramp splits between the Interstate 95 mainline and Interstate 395 HOV facility. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Attached to the Commerce Street overpass is a second set of overheads for the Interstate 95 merge onto the Capital Beltway eastbound and Exits 170A/B. Northern Virginians were miffed at the usage of Rockville, Maryland as the control city of Interstate 495 northbound. So by the late 1990s, political leaders successfully lobbied to have the destination changed from Rockville to Tysons Corner. Photo taken 08/27/96.
|
| Construction involving the Springfield Interchange project takes shape in this northbound scene. Interstate 95 merges onto Interstate 495 eastbound via a two-lane ramp. The current configuration of Exit 170 involves tight quarters and substandard ramps. Construction will result in new high-level high-speed flyovers for the movements between both the Capital Beltway and the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway (Interstate 95 and 395). Work will complete by 2007 on this major redesign. Please see the official project site SpringfieldInterchange.com and the Interstate 95 Interstate Guide for details concerning the roadwork. Photos taken 06/01/03 and 06/07/04.
|
|
| Interstate 95 northbound enters the Capital Beltway. As originally envisioned, Interstate 95 was to continue northward via the Shirley Highway into downtown Washington D.C. itself. From there the freeway was to continue through the city to Langley Park, Maryland, and into the current Interstate 95 and 495 junction. For a time the existing segments of Interstate 395 carried the Interstate 95 mainline. At the same time, the Capital Beltway carried Interstate 495 alone. A shift of Interstate 95 to the eastern half of the belt line was made when planners realized that opposition to building Interstate 95 through the city was insurmountable. The realignment christened Interstate 395 and truncated Interstate 495 to the western half of the loop. In 1989, it was decided to restore Interstate 495 on the eastern half of the Capital Beltway to provide continuity with the western half. By 2001, the exit numbers in both Maryland and Virginia saw renumbering for a more fluid system. Milepost zero occurs at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge crossing of the Potomac River. From there counterclockwise, mileposts and exit numbers count upward. Photos taken 06/02/03 and 06/07/04.
|
|
| Interstate 395 begins at the evacuation of Interstate 95 from the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway. The mainline transition is signed as Exit 170A. The cloverleaf ramp to Interstate 495 north (Inner) composes Exit 170B. Passing underneath the Capital Beltway westbound mainline is the partition between Exits 170A and 170B. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Between 2003 and 2004, the transition ramp that carries southbound Interstate 95 from the Capital Beltway back to the mainline was open, and it is visible in this photo. Photo taken 06/07/04.
|
| Interstate 395 continues northeasterly into Alexandria and Arlington (pop. 189,453). The freeway continues an HOV system through to the Pentagon interchange of Virginia 10. Interstate 495 curves northwesterly to Vienna and Falls Church (pop. 10,377), providing access to the western suburbs via Interstate 66 and Virginia 267. Photo taken 06/02/03.
|
| Now merged with Interstate 495/Capital Beltway, Interstate 95 next approaches Exit 173, Junction Virginia Secondary 613/Van Dorn Street south to Franconia and north to Alexandria. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| Between Exit 170 and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Interstate 95 heads due east, thus allowing for some brilliant sunshine in the early morning hours. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 95/Eastbound Interstate 495/Capital Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 173, Junction Virginia Secondary 613/Van Dorn Street. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| The next exit on northbound/outer loop is Exit 174, Junction Eisenhower Avenue Connector into Alexandria. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 95/Eastbound Interstate 495/Capital Beltway Outer Loop reaches Exit 174, Eisenhower Avenue Connector to Alexandria. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| The next exit along northbound/outer loop is Exit 176, Junction Virginia 241 north to Virginia 236/Duke Street and south to U.S. 1/Jefferson Davis Highway. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| The interchange with Virginia 241/Telegraph Road is a directional cloverleaf: Exit 176A is for southbound and Exit 176B is for northbound. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| Interstate 95 north & 495 eastbound at the directional ramp for Virginia 241 (Telegraph Road) northbound (Exit 176B). Virginia 241 ends one half mile north at a trumpet interchange with Virginia 236 (Duke Street) adjacent to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| The next exit along northbound Interstate 95/Eastbound Interstate 495/Capital Beltway Outer Loop is Exit 177, Junction U.S. 1 south to Fort Belvoir and north to Alexandria. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| Interestingly, Mount Vernon may be reached via U.S. 1 north or south. Via south U.S. 1, follow U.S. 1 south to Virginia 235 south to Mount Vernon. Via north U.S. 1, follow U.S. 1 north to Virginia 400/Vernon Memorial Highway south to Mount Vernon. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| Northbound Interstate 95/Eastbound Interstate 495/Capital Beltway Outer Loop reach their final Virginia exit upon reaching Exit 177B, Junction U.S. 1 north to Alexandria, Old Town, and Mount Vernon via Virginia 400. The freeway continues straight ahead, clipping the District of Columbia before entering Maryland as it crosses the Potomac River. Photo taken 10/02/04.
|
| Interstate 95/Interstate 495/Capital Beltway approach the Woodrow Wilson. Since the state line between Virginia and the District of Columbia lies on the southwest bank of the Potomac River, most of the bridge is in the district and Maryland. There are no signs denoting the District or Maryland state lines. Photo taken 06/07/04.
|
Page Updated August 25, 2007.
