Virginia's portion of I-495 was renumbered in 2000. I've lived at my current house since July 2001 and the exit numbers had already been changed before I moved here.
Previously Exit 1 was just to the west of the Wilson Bridge in Alexandria at the interchange with US-1 and the numbers ascended up to Exit 14 at the GW Parkway just south of the American Legion Bridge. (An Exit 3A was added between Exits 2 and 3, though I don't remember when.) Prior to 1980, the numbering continued sequentially in a clockwise direction around the Beltway through Maryland up to Exit 38 at I-295, just across the river from Exit 1. In 1980 Maryland decided to use sequential numbering. At that time, the eastern half of the Beltway was numbered solely as I-95, so the FHWA guideline that numbering proceed from south to north took precedence due to the 2di status. Accordingly, Exit 38 became Exit 2 and the numbering proceeded up to Exit 27 at the "College Park Interchange" where I-95 turned north towards Baltimore; beyond that point, I-495's exit numbering continued the I-95 numbers on up to Exit 41 at what was then the Maryland portion of the GW Parkway (now the Clara Barton Parkway) just north of the American Legion Bridge. Virginia didn't change its numbers. Apparently some people found the duplication of numbers in the two states confusing.
When Virginia eventually did change its numbers, the decision was to continue Maryland's numbering up to the Springfield Interchange (Exit 57 on the Outer Loop) but then to apply I-95's exit numbers to the remaining portion from Springfield to the Wilson Bridge. The result is that when you head anti-clockwise around the Beltway, say if you're going from Fairfax to Alexandria, you pass Exit 54 (Braddock Road), Exit 57 (I-95 and I-395), and then the next exit is Exit 173 (Van Dorn Street), on up to Exit 177 at the Wilson Bridge. (On the Inner Loop, the Springfield Interchange is Exit 170 instead of Exit 57 due to I-95's numbering taking precedence). It confuses the crap out of visitors to the area. Exit 173 is the closest to my house and I always tell people not to be fooled by the exit numbering—if I tell them Exit 173, visitors who don't know the area understandably think it's a long way yet to go when they're passing Exit 54!
I really don't understand why some people found it confusing that the exit numbering changed at the Maryland state line. After all, it's pretty standard for exit numbering to reset when you cross into another state. The thing that may have been weirder was the way Virginia's numbers went clockwise (per the original numbering and the normal practice on a beltway) but Maryland's went anticlockwise. At the same time, how hard is it to give someone clear enough directions for it not to be an issue?
"bob7374" mentions the MUTCD expressing a preference for continued milepost numbering on loop or partial-circle 3di routes. Is the concern the potential for duplication of numbers between the two states?
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Topic: Rhode Island mileage based exit numbers? (Read 86195 times)