Ask Me Anything about I-97

[dlsterner]

What the heck, yet another Ask me Anything thread ...

Will I regret this?

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

What color is the road?

[SkyPesos]

What will FritzOwl do to it?

[Henry]

Where else should it go?

[dlsterner]

What color is the road?

North of the bridge over the Severn Run - white-ish, due to concrete paving.

South of the bridge over the Severn Run - black-ish, due to asphalt paving.

[dlsterner]

What will FritzOwl do to it?

Who the heck knows?  Fritz tends to focus on the Western United States.

I did find one map where he extended I-97 down MD 3, US 301, and VA 207 to I-95.

But he didn't stop there.  Nooo.  It went concurrent on I-95 to Petersburg, then took over US 460 and US 13 into North Carolina.  Couldn't find any more maps, but I'm wondering if it went on to Greenville NC, presumably to be named the "Tolbsway".  After that, I dunno.  Maybe to Cuba?

[dlsterner]

Where else should it go?

If it were up to me, and if it was 30 years ago, I would have extended it south over the MD 3 and US 301 corridors, over an expanded Gov Nice Bridge (that part is real), and VA 207 to end at I-95 near Ruther Glen VA.  Nowadays, there is so much buildup in that area (especially Waldorf) that it is highly unlikely.

I would also consider extending it northward, over the I-895 Spur, I-895, through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, and meeting I-95 in N.E. Baltimore.  Then it would function as a bit of a bypass, kind of analogous to I-55 and I-57 in Illinois.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for this.

[CoolAngrybirdsrio4]

Why I-97 wasn't extended southwards past Annapolis?

[on_wisconsin]

Does it accept EZ-Pass? And are there HOV/T lanes?

[WillWeaverRVA]

What will FritzOwl do to it?

Who the heck knows?  Fritz tends to focus on the Western United States.

I did find one map where he extended I-97 down MD 3, US 301, and VA 207 to I-95.

But he didn't stop there.  Nooo.  It went concurrent on I-95 to Petersburg, then took over US 460 and US 13 into North Carolina.  Couldn't find any more maps, but I'm wondering if it went on to Greenville NC, presumably to be named the "Tolbsway".  After that, I dunno.  Maybe to Cuba?

He probably also envisions a bridge connecting Cuba to the Cayman Islands, then Jamaica, then connecting to the highway system in Colombia southward as part of his Baltimore-to-Santiago plan.

[hbelkins]

Where is the official northern end of I-97? I-695 or I-895?

I suspect the former, since the mile markers between those two routes are weird ("Mile B2, or something similar, if I remember correctly), so what route number is the road between 695 and 895?

[Mapmikey]

Where is the official northern end of I-97? I-695 or I-895?

I suspect the former, since the mile markers between those two routes are weird ("Mile B2, or something similar, if I remember correctly), so what route number is the road between 695 and 895?

I-895A and I-895B

[dlsterner]

Well, I started this silly "Ask Me Anything About XXX" thread, so I am duly honor-bound to reply.

Why I-97 wasn't extended southwards past Annapolis?

The original plan for I-97 was to actually head west back to I-495, along what is currently US 50 (and hidden I-595).  There was also a I-197 planned to head east from where it meets US 50 towards the Severn River Bridge.  And a I-297 to go from Millersville (where I-97 make a roughly 90° turn) to Crofton/Bowie, along the MD 3 corridor.  Those parts were subsequently removed.  IMHO  the Millersville - Bowie segment could have been useful if built back in 1990, but lots of development and sprawl will now make that difficult.

Getting into fictional territory, I would like to see I-97 extended south basically along the US 301 corridor, across the soon-to-be-widened Gov Nice Bridge, to meet I-95 in Ruther Glen VA.  Maybe back in 1990 it may have been somewhat feasible, but significant growth in the Crofton, Bowie, and Waldorf areas would make it difficult today.  Other posters have advocated sending it to Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Does it accept EZ-Pass? And are there HOV/T lanes?

The entire length of I-97 is free for all drivers.  There are no HOV lanes, although at the southern end - depending on exactly where I-97 starts/ends - it may be on some C/D lanes.

What will FritzOwl do to it?

Who the heck knows?  Fritz tends to focus on the Western United States.

I did find one map where he extended I-97 down MD 3, US 301, and VA 207 to I-95.

But he didn't stop there.  Nooo.  It went concurrent on I-95 to Petersburg, then took over US 460 and US 13 into North Carolina.  Couldn't find any more maps, but I'm wondering if it went on to Greenville NC, presumably to be named the "Tolbsway".  After that, I dunno.  Maybe to Cuba?

He probably also envisions a bridge connecting Cuba to the Cayman Islands, then Jamaica, then connecting to the highway system in Colombia southward as part of his Baltimore-to-Santiago plan.

LOL!  Handy for all of us who are planning that Baltimore - Santiago road trip!  (How is Fritz going to number E/W interstates south of the equator?  Negative numbers?  I-(-98) can be the Antarctica Beltway!)

Where is the official northern end of I-97? I-695 or I-895?

I suspect the former, since the mile markers between those two routes are weird ("Mile B2, or something similar, if I remember correctly), so what route number is the road between 695 and 895?

I believe it ends at I-695 on the north end.  Going straight you would be on the I-895A Spur.  It, along with I-895B, are basically glorified exit ramps.

Where is the official northern end of I-97? I-695 or I-895?

I suspect the former, since the mile markers between those two routes are weird ("Mile B2, or something similar, if I remember correctly), so what route number is the road between 695 and 895?

I-895A and I-895B

Indeed.  I think the I-895A and I-895B signs have a "SPUR" placard on them if I'm not mistaken.

[vdeane]

Do we really need another joke AMA thread?  The original Russia thread was interesting, and it saddens me that it was killed off with the flood of joke threads.

[hotdogPi]

Do we really need another joke AMA thread?  The original Russia thread was interesting, and it saddens me that it was killed off with the flood of joke threads.

This one was part of the flood, not one created just now.

[vdeane]

Do we really need another joke AMA thread?  The original Russia thread was interesting, and it saddens me that it was killed off with the flood of joke threads.

This one was part of the flood, not one created just now.

That explains why clicking the "new" icon brought me halfway down the page.

[tolbs17]

Will I-97 ever be extended to Ruther Glen or even Short Pump, Virginia?

[dlsterner]

Will I-97 ever be extended to Ruther Glen or even Short Pump, Virginia?

I seriously doubt it, at least not in our lifetime.

[bing101]

Why I-97 is shorter than more notable 3dis.