QuoteThe Capital Beltway, near the end of its lifespan, is in need of millions of dollars in repairs. Should transportation officials continue with short-term patchwork solutions or is it time for a major (and very costly, very inconvenient) overhaul?/quote]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/forums#!/topic/1364577679-394-645 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/forums#!/topic/1364577679-394-645)
Washington Post: Beneath the surface, the Beltway crumbles (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/beneath-the-surface-the-beltway-crumbles/2013/03/30/8963232a-8b51-11e2-9f54-f3fdd70acad2_story.html)
QuoteThe Capital Beltway, a politically iconic and locally vital highway, is dying beneath your turning wheels.
QuoteUnder the surface of all but some recently restored segments, fissures are spreading, cracks are widening and the once-solid road bed that carries about a quarter-million cars a day is turning to mush.
QuoteIn a perfect world, it would be torn up – the asphalt and concrete, and the bed of crushed stone below – right down to the bare earth. From that fresh start a new and stable highway would grow. But this is the Beltway, and closing down whole sections of it would tie one of the most congested regions in the nation into a Gordian knot.
While bridges and such have a "lifespan" I am unaware of a lifespan of a paved road. Certainly periodic repavings and such are needed, but there are plenty of roads far older than the DC Beltway.
Quote from: SP Cook on March 31, 2013, 08:36:14 AM
While bridges and such have a "lifespan" I am unaware of a lifespan of a paved road. Certainly periodic repavings and such are needed, but there are plenty of roads far older than the DC Beltway.
Much of the original portland cement pavement (under a wearing course of asphalt) is in bad condition, and a top-to-bottom reconstruction is going to have to happen, sooner or later.
There are also a fair number of bridges that need to be redecked.
And instead we spend billions of dollars of tax money on train projects that help only around the margins, and the train operating deficits eat up money that could be used to for highway reconstruction.
IMHO, shouldn't this thread be combined w/the one below?
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9157.0 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9157.0)
It doesn't help half of it's carrying a major north south freeway, and the other half has to deal with another major north-south corridor, and that's just Maryland's side.
WTOP Radio: New Telegraph Road interchange promises to ease congestion (http://www.wtop.com/654/3274787/New-interchange-promises-to-ease-congestion)
QuoteALEXANDRIA, Va. - Work is now finished on a new interchange at Telegraph Road, the final step in the decade-long Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project.
Quote"I can attest to the fact that this was a sorely needed project," says Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaugton.
Quote"For anyone who came down that old ramp, you never saw around the line of sight. You be coming off at speed and the next thing you know everyone was stopped to get onto Telegraph Road."
QuoteThe five-year, $265 million project includes 11 new bridges and flyover ramps, along with wide roads and fewer traffic lights.
Posted Why Tolls Will Be Waived On One Virginia Highway This Weekend (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=7481.msg213889#msg213889) under the Northern Virginia HOT Lanes (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=7481.0) thread.
It's often overlooked that I-95 was never properly completed thru this area as well.
Everyone talks about the un-completed portion in NJ...because they didn't re-assign the I-95 route designation. I-95 was never supposed to be assigned to half the beltway.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 05, 2013, 01:58:26 PM
It's often overlooked that I-95 was never properly completed thru this area as well.
Everyone talks about the un-completed portion in NJ...because they didn't re-assign the I-95 route designation. I-95 was never supposed to be assigned to half the beltway.
the third major missing segment is through Boston. it now follows the 9 mile ring road.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on April 05, 2013, 01:58:26 PM
It's often overlooked that I-95 was never properly completed thru this area as well.
Everyone talks about the un-completed portion in NJ...because they didn't re-assign the I-95 route designation. I-95 was never supposed to be assigned to half the beltway.
That is absolutely correct, and I know a lot of the history behind it. Though the east and south sides (most of which are I-95) are usually less congested than the west and the north sides, especially since the Wilson Bridge project is essentially complete after construction that started back in 1999.