Interstate 695 - Southeast Freeway
Following the Southeast Freeway and 11th Street Bridge, Interstate 695 is a 2.00 mile route running between I-395 (Center Leg Freeway) and I-295 (Anacostia Freeway) in central Washington. I-695 provides a high speed route from the United States Capitol, the National Mall and many other government agencies with the Capital Beltway via the Anacostia Freeway along I-295 south or D.C. 295 north.
Until 2009, Interstate 695 was the unsigned designation for all of the Southeast Freeway. This included a spur east from the 11th Street Bridge to Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Planned alongside the Southeast Freeway was the East Leg Freeway. The East Leg Freeway was the proposed route of I-295 northward to the planned routes I-95 and U.S. 50. When plans for the East Leg Freeway were dropped, a new proposal arose to extend I-695 east to the Anacostia Freeway near E Street. Known as the Barney Circle Freeway, that routing was canceled in 1996.1
The Southeast Freeway opened in 1963 as a short connector between the Center Leg Freeway (I-395 / former I-95) and South Capitol Street. A half mile extension followed east to 6th Street SE in 1965. Further work was delayed as the East Leg Freeway plans fell through, leaving a reduced interchange with the 11th Street Bridge (I-295) to open in 1971. This left the Southeast Freeway spur to Pennsylvania Avenue, which was completed in 1974.1
Work commenced in December 2009 on a $390 million project2 both replacing the 11th Street Bridge across the Anacostia River and reconstructing the partial interchange with the Anacostia Freeway into full access directional T. Coinciding with the work was a renumbering plan approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 2009 that truncated I-295 from the Southeast Freeway sout to the interchange with the 11th Street Bridge, removed I-695 along the Southeast Freeway spur to Pennsylvania Avenue, and lengthened I-695 southward across the Anacostia over former I-295. Signs referencing I-695 were erecting starting in 2011 .
The new westbound bridge for Interstate 695 across the Anacostia River opened in December 2011, followed by the new eastbound span in January 2012. Construction also built a separate local 11th Street Bridge, which opened in May 2012. Work continued on local connections to the 11th Street Bridge from Virginia Avenue through 2015.2
Further adjustments for the District of Columbia Interstate System were approved by AASHTO in November 2020. Proposed changes replace I-395 along the Center Leg Freeway with Interstate 195, and I-695 along the Southeast Freeway with an extension of I-395. The renumbering is to address motorist confusion at the interchange joining I-395 along the Southwest and Center Leg Freeways with I-695 along the Southeast Freeway.
East
Interstate 695 (Southeast Freeway) rises to pass over the ramps taking traffic onto the continuation of I-395 north along the Center Leg Freeway Exit 6 for C Street SW and the United States Capitol.
10/12/14
Exit 1 A departs from I-695 (Southeast Freeway) next for S Capitol Street south to Washington Nationals Park and the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
10/12/14
S Capitol Street is a four lane boulevard south from Washington Avenue nearby to Suitland Parkway at Anacostia Park. Exit 1 B connects I-695 east with 6th Street SE in a quarter mile to Southeast Federal Center and Washington Navy Yard.
10/12/14
The entrance ramp from I-395 (Center Leg Freeway) south onto I-695 east includes access to S Capitol Street south.
12/16/16
Interstate 695 spans New Jersey Avenue SE at Garfield Park, 0.75 miles from Exit 1 C to 11th Street SE and Southeast Boulevard.
12/16/16
Exit 1 B lowers from the elevated roadway along the Southeast Freeway for 6th Street SE, the Washington Navy Yard and an alternate route to Nationals Park.
12/16/16
Exit 1 B ties into Virginia Avenue SE, a south side frontage street for I-695, at 6th Street SE north. Virginia Avenue SE continues east to 8th Street SE and M Street SE. An I-395 trailblazer redirects motorists onto I-695 west for the Southwest Freeway.
08/04/13
I-695 turns south onto the 11th Street Bridge at Exit 1 C for Southeast Boulevard and 11th Street SE. Construction on the new 11th Street Bridge from 2009 to 2014 replaced a directional T interchange here with the former Southeast Freeway spur to Pennsylvania Avenue.
12/16/16
Southeast Boulevard extends east from the wye interchange at Exit 1 C to Pennsylvania Avenue and an access road for RFK Stadium. 11th Street SE parallels I-695 south across the Anacostia River to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue.
12/16/16
A half diamond interchange links M Street SE and adjacent 11th Street SE with Interstate 695 ahead of the Anacostia River and Exits 2 A/B for I-295/D.C. 295.
12/16/16
Providing access to D.C. 295 (Anacostia Freeway) north via Exit 2 B, the partial interchange joining the 11th Street Bridge with Interstate 295 was upgraded to a directional T by 2012.
12/16/16
Exit 2 A lowers with two lanes to join Interstate 295 south to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB) and the Capital Beltway (I-95/495) at Oxon Hill, Maryland.
12/16/16
The flyover for Exit 2 B joins D.C. 295 northbound ahead of Pennsylvania Avenue SE near Fairlawn and Dupont Park. D.C. 295 extends the Anacostia Freeway north to E Capitol Street en route to MD 201 (Kenilworth Avenue Freeway) and Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
12/16/16
11th Street SE passes over I-295/695 to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE and Good Hope Road SE at the Anacostia neighborhood. These streets were previously served by I-295 south directly.
12/16/16
Interstate 695 east concludes at a left side entrance ramp for I-295 (Anacostia Freeway).
12/16/16
Continuing south onto the Anacostia Freeway, the succeeding exit joins Interstate 295 with Suitland Parkway and S Capitol Street north to Nationals Park.
10/12/14
West
Interstate 695 commences from I-295 (Anacostia Freeway) north via a left exit ramp to the 11th Street Bridge. Milepost 0.0 for D.C. 295 appears nearby.
12/27/22
11th Street SE passes through the directional T interchange between I-695, I-295 and D.C. 295 (Anacostia Freeway).
10/12/14
Spanning the 11th Street Bridge, Interstate 695 crosses the Anacostia River north to a half diamond interchange (Exit 2) with M Street SE by the Washington Navy Yard.
12/27/22
Exit 2 departs I-695 west for M Street SE for the Washington Navy Yard and Capitol Riverfront areas to the west. I-695 turns onto the Southeast Freeway ahead of Exit 1 D for 8th Street SE.
12/27/22
Interstate 695 spans 11th Street and Southeast Boulevard where a directional T interchange was originally built for the north end of I-295.
12/27/22
Interstate 695 joins the Southeast Freeway at a wye interchange with Southeast Boulevard.
12/27/22
The entrance ramp from Southeast Boulevard spans Exit 1 D onto parallel I Street SE west to 8th Street SE. I Street SE becomes Virginia Avenue SE at 7th Street SE.
12/27/22
Interstate 695 ascends onto a viaduct westward to a directional T interchange with the Center Leg Freeway (I-395) at the Southwest Federal Center district.
12/27/22
Exit 1 C is a flyover circumventing the entrance ramp from 3rd Street SE / Virginia Avenue SE. The ramp rejoins I-695 west just ahead of the exit for I-395 north through the Third Street Tunnel.
12/27/22
Interstate 695 spans the Virginia Avenue Tunnel for the CSX Railroad at Garfield Park.
12/27/22
Interstate 395 spurs 1.6 miles north from I-695 through the Third Street Tunnel to U.S. 50 (New York Avenue) by the Mt Vernon Triangle neighborhood. The proposed changes approved by AASHTO in November 2020 renumbers the Center Leg Freeway to I-195.
12/27/22
Motorists headed to Downtown Washington are directed to remain on I- 695 west to Interstate 395 (Southwest Freeway) south for exits to 6th Street SW and D Street SW. A center sign previously posted here displayed truck info for an over height detection device for the 3rd Street Tunnel along I-395 north.
12/27/22
The unnumbered exit for the Third Street Tunnel lowers from I-695 (Southeast Freeway) west beyond New Jersey Avenue SE. The Washington Convention Center and Capital One Arena (home of the NBA Washington Wizards and NHL Washington Capitols) are located northwest of the Center Leg Freeway (I-395).
12/27/22
The United States Capitol Dome rises prominently to the north as Interstate 695 west spans S Capitol Street.
08/04/13
Exit 1 C combines with an entrance ramp joining S Capitol Street with the Center Leg Freeway north and the Southwest Freeway west.
08/04/13
The entrance ramp for I-395 north through the Third Street Tunnel partitions with an exit to D Street SW. All trucks exceeding 13 feet in height must exit here.
08/04/13
D Street stems east from Washington Avenue to North Carolina Avenue SE. The exit serves the Rayburn and Cannon House Office Buildings south of the U.S. Capitol.
08/04/13
Interstate 695 remains elevated west through the directional T interchange with I-395. The Southeast Freeway defaults onto I-395 (Southwest Freeway) south for the National Mall, Arlington and Northern Virginia.
12/27/22
The Southwest Freeway extends I-395 south to the George Mason Bridge and Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge across the Potomac River. I-395 turns southwest at The Pentagon to the Springfield Interchange with I-95/495 (Capital Beltway).
12/27/22
scenes
An Interstate 95 trailblazer directs motorists onto Virginia Avenue SE west from 7th Street SE north for the I-695 westbound on-ramp at 3rd Street SE. Interstate 95 last traveled through D.C. in 1977.
08/04/13
Virginia Avenue parallels the I-695 (Southeast Freeway) viaduct west from 7th Street SE directly to the on-ramp at 3rd Street. A trailblazer for I-395 appears at 6th Street SE.
08/04/13
4th Street SE provides access to Virginia Avenue SE east to the 8th Street SE on-ramp to I-695. An I-295 trailblazer references the Southeast Freeway, dating from the days when I-695 was an unsigned route.
08/04/13
A second I-295 trailblazer stands at Virginia Avenue SE west at 3rd Street SE ahead of the entrance ramp to Interstate 695 west.
08/04/13
References:
- Southeast Freeway (I-695), DCRoads.net.
- 11th Street Bridge Project.
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/ 11th-steet-bridge-projectDistrict Department of Transportation (DDOT).
Photo Credits:
- Alex Nitzman: 10/12/14, 12/16/16, 12/27/22
- AARoads: 08/04/13
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Page Updated Thursday February 09, 2023.