Interstate 395 (Virginia–District Of Columbia)

Interstate 395 (I-395) in Virginia and Washington, D.C., is a spur route of I-95 that begins at an interchange with I-95 in Springfield and ends at an interchange with US Route 50 (US 50) in Northwest Washington, D.C. It passes underneath the National Mall near the US Capitol and ends at a junction with US 50 at New York Avenue, roughly north of the 3rd Street Tunnel. Despite its proximity to I-395 in Maryland, the route is unrelated and unconnected.

I-395 is known by three different names over its various segments. The Virginia portion is part of the larger Shirley Highway that continues southward on I-95 beyond the terminus of I-395. In the District of Columbia, it is known as the Southwest Freeway from the 14th Street bridges to the Southeast Freeway interchange ( I-695) and the Center Leg or Center Leg Freeway from the Southeast Freeway interchange to New York Avenue.

Route description

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Virginia

The intersection where I-395, I-95, and the I-495 (Capital Beltway) meet is called the Springfield Interchange. Unofficially, this interchange is referred to as the "Mixing Bowl". This moniker causes confusion, because the intersection of I-395, Washington Boulevard, and State Route 244 (SR 244; Columbia Pike) several miles north was historically known by that name and continues to be recognized by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) as such.

I-395 contains a third roadway: reversible, barrier-separated Virginia high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes with their own entrances and exits, also known locally as the "express lanes", between South Eads Street near the Pentagon in Arlington County and US Route 17 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. During morning and evening rush hour, traffic on this roadway flows in the direction of rush-hour traffic.

This third roadway was built as a single-lane busway, the first in the US, before being expanded and converted to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) use. A 2007 survey found that during the morning rush hour, the HOV lanes carry about 65 percent of travelers on I-395 (61,000 commuters), including 32,000 in transit busses and 29,000 in private vehicles with two or more people. The other 33,000 commuters (35 percent of total users) drove alone.

I-395 and US 1 cross the Potomac River from Virginia to Washington DC on three parallel four-lane bridges, together known as the 14th Street bridges. Potomac River crossings for the Washington Metro's Yellow Line and for a major CSX Transportation railroad line are immediately downstream here. This site has long been a major Potomac River crossing, with the first bridge constructed here in 1809. Of the present highway spans, the eastern one was built in 1950, the western one in 1962, and the central one in 1972.

District of Columbia

After crossing the 14th Street bridges, the freeway has a left-side exit allowing access to US 1 (exit 1). The southbound side of I-395 has no access to northbound US 1 here. I-395 crosses East Potomac Park (exit 2) and a second bridge, the Francis Case Memorial Bridge over the Washington Channel. Here, the route bends from a generally northeast direction to a due east direction, interchanging (exit 3) with the 9th and 12th Street Expressways, two tunnels that carry traffic under the National Mall. A series of complex interchanges (numbered 4, 5, 6, and 7) provide partial access to Maine Avenue and C Street Southwest, as well as connections to I-695. Immediately after I-695, the freeway makes a hard turn to the due north to follow the 3rd Street Tunnel immediately under Union Square, just to the west of the US Capitol building and underneath its reflecting pool and the Frances Perkins Building. I-395 follows a depressed roadway (the Center Leg Freeway), which was placed underground in 2019, that has three more partial interchanges (exits 8, 9, and 10) with local streets before terminating at New York Avenue/ US 50.

File:MixingBowl1.JPG, Southern terminus of I-395 at the Springfield Interchange
File:I-395 in Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg, I-395 in Alexandria
File:2019-06-13 12 13 11 View north along Interstate 395 (Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway) at Exit 7B (Virginia State Route 120 NORTH, Glebe Road, Marymount University) in Arlington County, Virginia.jpg, I-395 northbound at Glebe Road in Arlington
File:Dc skyline pentagon.jpg, Cars on I-395, leaving Washington DC (in distance) and passing by the Pentagon in Arlington
File:2016-10-02 08 32 25 View north along Interstate 395 and U.S. Route 1 (14th Street Bridge) crossing the Potomac River from Arlington County, Virginia to Washington, D.C..jpg, US 1 exit on I-395 northbound, just after crossing the 14th Street bridges into the District of Columbia
File:2019-06-13 13 01 02 View north along Interstate 395 (Southwest Freeway) at Exit 3 (12th Street Expressway, Verizon Center) in Washington, D.C..jpg, I-395 northbound along the Southwest Freeway at exit 3
File:2019-06-27 12 02 20 View north along both directions of Interstate 395 and U.S. Route 1 southbound (Southwest Freeway) from the overpass for L'Enfant Plaza Southwest in Washington, D.C..jpg, The Southwest Freeway northbound at L'Enfant Plaza
File:2019-06-19 12 47 00 View north along Interstate 395 (Center Leg Freeway) at the south entrance to the 3rd Street Tunnel in Washington, D.C..jpg, Entrance to the 3rd Street Tunnel under the National Mall
File:2019-06-13 13 14 02 View north along Interstate 395 (Center Leg Freeway) at Exit 10 (Massachusetts Avenue) in Washington, D.C..jpg, I-395 northbound along the Center Leg Freeway at exit 10

History

Shirley Highway

The portion of I-395 between the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the interchange with I-95 and the Capital Beltway in Springfield is part of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway, named for the Virginia Highway Commissioner who died on July 16, 1941, just a few weeks after approving work on the new expressway. Originally SR 350, the full length of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway was opened on September 6, 1949, from south of the Pentagon to Woodbridge, Virginia, along what is now better known as the I-95 corridor. The Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway featured the nation's first reversible bus lanes, a precursor to today's HOV lanes.

During an evening rush-hour snowstorm in 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed on takeoff from what was then known as Washington National Airport, hitting the easternmost of the three highway bridges known as the 14th Street bridges. The oldest span, formerly named the Rochambeau, is now named the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge, in honor of a passenger of Flight 90 who survived the crash, escaped from the sinking aircraft, and perished in the Potomac River while saving others from the icy waters. The center span is now called the Rochambeau Bridge and the western span the George Mason Memorial Bridge, after a US delegate to the Constitutional Convention.

Interstate Highway through Washington DC

Original plans called for I-95 to travel through Washington DC and Prince George's County, Maryland, toward the northeastern portion of the Capital Beltway, from which I-95 presently continues its northbound route. However, neighborhood opposition in DC halted this plan in 1977, diverting planned funding toward construction of the Washington Metro. The only remnant of the Maryland extension is a series of ramp stubs near College Park, which now lead to a park and ride. The portion of I-95 within the beltway became I-395, while the eastern half of the beltway was redesignated I-95 (and, later, cosigned I-95/I-495). I-395 terminates in Washington DC at a traffic signal at US 50, which is New York Avenue, near Mount Vernon Square.

Center Leg Freeway development/Capitol Crossing

The DC government finalized a deal in 2010 with Louis Dreyfus Company to construct a mixed-use development in the airspace over the Center Leg Freeway portion of I-395. The $425-million (equivalent to $ in ) office, residential, and retail project at the east end of the Judiciary Square neighborhood will also restore the area's original L'Enfant Plan street grid by reconnecting F and G streets over the freeway. The project was awaiting final regulatory approval and expected to be complete by 2016.

In 2015, work began on I-395 in conjunction with Capitol Crossing, a major real-estate project in DC, part of which lies on top of the highway. The work involves adding a $200-million (equivalent to $ in ) concrete platform that connects neighborhoods that have been severed by the freeway, creating a better community atmosphere in the eastern edge of downtown. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) expected the work would take up to four years.

Express lanes conversion

In 2015, the commonwealth of Virginia announced that the HOV lanes between the Turkeycock Run bridge and Eads Street (at the Pentagon) would be converted to toll lanes as part of the I-395 Express Lanes Extension project. The existing HOV lanes, which ran in both directions in some areas, became reversible HOT lanes for the entire scope of this project, spanning .

Part of the project involved the reconfiguring of the Pentagon interchange to provide greater access to Army Navy Drive, as well as the closing of the onramp—from the southbound HOV lanes to the mainline Interstate southbound—located just west of the Pentagon interchange. All existing HOV interchanges within the project's scope became tolled.

Vehicles carrying three or more passengers are still able to use the former HOV lanes for free if they have E-ZPass Flex transponders in HOV mode. The express lanes opened on November 17, 2019. The lanes are operated by Transurban. The reversible portion runs toward the District of Columbia in the morning and toward Virginia in the afternoon.

Exits 9 and 10A—Boundary Channel Drive construction

In December 2023, VDOT permanently closed Exit 9 for Clark Street as part of construction on Boundary Channel Drive. As part of the project, VDOT converted Exit 10 to a dumbbell interchange to "improve traffic operations and safety." VDOT also built new pedestrian and bicycle paths to connect Crystal City to Long Bridge Park, the Mount Vernon Trail, and the Pentagon.

Future

I-195 redesignation

I-395's turn-off-to-stay-on movement into the 3rd Street Tunnel causes confusion among drivers who intend to continue straight on the Southeast Freeway, but do not realize that they need to follow the posted "Exit 5" for I-695 to do so. WTOP traffic reporters monitor the area with their own cameras, and note numerous incidents of dangerous weaving, as well as trucks – which may be over-height or prohibited from the tunnel – reversing up the exit ramp to continue on the Southeast Freeway. Additionally, I-395 uses sequential exit numbering while I-695 uses mileage-based numbers, resulting in both roads having exits numbered 1 and 2. In January 2021, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved a request by the District of Columbia to eliminate the entirety of I-695 and renumber it as an extension of I-395. I-395's previous route along the 3rd Street Tunnel is to be renumbered as a new I-195. Although the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) also approved the request on April 23, DDOT subsequently delayed updating signage in the area. This prompted renewed pressure on DDOT from the FHWA in September 2023, as both printed and digital maps were beginning to show the long-since-approved but still unsigned designations. The FHWA stated at the time they would work with DDOT to start resigning work before the end of 2023.

Instead, on March 15, 2024, DDOT submitted a letter to AASHTO asking for rescission of the numbering changes. DDOT admitted that work on the re-signing had not started and would take an estimated two to three years, and sought to reduce the increasing confusion caused by updated third-party maps. AASHTO approved this on May 7, with DDOT stating it would re-apply for the same numbering changes when the work was closer to completion. The FHWA, which is responsible for updating the designations within the National Highway System, as well as producing maps, did not take any action on the request. The agency told WTOP that it had "reviewed and provided comments" and "expects an updated request from the District soon".

14th Street bridges rehabilitation

Plans to rehabilitate the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge, which carries northbound I-395 and US 1 over the Potomac River, have been in the works since inspections between 2005 and 2009 revealed that the bridge was deteriorating. A small $27-million (equivalent to $ in ) project was done between 2010 and 2011, but a 2014 inspection revealed that the bridge still had problems. However, DDOT pushed the date to fix the problems until 2020 due to the expense and the need to replace or repair several deficient bridges elsewhere in DC. On April 13, 2023, DDOT announced the US Department of Transportation had provided $72 million to help fund the rehabilitation project. The $90-million project, which will also be funded in part by the DC government, would start with preliminary engineering and the environmental review for the project later that spring, with the preliminary design expected to be completed later that year. Construction is estimated to take two years.

Exit list

Exits in Washington DC were unnumbered until 2008. In 2014, in conjunction with the rebuilding of the 11th Street Bridges and the Southeast Freeway, some exit numbers were converted to a mileage-based numbering system.

Related highways

The 9th Street Expressway and the 12th Street Expressway are a one-way pair of freeway spurs connecting I-395 (Southwest Freeway) with US 1 and US 50 (Constitution Avenue) in Washington, D.C. The expressways also provide connections to the L'Enfant Promenade and Independence Avenue. Both highways pass through tunnels under the National Mall and are named for the streets that extend northward from their respective northern termini. The 9th Street Expressway and the 12th Street Expressway run southbound and northbound, respectively, between I-395 and Constitution Avenue.

The 9th Street Expressway begins at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 9th Street Northwest. The highway heads southbound along the east side of the National Museum of Natural History and descends into the 9th Street Tunnel under the National Mall. The 9th Street Expressway emerges from the tunnel just north of L'Enfant Plaza and receives a ramp from Independence Avenue. At the south end of L'Enfant Plaza, ramps for northbound I-395 and southbound I-395 split from the roadway; the southbound I-395 also provides access to Maine Avenue in the direction of the Tidal Basin. The highway continues south beyond I-395 to an intersection with Maine Avenue at The Wharf (Washington, D.C.).

The 12th Street Expressway begins as a flyover ramp from northbound I-395 as the Interstate crosses the Francis Case Memorial Bridge. Southbound I-395 also has a ramp to the expressway as part of its ramp to Maine Avenue. The two ramps both have exits for the L'Enfant Promenade, specifically D Street Southwest. The expressway's ramps from both directions of I-395 merge and the highway descends into the 12th Street Tunnel, before which the highway receives a ramp from Independence Avenue. The 12th Street Expressway passes under the National Mall and then ascends to the west of the National Museum of Natural History to its terminus at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 12th Street Northwest.

See also

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References

External links

Kurumi - I-395 Washington, D.C.; Virginia

HOV in Northern Virginia, from the Va. Dept. of Transportation

Springfield Interchange reconstruction, from the Va. Dept. of Transportation

Shirley Highway (I-395) at Steve Anderson's DCRoads

Southwest Freeway (I-395) at Steve Anderson's DCRoads

Center Leg Freeway (I-395) at Steve Anderson's DCRoads

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