springfield mixing bowl

[yochillout]

I went on the new ramp in the mixing bowl. Very awesome! Anyone else?

[A.H.Johnstone]

The Springfield Interchange is absolutle chaos. As long as I've been alive, it has been highly ranked as one of the most congested areas in the nation. That new ramp is really nice though and it helps the flow a lot, but not quite enough. I've heard that there are plans being explored for more ramps in the future. This is crazy because there is nowhere to build, but upwards. The new ramp is already over 100 ft. off the ground.

[monsoon]

100Ft! Thats amazing for an area that is subject to black ice in the winter.

[yochillout]

I go through Springfield at least 5 times a week, and I see everything they plan to build. I actually saw a ramp that is supposed to go over that one as well.

[DCjedi7]

I try to stay away from the VA side of 95 from the wilson bridge to Springfield. I got caught in a 2 hour long backup on Sat. was not fun. but it looks better!

[Jonnyipps]

The mixing bowl is another great example of how we can't build ourselves out of congestion. After spending hundreds of millions of dollars, the mixing-bowl still is full of daily traffic jams. Try going south on 95 on a warm weekend and you might have better luck walking.

[pepperjack]

The Mixing Bowl is not done. I think it's scheduled to be completed in 2008 (not long after the Wilson Bridge is scheduled to be done). I believe it will have 24 lanes when it is finished (express, local, and HOV).

I'm waiting until it's finished to start complaining about how it didn't solve any problems. Then, it's going to be open season.

[Recchia]

The Mixing Bowl is not done.  I think it's scheduled to be completed in 2008 (not long after the Wilson Bridge is scheduled to be done).  I believe it will have 24 lanes when it is finished (express, local, and HOV).

I'm waiting until it's finished to start complaining about how it didn't solve any problems.  Then, it's going to be open season.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

TWENTY four lanes?????

[pepperjack]

The eight-year improvement project began in March 1999 and includes construction of more than 50 bridges and widening I-95 to 24 lanes between the Beltway and Franconia Road. More than 440,000 vehicles a day travel through the interchange

check out:

www.springfieldinterchange.com

[PeninsulaKiddo]

TWENTY four lanes?????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WHAT ON FREAKING EARTH!?!?!?!?!?! I haven't been up there in perhaps a year and a half, but holy crap!!! It was a disaster last time---coming down from Pennsylvania to Hampton Roads just about gave me an aneurysm. I cannot STAND I-95. I will complain about I-64 until Hell freezes over, but SERIOUSLY! That interchange gives me nightmares. ... even with 24 lanes though, there will still be someone trying to fly across all 12 on the northbound side trying to get to their exit.

[hinsp0]

WHAT ON FREAKING EARTH!?!?!?!?!?! I haven't been up there in perhaps a year and a half, but holy crap!!!  It was a disaster last time---coming down from Pennsylvania to Hampton Roads just about gave me an aneurysm.  I cannot STAND I-95.  I will complain about I-64 until Hell freezes over, but SERIOUSLY!  That interchange gives me nightmares.  ... even with 24 lanes though, there will still be someone trying to fly across all 12 on the northbound side trying to get to their exit.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I live one Beltway exit away (Van Dorn St.) from the mixing bowl. Talk about a nightmare... I'm pretty sure that I-95, I-395, and I-495 in the great DC area were designed by an individual of IQ lower than 70 using a few crayons, colored construction paper, and a glue stick (that he mostly just snacked on while designing the highway system). Seriously though, traffic around the mixing bowl is so bad that I drive 30 miles out of my way (when heading south) to avoid all of that mess. 95 South isn't worth touching until you get south of Fredericksburg. 24 lanes will only make it worse... people will just drive like bigger maniacs...

[cosmoboy]

I live one Beltway exit away (Van Dorn St.) from the mixing bowl.  Talk about a nightmare...  I'm pretty sure that I-95, I-395, and I-495 in the great DC area were designed by an individual of IQ lower than 70 using a few crayons, colored construction paper, and a glue stick (that he mostly just snacked on while designing the highway system).  Seriously though, traffic around the mixing bowl is so bad that I drive 30 miles out of my way (when heading south) to avoid all of that mess.  95 South isn't worth touching until you get south of Fredericksburg.  24 lanes will only make it worse... people will just drive like bigger maniacs...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

actually it doesn't really get bad until you get above Quantico. But the 24 lanes won't be all on 1 side. That's 12 on each side...so break it down...6 lanes for local, 5 lanes for express and 1 lane for HOV ( the HOV area is reversible so each side shares a lane to give the HOV area a total of 2 lanes).

[cosmoboy]

Here's what it should look like in 2008 Before and after

[PeninsulaKiddo]

Here's what it should look like in 2008            Before and after

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I see it... and I am afraid.

[urbanvb]

Yep. I sat in traffic in that area a few weeks ago.. of course the backup started when I was about at Duke Street.

[Unifour]

That is the most ungodly thing I've ever seen to try to drive on. There is NO WAY I will ever pass thru that. When are Americans going to learn that big hindend roads don't solve a thing.

[Hotlanta]

That is the most ungodly thing I've ever seen to try to drive on. There is NO WAY I will ever pass thru that. When are Americans going to learn that big hindend roads don't solve a thing.

hmmmm.....never! Hey you think you northerners have it bad, just check out what we have to drive on each day in the dirty south.

[urbanvb]

Drivers Should Expect More Changes at Mixing Bowl

The old ramp on the left is the one closing. (Hank Silverberg/WTOP Radio)

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - If you are confused about what's going on at the Springfield Mixing Bowl -- things may get worse before they get better if you drive through that area.

Now that the new $24 million flyover bridge to the outer loop of the Capital Beltway is open on the left side of the highway south of Franconia Road more traffic changes are on the way.

article

[weill]

I stayed at the Best Western right next to the ramp and it was grid-locked 24-7 while I was there, Ill post some pictures later of the buildings near it.

[urbanvb]

thanks

[jpl02]

Child's play! Yall have never experienced the Golden Glades Interchange in South Florida. That thing......5 roads come together in one huge, uncoordinated mess. At least with the Springfield Mixing Bowl, you're choices are simple........395, inner loop or outer loop.

I will say that traffic in D.C. is far worse than South Florida. At least we have a good surface street system. While on the outer loop of the Beltway during my first trip to D.C., I literally wanted to cry. Never had I seen traffic so bad. But my question is why the heck they didn't 12 lane the whole damn thing like they did on I-95 here in South Florida. I mean the Beltway is bad......but it's only 8 or 10 lanes. Widen it first to 12 lanes, then when the traffic gets no better, all hope is lost

[urbanvb]

Yep, the more lanes you add the worst traffic gets. I find that interesting why that is though.

[TennBear]

The mixing bowl is another great example of how we can't build ourselves out of congestion. After spending hundreds of millions of dollars, the mixing-bowl still is full of daily traffic jams. Try going south on 95 on a warm weekend and you might have better luck walking.

Partly true. I agree that we can't build ourselves out of congestion, but part of the Springfield problem is that many other interchanges on the interstate system it is doing things that it was not supposed to do. I95 was supposed to go through DC. Like a number of other cities, DC recognized that the interstate was cutting neighborhoods aprt and stopped it at New York Ave. There is another dead end where I95 comes into the Beltway on the Maryland side. This forced the Springfield Interchange to have the traffic for I95 get onto the beltway and across the WW Bridge. This made the WW Bridge carry a larger load than it should have, as well. Even without that problem, the intersection would have become overtaxed by now. Maybe someday they will do something with mess around the Pentagon and crossing the 14th St Bridges. Examples of other cities that have stopped interstates, Baltimore stopped I70, Memphis stopped I40. Those two come right to mind. There are many others.

Child's play! Yall have never experienced the Golden Glades Interchange in South Florida. That thing......5 roads come together in one huge, uncoordinated mess. At least with the Springfield Mixing Bowl, you're choices are simple........395, inner loop or outer loop.

I will say that traffic in D.C. is far worse than South Florida. At least we have a good surface street system. While on the outer loop of the Beltway during my first trip to D.C., I literally wanted to cry. Never had I seen traffic so bad. But my question is why the heck they didn't 12 lane the whole damn thing like they did on I-95 here in South Florida. I mean the Beltway is bad......but it's only 8 or 10 lanes. Widen it first to 12 lanes, then when the traffic gets no better, all hope is lost

That will never happen in the DC area. The reason, Maryland will not do it. They are against it. If Maryland doesn't do it, Virginia can't. You would create a much bigger mess with the number of lanes dropping as soon as you hit the bridges.

[Jerseyman4]

The Springfield [reconfiguration] Interchange construction would of not been necessary if I-95 was finished through DC and MD. I-495 along the SE and NE quadrants were originally not intended to carry regional traffic for I-95 and I-66 via US 50. This portion of the 95 corridor (Springfield, Wilson and I-295 projects) are seeing a lot of highway tax dollars being spent; at least a billion dollars or more and could of been spent somewhere else like expanding Metro if 95 and 66 were finished through the district.

[jpl02]

Well yall Jersey folks can't talk, cause your section of I-95 has a huge hole in it Only in New Jersey would I-95 "magically" turn into I-295, then reappear on the NJT.