springfield mixing bowl

[Jerseyman4]

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.

That is I-95_2 according to the NJDOT Straight Line Diagram so it is technically not the official I-95 through the state anymore. Unaware motorists who travel I-95 dont know this and end up wasting time around the Trenton area going NORTHBOUND. Giong SOUTHBOUND, this does not happen.

The solution was solved in 1996 by moving the I-95 designation down to Exit 6 instead of 7A. Then, run it along the NJ Turnpike Pennsylvania Extension into PA so it is now up to PennDOT/PA Turnpike Authority to connect their I-95 to the PA Turnpike which the tentitive date of finishing it is 2012. That should of been connected a LONG LONG LONG time ago however i do understand the history of the PA turnpike where US 1 (freeway) and US 13 (arterial) are the exits in eastern Bucks County before I-95 came into existence. I-95 was planned to run along either US 1 or US 13 but then later went along a western alignment towards Yardley-Ewing(NJ), crossing over the PA Turnpike but no exit.

[sugoiben]

Just thought I would add that officially according to VDOT, it's the "Springfield Interchange"

The "Mixing Bowl" is the interchange of 395 by the Pentagon. Completely unrelated to Springfield.

Of course, no one realizes that, and the popular vernacular takes over.

But had to be said.

[Recchia]

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

Triple convergence!

[blburton]

The design isn't 12 lanes north/median/12 lanes south... like atlanta where 85 in some places is 7-8 lanes side by side. The way it is set up, from what I could tell, is that you can access HOV lanes, 95, 395, or 495 from the springfield interchange and from I-95 from the south. So you have several freeways merging at different heights and in different areas which run *separately* side by side for a brief moment... so in actuality, there are 24 total lanes, but depending on where you are going (for example, I was taking 95/495 to the WW bridge), you will be riding in 2 lanes... but look in any direction and you will see the other 22. I rode through the interchange last week and my advice is to just pay attention to the signs. Probably the first time that I ever rode from Richmond to Baltimore without a traffic jam (granted it was 10pm on a Thursday night). Once completed, I think it will do the trick.

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.

[Interested]

When I first moved to VA from NJ - the Mixing Bowl confused the heck out of me - believe it or not - now I can actually negotiate it - cant understand it though. Went on the new ramp - my kids thought they were on some type of very high roller coaster - it seems like you can fly right off it if you are not careful.

[kayman]

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.

I would have to agree. I-95 should have been build even if it had to be tunneled but it should have been built through DC. The New York Avenue area is just plain retarded, and me being an outsider I knew it was meant to be a part of the original I-95 route. You literally go from a normal surface street to an expressway with access road without any real warning. I also got a chance to see the Springfield Interchange and I was actually laughing going through that place. It is a mess, and it makes Spagetti Junction in DeKalb County look like a typical 2 interstate interchange in a rural area. I was like, "Why on the earth did these people up here allow their freeway system to be so f**ked up?" I've always look at the DC area roads with amusement because it must be fun getting around a region with so many unfinish freeways due to neighborhood opposition.

[juancapitalcitydc]

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

[rogue monchichi]

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.

[NovaWolverine]

IMO the interchange has improved a lot of things. I think the worst backups are actually south of the mixing bowl from Lorton to Dumfries. North of the mixing bowl, it's more logical that there would be traffic there. Springfied is only 10 miles from DC, but so much traffic so far south, it's ridiculous. Same goes for I-66 in Manassas and Gainesville, but that's gotten a bit better.

[pazzo83]

IMO the interchange has improved a lot of things. I think the worst backups are actually south of the mixing bowl from Lorton to Dumfries. North of the mixing bowl, it's more logical that there would be traffic there. Springfied is only 10 miles from DC, but so much traffic so far south, it's ridiculous. Same goes for I-66 in Manassas and Gainesville, but that's gotten a bit better.

[sugoiben]

Why do people live so far away from the city?!?

[dmccall]

We just went through there Father's Day weekend for the first time in 6 years. I didn't recognize the place. All in all they did a great job of eliminating slow loops. Now traffic exiting can go about 2X faster than before. The complications arise because HOV lanes need their own fly-over ramps. Otherwise they could have just put in another Spaghetti Junction (ATL).

Someone before mentioned the real problem. The DC area is so populated that the Beltway is adequate for local traffic, but not enough for those of us going through onward to Philly. What they really need to do with 95 is completely by-pass the DC/Balt area to the east much like they did in Richmond; with a separate road. Somewhere south of Fredericksburg. the road should migrate over the Chesapeake and into Delaware. Maybe at this constriction.

[Lowerdeck]

Someone before mentioned the real problem. The DC area is so populated that the Beltway is adequate for local traffic, but not enough for those of us going through onward to Philly. What they really need to do with 95 is completely by-pass the DC/Balt area to the east much like they did in Richmond; with a separate road. Somewhere south of Fredericksburg. the road should migrate over the Chesapeake and into Delaware. Maybe at this constriction.