College Park Interchange
Encyclopedia
The College Park Interchange is the southern end of the segment of Interstate 95
in Maryland
between the Baltimore Beltway (I-695
) and the Capital Beltway
(I-495); it is the point where Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 join with one another within Maryland.
Like its companion in Virginia
, the Springfield Interchange
, it has required modifications to handle the traffic flows it experiences today.
interchange's collector-distributor lane split, forming a five-lane express carriageway that narrows to four lanes beyond the US 1 interchange. The two-lane exit route widens to three lanes and splits, with two lanes diverging away to merge with the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway, and one lane continuing onward that merges with a one-lane directional ramp from the northbound I-95 through route. This lane splits again into a one-lane cloverleaf ramp that merges with the Inner Loop in advance of the US 1 interchange, providing access to the C-D lanes of that interchange, while the remaining lane enters the Park and Ride
at the stump end of the interchange.
interchange, becoming five lanes wide. At the interchange, the carriageway splits, with four lanes continuing straight ahead, and the outer lane, along with a new lane from the fourth travel lane, diverging away onto a directional ramp. The ramp splits again within the interchange, with the one-lane connector to the Park and Ride splitting off, and the two-lane ramp curving north to connect with the planned mainline of I-95 within the interchange. These two lanes cross both carriageways of the Beltway and merge with the I-95 northbound through route. Beyond the original split, the Inner Loop splits into a local-express configuration, with three express lanes merging with the two-lane I-95 south flyover and one lane merging with the access ramp from the Park and Ride to form two local lanes, providing access to US 1.
interchange, where the first new lane is immediately dropped. Beyond MD 650, the second new lane is dropped.
, joining the North Central Freeway
within D.C. and running south towards the central business district. When the D.C. government canceled its segment of I-95 in 1977, I-95 was rerouted onto the eastern half of the Capital Beltway, which lost its designation as I-495 (this was restored in 1989, forming a concurrency
of I-95 and I-495 on the eastern half). As a result of this rerouting, the interchange was placed under considerable pressure to cater for a traffic flow that it was not designed to handle.
Originally, travelers from southbound I-95 to the Inner Loop had to traverse the one-lane cloverleaf ramp in the southwest quadrant of the interchange; after exiting the ramp, traffic then had to weave through Inner Loop traffic headed for US 1
. This unsafe condition was rectified by November 1986, when the flyover from southbound I-95 to the Inner Loop was constructed for I-95 southbound through traffic; the existing one-lane cloverleaf ramp was retained for access to the new C-D lane on the Inner Loop within the US 1 interchange, to segregate through traffic from southbound I-95 and local traffic for US 1. The stump end of the interchange was also modified into its present configuration, and the Park and Ride
was built.
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
between the Baltimore Beltway (I-695
Interstate 695 (Maryland)
Interstate 695 is a -long full beltway Interstate Highway extending around Baltimore, Maryland, USA. I-695 is officially designated the McKeldin Beltway, but is colloquially referred to as either the Baltimore Beltway or 695...
) and the Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
(I-495); it is the point where Interstate 95 and Interstate 495 join with one another within Maryland.
Like its companion in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, the Springfield Interchange
Springfield Interchange
The Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl, is the interchange of Interstate 95, Interstate 395, and Interstate 495 in Springfield, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C....
, it has required modifications to handle the traffic flows it experiences today.
North
Approaching from the north, I-95 splits within the interchange. The four-lane southbound carriageway divides into two separate routes; a two-lane high-speed route that ascends onto a long 50 mi/h flyover, for I-95 through traffic headed for the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway, and a two-lane exit route that continues along the original mainline into the interchange. The two-lane flyover eventually merges with the three-lane Capital Beltway beyond the US 1U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
interchange's collector-distributor lane split, forming a five-lane express carriageway that narrows to four lanes beyond the US 1 interchange. The two-lane exit route widens to three lanes and splits, with two lanes diverging away to merge with the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway, and one lane continuing onward that merges with a one-lane directional ramp from the northbound I-95 through route. This lane splits again into a one-lane cloverleaf ramp that merges with the Inner Loop in advance of the US 1 interchange, providing access to the C-D lanes of that interchange, while the remaining lane enters the Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
at the stump end of the interchange.
West
Approaching from the west, the four-lane Inner Loop carriageway adds a lane at the MD 650Maryland Route 650
Maryland Route 650 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as New Hampshire Avenue for most of its length, the state highway runs from Eastern Avenue at the Washington, D.C. border north to MD 108 in Etchison...
interchange, becoming five lanes wide. At the interchange, the carriageway splits, with four lanes continuing straight ahead, and the outer lane, along with a new lane from the fourth travel lane, diverging away onto a directional ramp. The ramp splits again within the interchange, with the one-lane connector to the Park and Ride splitting off, and the two-lane ramp curving north to connect with the planned mainline of I-95 within the interchange. These two lanes cross both carriageways of the Beltway and merge with the I-95 northbound through route. Beyond the original split, the Inner Loop splits into a local-express configuration, with three express lanes merging with the two-lane I-95 south flyover and one lane merging with the access ramp from the Park and Ride to form two local lanes, providing access to US 1.
East
Approaching from the east, the four-lane Outer Loop carriageway widens to six lanes within the US 1 interchange, with the fifth lane coming from the US 1 north on-ramp and the sixth lane coming from the US 1 south on-ramp. Within the interchange, the carriageway splits, with four lanes continuing on the Outer Loop, and the two new lanes, along with a third lane splitting from the fourth travel lane, diverging away to form the I-95 north through route. This ramp splits again, with the one-lane directional ramp curving away to connect to the route into the Park and Ride and the three lane ramp continuing north. Beyond the interchange, the four-lane Outer Loop merges with the one-lane directional ramp from the Park and Ride (which enters on the left), remaining four lanes, then with the two-lane ramp from I-95 south and becomes six lanes as far as the MD 650Maryland Route 650
Maryland Route 650 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as New Hampshire Avenue for most of its length, the state highway runs from Eastern Avenue at the Washington, D.C. border north to MD 108 in Etchison...
interchange, where the first new lane is immediately dropped. Beyond MD 650, the second new lane is dropped.
South
From the Park and Ride, a motorist is offered three choices: straight ahead to I-95 north, which connects with the two-lane directional ramp from the Outer Loop and uses the four-lane mainline planned for I-95 to connect with the three-lane ramp from the Outer Loop; right to the Inner Loop, which uses the ramp originally planned for that movement, connecting into the US 1 interchange's C-D lanes and segregating traffic from the I-95 southbound flyover's merge; and far right for the Outer Loop, which also uses the ramp planned for that movement. The first-choice route merges with the two-lane ramp from the Outer Loop, narrows to two lanes as it crosses the Beltway, then merges with the three-lane I-95 northbound through route to temporarily form a five-lane carriageway; the outermost lane is later dropped, and the northbound carriageway narrows to four lanes.History
The interchange was partially opened, along with the connecting segment of I-95, in 1971, completing I-95 between the Baltimore Beltway and the Capital Beltway. As originally planned, it was designed with the idea that mainline I-95 through traffic would continue straight through the interchange and south into Washington D.C. as the Northeast FreewayNortheast Freeway (Washington, D.C.)
The Northeast Freeway was a planned freeway in Prince George's County, Maryland that would have run from the North Central Freeway in the District of Columbia northeast to the College Park Interchange on the Capital Beltway...
, joining the North Central Freeway
North Central Freeway (Washington, D.C.)
The North Central Freeway was a planned freeway in the District of Columbia that would have run from the Inner Loop in D.C. to the Capital Beltway at Silver Spring....
within D.C. and running south towards the central business district. When the D.C. government canceled its segment of I-95 in 1977, I-95 was rerouted onto the eastern half of the Capital Beltway, which lost its designation as I-495 (this was restored in 1989, forming a concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
of I-95 and I-495 on the eastern half). As a result of this rerouting, the interchange was placed under considerable pressure to cater for a traffic flow that it was not designed to handle.
Originally, travelers from southbound I-95 to the Inner Loop had to traverse the one-lane cloverleaf ramp in the southwest quadrant of the interchange; after exiting the ramp, traffic then had to weave through Inner Loop traffic headed for US 1
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
. This unsafe condition was rectified by November 1986, when the flyover from southbound I-95 to the Inner Loop was constructed for I-95 southbound through traffic; the existing one-lane cloverleaf ramp was retained for access to the new C-D lane on the Inner Loop within the US 1 interchange, to segregate through traffic from southbound I-95 and local traffic for US 1. The stump end of the interchange was also modified into its present configuration, and the Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
was built.
See also
- Interstate 95 in MarylandInterstate 95 in MarylandInterstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
- Northeast FreewayNortheast Freeway (Washington, D.C.)The Northeast Freeway was a planned freeway in Prince George's County, Maryland that would have run from the North Central Freeway in the District of Columbia northeast to the College Park Interchange on the Capital Beltway...
, I-95's route into D.C. - Springfield InterchangeSpringfield InterchangeThe Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl, is the interchange of Interstate 95, Interstate 395, and Interstate 495 in Springfield, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C....
, the companion to this interchange - Inner Loop (Washington, D.C.)Inner Loop (Washington, D.C.)The Inner Loop was two planned freeways around downtown Washington, D.C. The innermost loop would have formed an oval centered on the White House, with a central freeway connecting the southern segment to the northern segment and then continuing on to Interstate 95. Interstate 95 would have met...