Outside the Beltway

Outside the Beltway

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BELTWAY TRAFFIC JAM

James Joyner
13

Well, I survived my encounter with real beltway traffic this morning, although the trip that normally takes 35-40 minutes during off peak times took nearly two hours. The morons in charge around here compound an already bad situation with asinine regulation, closing off the main artery from Northern Virginia (I-66) to all non-HOV traffic from 6:30-9 and 4-6:30 every day–and also close two of the main bridges across the Potomac from 6:30-9. What they hope to accomplish is beyond me.

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13 responses to “BELTWAY TRAFFIC JAM”

  1. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    Keep Arlington residents happy. The should pave that sum bitch to 5 lanes in each direction!

    It must have been chicken for the dinner. You’d have stayed for the steak.. 🙂

  2. jen Avatar
    jen

    So now you understand why I complain about traffic so much, right?

  3. James Joyner Avatar
    James Joyner

    We had steak at lunch; not sure what was for dinner. But another several hours, followed by the drive home, and then doing it again tomorrow was too much.

    I’ve made the DC rush hour trip numerous times for various events, but it is frustrating–mainly because it’s worse than it needs to be because of the I-66 thing. But there’s no avoiding it–it doesn’t make any sense to drive to Falls Church, park at Metro, and then Metro in. That’d take even longer.

  4. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    The morons in charge around here compound an already bad situation with asinine regulation, closing off the main artery from Northern Virginia (I-66) to all non-HOV traffic from 6:30-9 and 4-6:30 every day–and also close two of the main bridges across the Potomac from 6:30-9. What they hope to accomplish is beyond me.

    You’re serious that they close down the entire I-66, and not just the HOV lanes? When did this happen? I live down I-95 near Quantico, which is another nightmare, but it’s at least open (if you can call moving 4 mph “open”) during rush hour. I would not be surprised if the poor highway situation eventually drives the area into a mini-recession. All the bond measures to built new roads were clobbered by the enviro/lobby without much thought to the implications. I understand that patterns of development in Norther VA have been distorted by the highway system, but this sort of incoherence is hardly the answer.

    I still can’t believe they close I-66 for 5 hours a day to SOVs. That’s dumber than a bag of hammers.

  5. James Joyner Avatar
    James Joyner

    Not sure when they started; it’s been the rule since I moved here last August.

    They close all eastbound (Virginia to DC) traffic in the mornings and all westbound lanes in the afternoons to non-HOVs.

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