Washington, D.C. Traffic: The Top-5 Most Congested Roads in the D.C. Area

Washington, D.C. is notorious for traffic (and political) gridlock. The heavy congestion is a function of suburban sprawl, wide-eyed tourists, limited Potomac River crossings, East Coast megalopolis traffic, and the outright confusion that is promulgated per Pierre L'Enfant's visions of grandeur at the expense of utility. The nightmare is further exacerbated by the historical "Not in My Backyard" (N.I.M.B.Y.) approach to highway building of tony Washingtonians.

All motorists recognize the fact that Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia driving degenerates towards pure mayhem during large swaths of the daytime hours. In fact, Forbes ranks D.C. congestion as the fifth worst in the Nation, behind Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Dallas. The maddening congestion radiates from all points per the U.S. Capitol.

The purpose of this article is to rank the five most congested roadways within the D.C. - MD - VA metropolitan area. Our list is determined by Inrix vehicle counts, highway aesthetics, and what I refer to as "one-way out" infrastructure. Certainly, bottlenecks that allow for no alternative routes to circumnavigate the particular area will frustrate motorists further beyond the brink of frustration.

Commuters will brim with outrage merely by perusing the following top-5 roll call of Washington, D.C. congestion, let alone attempting to make these drives on any Friday at 5 p.m.

#5 - Washington, D.C. Traffic Most Congested Road: I-270

Interstate 270 begins at the North Bethesda Beltway splits and connects the DC area to Frederick, Maryland and points west. 270 features a sweeping 16-lane array of local and express lanes from Bethesda to Gaithersburg and very well represents the crown jewel of Maryland Department of Transportation highway engineering.

The fundamental issues arise from the fact that bloated 270 traffic is commandeered into a laughable 4-lane arrangement at Frederick County and forced onto the most congested sections of the I-495 Capital Beltway in "Washington" at both ends. Typically, the gridlock is set to begin at 8 a.m. from Urbana to 495.

Yes, 270 control signage reads "Washington," which really translates into "Get onto the Beltway for Washington, Sucker!"

I-270 barrels past Maryland's Technology Corridor and collects commuter traffic from Germantown, Damascus, Gaithersburg, and Rockville into the District. Meaning, this critical roadway may be congested in both directions during peak hours to accommodate workers moving into and out of the area.

Still, Marylanders may avail themselves to the signaled 355 - Rockville Pike, Seven Locks Road, 187 - Old Georgetown, and the back roads of Potomac to skirt the madness.

Of course, the Red Line marks the best solution for DC - Maryland commuters per the 270 / 355 Technology Corridor.

#4 - Washington, D.C. Traffic Most Congested Road: I-66 (Outside the Beltway)

66 represents Virginia's version of 270.

The relatively short two-digit interstate connects Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. to the Appalachian Mountains. Although the two routes feature similar characteristics in terms of westerly connections, 66 trumps 270 in terms of congestion per its limited road bed, well-intentioned, yet disastrous for traffic flow High Occupancy Vehicle configurations, and the maddening I-495 Beltway junction.

I-66 is synonymous with Northern Virginia sprawl between the rapidly growing Fauquier County and Capital Beltway. The highway collects traffic from Front Royal, Gainesville, and Fairfax into Arlington County and downtown Washington per the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.

Certainly, out-of-town travelers would assume that 66 is a grand freeway from inside the Beltway to the Potomac River.

Ha!

66 is actually a four-lane parkway throughout Arlington County to sate the demands of "Not in My Backyard" Virginians. Furthermore, I-66 inside the Beltway is HOV-2 during peak hours, which forces single passenger cars to exit at I-495 and clog the maddening 66 / 495 interchange.

Interestingly, the 66 / 495 junction features two separate ramps from both sides of the highway for the inner and outer Beltway that all mark death traps for commuters making the connection between Fairfax, Arlington Boulevard, and Tyson's Corner.

Orange Line Metro trains speeding along the 66 median to heckle stalled motorists exacerbate the funhouse atmosphere.

#3 - Washington, D.C. Traffic Most Congested Road: I-95 / 495 - Capital Beltway - Woodrow Wilson Bridge

Imagine the traffic catastrophe that is promulgated by jamming Eastern Seaboard traffic, DC / MD / VA commuters, and lost tourists over a Potomac River crossing that is in fact, a drawbridge. Per Maryland - Virginia, the next Potomac River bridge is 50 miles due south at Route 301.

301 is a bottleneck in its own right and forgoing the Wilson Bridge in favor of the 14^th Street Bridge would be total nonsense for the majority of P.G. County drivers. The I-95 / 495 Beltway approach to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge is the epitome of "one way out."

Although, the original span is being replaced by a higher structure that is set to require less frequent openings, I am doubtful that the heavy congestion will be noticeably alleviated.

Wilson Bridge openings for Potomac River traffic effectively shut down movement at the 8-lane Beltway between the Springfield mixing bowl (I-95 / 395 / 495) and the MD 4 / Pennsylvania Avenue exits for hours at a time. Interestingly, these delays have been known to occur at any moment, and the slow motion crawl of truck and passenger vehicle traffic is often visible well into the early morning hours.

Maryland - Virginia motorists are forced to grin and bear it, because the Wilson Bridge really is the only way into or out of town.

*I-95 / 495 Woodrow Wilson Bridge East Coast Bypass: East Coast Interstate traffic should take I-395 into Washington per the 14^th Street Bridge. Exit at Massachusetts Avenue (turn right at H Street) after tunnel and follow onto North Capitol Street heading north and away from the U.S. Capitol. North Capitol transitions into New Hampshire Avenue, with clear signage back onto I-495 and 95 "Baltimore" in Silver Spring, MD.

Hopefully, you will be making the trip outside of peak rush hour periods. The Beltway may be congested at any time, any place. North Capitol is always fast.

#2 - Washington, D.C. Traffic Most Congested Road: I-495 / Capital Beltway (I-95 "Baltimore" to I-66 via Montgomery County)

This list would never be complete without paying our proper respects to the Capital Beltway. Rather than degrading the I-95 / 495 Belt as a hopeless bottleneck throughout its entirety, we have selected the harrowing quarter between Maryland's I-95 and Northern Virginia's I-66 as the most beleaguered stretch of Beltway asphalt.

Said section includes the 95 junction, I-270 splits, American Legion Bridge, Dulles Airport exits, Tyson's Corner, and the I-66 bottleneck. Irrespective of these vital arteries, the Beltway connects working class sections of PG County and Northern Virginia with the boom time jobs of Greater Fairfax and Maryland's 270 - 355 Technology Corridor.

There is no avoiding the Montgomery - Fairfax Capital Beltway.

Locally, Randolph Road, University Boulevard, East-West Highway, and Gallows Road are laughable alternatives in terms of capacity. Per regional access, the proposed MD 200 - Intercounty Connector will only alleviate cross county traffic patterns at Randolph Road, Bel Pre / Norbeck, and Muncaster Mill between Route 1 and 270.

Yes, I.C.C. proponents that claim this roadway will ease Beltway congestion are indeed set for a rude surprise.

All Maryland and Northern Virginia secondary roads throughout the mass affluence of Montgomery and Fairfax share one common shortfall: Only the I-495 Capital Beltway spans the Potomac at the American Legion Bridge.

Motorists are further confounded by the East Coast Fall Line landscape, which juxtaposes the hilly Appalachian Piedmont against the washboard Coastal Plain. The Capital Beltway through Montgomery County is a roller coaster ride of hairpin turns, dipsie doos, and limited sightlines. Of course, this ride is not exactly fun in regards to dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The short-lived break in traffic between the 270 split, alongside the general beauty of Rock Creek Park, Mormon Temple, Potomac River, and Tyson's commercial development mark the only saving graces of this infamous roadway.

Ironically, the 495 Capital Beltway between 66 and 95 is one of the more entertaining drives in the country amidst rare times of light traffic.

#1 - Washington, D.C. Traffic Most Congested Road: 14^th Street Bridge (I-95 / 395 and U.S. 1)

I remain convinced that the 14^th Street Bridge is the focal point for all Washington, D.C. traffic congestion, if not the entire Eastern Seaboard and Western world.

First, the 14^th Street Bridge choke point routinely radiates gridlock between the National Mall and I-395 to the City of Alexandria and Edsall Road. Secondly, this continuous bottleneck often stretches deep into Prince William County per I-95 south of the Springfield Mixing Bowl amidst peak periods of especially high volume.

Irrespective of the already maddening "one way out" confluence of Northern Virginia, Southern tourists, downtown Washington, National Airport, The Pentagon, Route 1, and I-395 onto the 14^th Street Bridge complex, we must evaluate the actual outcomes promulgated per retaliation against this span.

The U.S. Interstate Highway System was engineered to facilitate wartime transportation.

The Capital Beltway was initially built as a viable bypass and evacuation route away from the U.S. Capitol. Ironically, the innovation has exceeded all expectations and the I-95 / 495 Beltway zone marks today's viable alternative for transacting business within the District. The Capital Beltway simply morphed into a harbinger for sprawl throughout the post-war era.

Meanwhile, Washington residents dismissed blueprints calling for the extension of I-95 onto present-day 395 and into the District per the 14^th Street Bridge and 3^rd Street Tunnel. I-95 was actually set to follow today's Metro Red Line alignment into Takoma Park, MD and onto Baltimore.

The N.I.M.B.Y. rejection of 95 into the District is the catalyst behind D.C.'s stunted expressway network and Maryland - Virginia build out. The Washington "expressway" generally connotes a collection of stub Interstate spurs dumping traffic onto the National Mall from Virginia.

The 14^th Street Bridge represents America's embrace of suburban sprawl at the expense of the viable urban freeway.

The I-395 / U.S. 1 - 14^th Street Bridge complex is the most congested road in one of the most congested of all U.S. cities.

Washington, D.C. Traffic: The Top-5 Most Congested Roads in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Sources:

Kofi Bofah, Washington, D.C. Street Guide and Grid, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1800192/washington_dc_street_guide_and_grid.html?cat=16

Washington, D.C. Tourism, http://washington.org/

Washington, D.C. Traffic, http://www.traffic.com/Washington-DC-Traffic/Washington-DC-Traffic-Reports.html

Steve Anderson, The Capital Beltway, http://www.dcroads.net/roads/capital-beltway/