Closing Georgetown Pike Ramp to I-495

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope they do this. I have no dog in this fight but Maryland drivers are assholes.

How about we ban Virginia drivers in Maryland who insist on never going 1 mile above the posted speed limit?

As a Marylander, we highly value every mile on the road where there isn't traffic, and we like to take advantage of it by going at least 10+ miles over the speed limit and do not appreciate being blocked by a goody two-shoes Virginian going the posted speed limit. WAZE knows where the speed cameras are. So get out the way or go back to Virginia, slowpokes.

The Beltway and Clara Barton and GW Parkway as well as 66 are major local arteries. We have family and friends etc in MD, DC, and VA. VA and DC have far more diligent local police for speeding and tickets. When in DC and VA , MD residential drivers need reminding on speed limit observation and NO right turn on red where marked.

We like canal and gtown pike - width, foliage, curves, put a natural speed break and that enhances safety. GW parkway needs speed cameras and cops and mega tickets - 45 does mean you go 55 and 60.

One thing NOT addressed in these pages of comments is the other traffic on the Beltway and the bridge. From Baltimore down to Quantico it's our midlantic region. But traffic - cars and trucks heading down the entire eastern seaboard have it as the only artery.


It's like in PA which carries the load from west to major eastern population centers. Then passes through dense population centers with numerous on/off ramps. First step should be the beltway limited to Capitol area regional traffic - hence Baltimore through Quantico. MD residents work in all sorts of VA locations from Dulles Corridor to the Pentagon to Tysons to a large federal government location within walking distance of Langley HS in Mclean. Anyone really think the feds would allow closure on that ramp?


I doubt it. Mclean residents complaining bought properties on those residential streets knowing the location of the Beltway and the American Legion Bridge. VA employment growth has increased the volume of MD commuters. Housing growth in Loudoun, Lorton, and decay in some areas changed commuter patterns as well. The DC area also gets move-ins from other parts of the country that don't get rush hour- their points of comparison don't include places like NYC or Philadelphia or Boston. It's now easier to commute to downtown DC on metro from Arlington, Mclean, Reston etc than from MOCO. Blue/Orange/Silver v Red.

So MD EZ pass charges. Take Baltimore and the tunnel. http://mdta.maryland.gov/Toll_Rates/harbor_crossings_rates.html

Have a VA EZ pass on that ramp with dramatic discounts for FX county and Arlington residents. Steep prices for others. No charge for federal employees. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey MD resident here. I never drive in the area y'all are talking about, but I live very close to another Beltway off-ramp and I'd be thrilled if there were no commuter cut-through jerks on my street (which has a school) every afternoon. So I love this idea - maybe if VA does it, MD will do it too, and then no one can drive anywhere at all. Sounds super, doesn't it?

Agree. Our neighborhood listserv is full of people complaining about the Virginia drivers cutting through/speeding through our Bethesda neighborhood, mostly on the way to work in DC. So that’s even worse- these drivers aren’t even contributing to our economy like the Marylanders working or shopping in Tysons, just speeding through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This intersection was a mess before the 66 Tolls started.

I live near /Benjamin and we have a very senior Federal official who lives nearby who is the cause of this closure. This closure is happening and will be permanent. There is no control Fairfax or VA has on this.....

Utter BS - this was caused by the $44.00 tolls on I-66. And if you are referencing Comstock, which I assume you are, she has NOTHING to do with VDOT and NOVA roads. Nothing. Zero. Look up the difference between Congressional representation and state legislature. GO complain to your supervisor Foust.

This is utter BS. Except for the tiny additional amount of time from the extended HOV hours on 66 (eg from 6 to 7AM) there are no additional people who cannot use 66 during the HOV hours that could not LEGALLY use it before.

So if this McLean traffic problem is suddenly happening from 6-7AM then you can fairly blame it on the tolls. The rest of the day there is actually more access to 66 than before because now you can pay a toll to use the road and that was not an option before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do Marylanders think their commute is everyone else's problem?

They decided to take a job in another state. To most people, that would mean moving to that state, not driving to endanger almost every day. They simply have no regard for the rules of the road, so they got what they asked for. People who live in that area should not be fearing for their lives every day because of some a-hole drivers who think they are above the law. There are more and more each day, and it is truly out of control - much like the drivers themselves.

Of course no one in McLean works in DC, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey MD resident here. I never drive in the area y'all are talking about, but I live very close to another Beltway off-ramp and I'd be thrilled if there were no commuter cut-through jerks on my street (which has a school) every afternoon. So I love this idea - maybe if VA does it, MD will do it too, and then no one can drive anywhere at all. Sounds super, doesn't it?

Agree. Our neighborhood listserv is full of people complaining about the Virginia drivers cutting through/speeding through our Bethesda neighborhood, mostly on the way to work in DC. So that’s even worse- these drivers aren’t even contributing to our economy like the Marylanders working or shopping in Tysons, just speeding through.

What? DC from VA via MD? Who does that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do Marylanders think their commute is everyone else's problem?

They decided to take a job in another state. To most people, that would mean moving to that state, not driving to endanger almost every day. They simply have no regard for the rules of the road, so they got what they asked for. People who live in that area should not be fearing for their lives every day because of some a-hole drivers who think they are above the law. There are more and more each day, and it is truly out of control - much like the drivers themselves.

Of course no one in McLean works in DC, right?

Are we talking about MD vs. VA or something else entirely? Maybe you should start your own thread?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This intersection was a mess before the 66 Tolls started.

I live near /Benjamin and we have a very senior Federal official who lives nearby who is the cause of this closure. This closure is happening and will be permanent. There is no control Fairfax or VA has on this.....

Utter BS - this was caused by the $44.00 tolls on I-66. And if you are referencing Comstock, which I assume you are, she has NOTHING to do with VDOT and NOVA roads. Nothing. Zero. Look up the difference between Congressional representation and state legislature. GO complain to your supervisor Foust.

This is utter BS. Except for the tiny additional amount of time from the extended HOV hours on 66 (eg from 6 to 7AM) there are no additional people who cannot use 66 during the HOV hours that could not LEGALLY use it before.

So if this McLean traffic problem is suddenly happening from 6-7AM then you can fairly blame it on the tolls. The rest of the day there is actually more access to 66 than before because now you can pay a toll to use the road and that was not an option before.

The dangerous drivers from MD are screaming through the GTP area during afternoon rush hour, to get to MD, blocking traffic; and doing anything they can to get onto the beltway, which is almost always stopped, which explains the time of the inevitable ramp closure in particular. Try to keep up. Not to mention, do you honestly think the same people are racing to get to work in the morning in the same fashion, in the same area? They are not.

[Anonymous]

To all those who criticize others for not living in the same state where they work -- that's a fine idea, but many people here work as contractors, and you have to go to the location your employer assigns you to. You may be on a project in DC for a year, then one in VA for 2, then be sent to MD to work. It is simply not practical to sell one's home, uproot the family, and move every time you are sent to a different assignment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey MD resident here. I never drive in the area y'all are talking about, but I live very close to another Beltway off-ramp and I'd be thrilled if there were no commuter cut-through jerks on my street (which has a school) every afternoon. So I love this idea - maybe if VA does it, MD will do it too, and then no one can drive anywhere at all. Sounds super, doesn't it?

Agree. Our neighborhood listserv is full of people complaining about the Virginia drivers cutting through/speeding through our Bethesda neighborhood, mostly on the way to work in DC. So that’s even worse- these drivers aren’t even contributing to our economy like the Marylanders working or shopping in Tysons, just speeding through.

What? DC from VA via MD? Who does that?

I am sitting here staring at a map trying to figure out the start and end to the commute that starts in VA and ends in DC. Maybe from McLean to Bethesda or Silver Spring, but that's not ending in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey MD resident here. I never drive in the area y'all are talking about, but I live very close to another Beltway off-ramp and I'd be thrilled if there were no commuter cut-through jerks on my street (which has a school) every afternoon. So I love this idea - maybe if VA does it, MD will do it too, and then no one can drive anywhere at all. Sounds super, doesn't it?

Agree. Our neighborhood listserv is full of people complaining about the Virginia drivers cutting through/speeding through our Bethesda neighborhood, mostly on the way to work in DC. So that’s even worse- these drivers aren’t even contributing to our economy like the Marylanders working or shopping in Tysons, just speeding through.

What? DC from VA via MD? Who does that?

Based on the traffic in my neighborhood, tons of people. People get off Clara Barton at MacArthur and then cut through to get to Mass Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey MD resident here. I never drive in the area y'all are talking about, but I live very close to another Beltway off-ramp and I'd be thrilled if there were no commuter cut-through jerks on my street (which has a school) every afternoon. So I love this idea - maybe if VA does it, MD will do it too, and then no one can drive anywhere at all. Sounds super, doesn't it?

Agree. Our neighborhood listserv is full of people complaining about the Virginia drivers cutting through/speeding through our Bethesda neighborhood, mostly on the way to work in DC. So that’s even worse- these drivers aren’t even contributing to our economy like the Marylanders working or shopping in Tysons, just speeding through.

What? DC from VA via MD? Who does that?

Based on the traffic in my neighborhood, tons of people. People get off Clara Barton at MacArthur and then cut through to get to Mass Ave.

Sounds like a different thread altogether.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To all those who criticize others for not living in the same state where they work -- that's a fine idea, but many people here work as contractors, and you have to go to the location your employer assigns you to. You may be on a project in DC for a year, then one in VA for 2, then be sent to MD to work. It is simply not practical to sell one's home, uproot the family, and move every time you are sent to a different assignment.

Following your logic - since there are that many jobs in Maryland, then you don't have to be in Virginia, after all.

Also, what does where you work/live/commute have to do with endangering people en route? Your commute is your issue, not anyone else's/

[Anonymous]

If they close the Georgetown Pike Ramp to I-495, the traffic will get so much worse by the CIA onramp to GW parkway. And if they close the on-ramp, the first thing I will do is sell my house and move out. And I'm sure lots of other families will as well because many have children/jobs/activities that require access to the I-495.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they close the Georgetown Pike Ramp to I-495, the traffic will get so much worse by the CIA onramp to GW parkway. And if they close the on-ramp, the first thing I will do is sell my house and move out. And I'm sure lots of other families will as well because many have children/jobs/activities that require access to the I-495.

No one cares if you leave VA, because houses sell pretty fast in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This intersection was a mess before the 66 Tolls started.

I live near /Benjamin and we have a very senior Federal official who lives nearby who is the cause of this closure. This closure is happening and will be permanent. There is no control Fairfax or VA has on this.....

Good. A commercial truck with MD play pets nearly crushed me and another car doing an illegal you turn on Georgetown Pike

EXACTLY! And fire engines and other service vehicles cannot get through. It's very simple; close that on-ramp and force the Marylanders back onto the Beltway where they should be in the first place. They are using that access only because they want to relieve themselves of the congestion that bottles up the beltway before the American Bridge.