MD Beltway Widening..
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Anonymous
| I am opposed to the current plan but this one makes even less sense. https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2019/07/major-change-considered-for-beltway-270-toll-lanes-plan/ Do they really think all the traffic driving from VA to Silver Spring and east will circle over the ICC?? And if they did, 270 will be more swamped then ever. If 270 needs more lanes now, it would need even more lanes to accommodate the addition beltway traffic diverted. |
Anonymous
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Is there more space to widen 270 without the massive takings needed near silver spring? And the existing hov lanes can be repurposed right?
I think this is better - when it comes to getting traffic from VA north, they should use the ICC. |
Anonymous
| People driving from VA to Columbia /Baltimore sure. VA to Silver Spring /Kensington/PG County..which is a,more typical commute it is ridiculous. |
Anonymous
| If they widen the beltway and 270 per the original proposal they will be in Rock Creek Park. That just can't happen. |
Anonymous
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All they need is a bypass around the beltway to get the thru-traffic heading north or south on I-95 out of the mix.
30% of beltway traffic at rush hour volume is vehicles just passing through the dc area, not local traffic. If you eliminated that traffic, if would have the same effect as building 2 more lanes on the beltway. Take I-95, route it down through Laurel, Bowie, Upper Marlboro and Clinton, and tie it back in with express lanes on the WW bridge. Problem solved. |
Anonymous
| This proposal might help the beltway a bit in the area between 270 and I95 but will add more traffic to I270. Will 4 more lanes be enough. If four lanes were needed to accommodate the current situation, aren't more needed to handle the diverted beltway traffic? Current proposal will get us to 16 lanes already. |
Anonymous
And we can not ignore how narrow the spurs are. |
Anonymous
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I don't regularly commute on the Beltway, but I do use it to get from my house near I66 and the Beltway to places up north with my family.
One thing that does not seem to be considered here is that going up 270 to the ICC adds significantly more time to a trip than taking the Beltway to 95. I've done it a handful of times, and it really only helps when there is a major incident on the Beltway. Otherwise, sitting in traffic on the Beltway vs. driving out of the way plus tolls seems like a loser to me. (I do have a VA HOV-flex EZpass, so if I wouldn't have to pay tolls when carpooling then ignore that last argument. Right now we have to pay the ICC tolls.) |
Anonymous
| I live near exit 6 on 270..except at peak traffic times, it is still shorter for us to take the Beltway to Baltimore. We are rarely routed on the ICC or the 2 minute time difference is not worth the toll. |
Anonymous
| Build more lanes and more people will drive there. Let’s face it, it’ll never get better. |
Anonymous
Exactly this. Widening is well proven NOT to ease traffic in the long run. It just moves the traffic around, and eventually more cars take that route and everyone is in traffic again. LA has 10 lane free ways that are at a stand still a lot of the time. The only thing proven to ease congestion: mass transport. More buses, more trains, less parking and highways lanes. |
Anonymous
noy everyone can afford to live inside the beltway |
Anonymous
So what? There can be more buses, more trains, less parking, and fewer highway lanes outside the Beltway too. In fact, there should be. |
Anonymous
You clearly don’t understand American car culture. It’s the new horse. |
Anonymous
This is the "we do it that way so we should keep doing it that way because we do it that way" argument. Widening highways to fix congestion is throwing money down a hole. A lot of money. Time after time after time. Let's stop doing that. |