Have we had enough of the Beltway (695) yet? (Baltimore, Frederick: homes, construction)

[ChesapeakeSmitty]

Our politicians and traffic engineers have failed us.

I've driven on this thing for a long time and it just keeps getting worse. I've recommended several former residents not move back to this area because the overall traffic is just a nightmare. My own little piece of hell? Exits 1-17

Inner Loop (morning):

• We have a nice new daily backup that popped up in the last year from BW Parkway to Rt 2 (Ritchie Hwy). I don't know why. There isn't anything holding up the Parkway heading north.
• Who was the idiot who decided to move the backup from I-95 onto 695 by expanding the I-95 entrance to two lanes and shrinking 695 to a 3-into-2 lane convergence. Didn't they know what would obviously happen?
• What is this construction mess going on at Wilkins Ave for the past year. Didn't seem like there was anything wrong in that area ... until they started working on it. Now backups every day.
• And then we have the daily backup from the hill past the triple bridges back to Rt. 40 or Frederick Rd.

My 20-mile commute now takes an average of 50 minutes, except for the not-so-abnormal day like today at 1 hr 20 minutes.


At least they fixed the Exit 1 ramp and alleviated the daily 3/4-mile line to even get on the danged Beltway. That used to be another 5+ minutes every day. Otherwise I'd be averaging close to an hour.





Outer Loop (evening):

• Daily backup from the curves on 695 at Frederick Rd., back past Security Blvd. They have those curves squeezed so skinny God help you if you're caught next to an 18-wheeler. That area is downright scary and dangerous. I'm surprised no one has been killed there recently.
• Next we hit the daily 3+-mile backup from Camp Meade Rd back past I-95. The interchange at BW Parkway has needed a redesign for two decades. But no! Let's work on all the places that don't need it first. This backup used to start at the BW Parkway interchange, but for the last year or two it has been extended forward to start at Camp Meade Rd. This is usually a 15-20 minute joyride of moving a couple of car lengths at a time.

I've tried other routes, but everything around the Baltimore area is just full of traffic lights and a sea of cars. My solution: Gut it out for another 5 years and retire early. If it wasn't for my little-piece-of-heaven homestead, I'd probably move.



My advice to anyone who's looking to relocate here and has to commute any distance ... don't.



Whew! That felt good.

[jonjj]

This is why I live and work in the city. 5 minute commute while driving but usually a nice walk or metro ride.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

It is the tale of every freeway in every metro area. Things are great for x number of years, tr number of subdivisions explodes, then the highway is over capacity . Highway is expanded, good for another x number of years, then it's congested again.

I am pleased we are getting away from this type of idiocy. And im also pleased I never have to drive on it.

[barante]

Ours is an aging beltway with lots of design problems. The Wilkens Avenue exit needed work, just as Frederick Road did. You either prepare for future by reconstructing or face serious problems down the road.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by ChesapeakeSmitty

My advice to anyone who's looking to relocate here and has to commute any distance ... don't.



Whew! That felt good.

I drive on this hell twice daily, five days a week. The good news for me is that I am heading north in the AM and am heading south no later than 4 pm. Plus I enter and exit at HWY 70. The 70-695 interchange needs to be expanded to two lanes in both directions as there days when traffic can be backed up 3 miles down 70 in both the AM and PM.

I honestly do not understand why there is so much traffic on 695. I see tons of semis, and my guess is that most of them are avoiding the toll and/or tunnel on 95, so perhaps that is part of the reason. I also think another part of the reason for the traffic jams has to do with how Marylanders drive. Everyday I see at least three cars that are either exiting at the last second-often times cutting across multiple lanes of highway-or merging back onto the highway at the last second. Wrong-lane Maryland is what I call this place. Then there are all of the drivers who feel the need to stop and wait while they are attempting to merge or exit.

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

It is the tale of every freeway in every metro area. Things are great for x number of years, tr number of subdivisions explodes, then the highway is over capacity . Highway is expanded, good for another x number of years, then it's congested again.

In some metros, sure. But many have been designed with future expansion in mind.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

In some metros, sure. But many have been designed with future expansion in mind.

Ad infinitum?

[P47P47]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Ad infinitum?

Maybe.

Ad nauseum for sure.

[Michael21214]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

I honestly do not understand why there is so much traffic on 695. I see tons of semis, and my guess is that most of them are avoiding the toll and/or tunnel on 95, so perhaps that is part of the reason.

The reason is interstate traffic going to or from points north (I-83 & I-81 to/from PA and NY) and connecting to or from I-95 south of the beltway. Basically the west side of 695 is a connector between some very busy interstate highways. It probably wasn't planned that way but that is what we've got. Otherwise it would be a moderately traveled metro freeway.

[oneworld25]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

It is the tale of every freeway in every metro area. Things are great for x number of years, tr number of subdivisions explodes, then the highway is over capacity . Highway is expanded, good for another x number of years, then it's congested again.

I am pleased we are getting away from this type of idiocy. And im also pleased I never have to drive on it.

Handsup is referring to a phenomenon known as induced traffic.

http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Induced+Traffic
http://www.vtpi.org/gentraf.pdf

[Phyxius]

I too didn't see the point of removing a lane from I-695 just to add another lane from the I-95 ramp. Right up to the point where traffic from I-95 merges onto I-695, I feel that lane is too close when they come curving in. I feel as if I'm going to get side-swiped. It's worst when a truck is coming along that curve. The traffic flow didn't improve so it was a waste of effort to make such move.

Some of these issues could be address with more careful studying and prioritize. The B/W Parkway interchange is poorly designed and needs to be replaced. The ramp is the reason for the slow down. It's too narrow and cramped. Not too far from that interchange, the B/W Parkway was widened to a third lane to I-195.....and then they took the lane away to replace the Nursery Road overpass. They spent three years trying to widened that stretch and now there is nothing to show for it.

The Wilkens Ave overpass is being replaced. You can see that the Outer Loop overpass was replaced years ago and the state is just now getting to replacing the Inner loop. The same goes for Frederick Road. Liberty Road and Charles Street overpasses were recently completed.

Correct, the western side of I-695 just so happens to connect other highways such as I-70 and I-83. When their highway ends, it gets dumped on I-695. I-70 goes from three lanes to two ramps for I-695 where the Inner Loop ramp is so narrow that drivers must alternate turns onto a congested I-695. You could add the fact that people are trying to avoid the toll but I don't think its worth the trouble. You spend more money in gas and waste more time just to avoid paying $3 and yes last but not least, people suck at driving. There is no other way to put it.

Building next to highways? an idea that just wasn't well thought out.