Drive from MD without ez pass? (Fairfax, Front Royal: pay, hot, town)

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Grsz11

Inner loop goes clockwise. Outer loop is counter.

not if you are standing inside the beltway.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by kiplingif

Cool, thanks. Someone at work the other day said they thought it was against the law to do something like that and not have an option for a single commuter. But I figured that sort of defeated the purpose of HOV lanes, haha.

Now if someone can just explain the difference between the inner loop and outer loop of the Beltway, I will consider myself sufficiently knowledgeable on area roads to get by for the foreseeable future.

Just look at a map. If you see 495 represented by two loops, which loop is "inner" and which one is "outer"?
Now you will have translate what you see to the actual roads. In Virginia, the loop on the side closest to DC (495 west or north) is the inner loop. The other side (495 south or east) is the outer loop.

[kiplingif]

Right. It makes sense and is obvious. I just thought there were sections with two separate loops. As in, not just the opposite lanes of traffic, directionally, but like a smaller inner loop featuring traffic both ways as well as a larger outer loop. Oh well.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by kiplingif

Right. It makes sense and is obvious. I just thought there were sections with two separate loops. As in, not just the opposite lanes of traffic, directionally, but like a smaller inner loop featuring traffic both ways as well as a larger outer loop. Oh well.

It really is just traffic engineers gone wild. I grew up in Raleigh NC where they had the same problem explaining the concept. The problem is you cant say north pr south on a corcumfrential highway because that could mean many different segments.

[tr2163]

Originally Posted by spencgr

There is no airport directly along the Beltway. Are you talking about where the Dulles Toll Road ends and the Greenway starts right past the Dulles airport? (This isn't the Beltway anymore).

Where are you trying to go?

Sorry I wasn't clear enough.

Say, if I drive to fairfax from bethesda through 495, what I am doing now is to take the exit 45 A out, pay the toll at full service, make a turn and pay the toll again at another station to get back to 495. Otherwise, I would be in the ez pass lanes.

Is there any better way ?

[apexgds]

Don't get off on 45A. Keep going straight. You will be able to continue on 495 without using the ez pass lanes.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by tr2163

Sorry I wasn't clear enough.

Say, if I drive to fairfax from bethesda through 495, what I am doing now is to take the exit 45 A out, pay the toll at full service, make a turn and pay the toll again at another station to get back to 495. Otherwise, I would be in the ez pass lanes.

Is there any better way ?

Yes. Do not use exit 45A. Continue on 495 to exit 49 which should be the exit for I-66.

[tr2163]

Originally Posted by dkf747

Yes. Do not use exit 45A. Continue on 495 to exit 49 which should be the exit for I-66.

Got you! Thanks!

[tr2163]

Originally Posted by dkf747

Yes. Do not use exit 45A. Continue on 495 to exit 49 which should be the exit for I-66.

Oh, One more question, do I pay toll at exit 49 then? And is this toll a one-way thing? I don't have much trouble getting back from fairfax to Bethesda.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by tr2163

Oh, One more question, do I pay toll at exit 49 then? And is this toll a one-way thing? I don't have much trouble getting back from fairfax to Bethesda.

As long as you stay out of the EZPass lanes, there are no tolls either way.