Interstate 395 (Virginia–District of Columbia)

Interstate 395
I-395 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route ofI-95
Maintained byVDOTandDDOT
Length	13.79 mi(22.19 km)
Existed	1977–present
NHS	Entire route
Restrictions	Nohazardous materialsor vehicles over 13 ft (4.0 m) in the3rd Street Tunnel
Major junctions
South end	I-95/I-495inSpringfield, VA
Major intersections	US 1inArlington, VA George Washington Parkwayin Arlington, VA US 1inWashington, DC I-695in Washington, DC
North end	US 50(New York Ave) in Washington, DC
Location
Country	United States
States	Virginia,District of Columbia
Counties	VA:Fairfax,City of Alexandria,Arlington DC:City of Washington
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future
Virginia Routes Interstate US Primary Secondary Byways History HOT lanes
Streets and Highways of Washington, DC Interstate US DC State-Named Streets
←SR 394 VA →SR 396 ←DC 295 DC →I-495

Interstate 395(I-395) inVirginiaandWashington, D.C.,is a 13.79-mile-long (22.19 km)spur routeofI-95that begins at an interchange with I-95 inSpringfieldand ends at an interchange withUS Route 50(US 50) inNorthwest Washington, D.C.It passes underneath theNational Mallnear theUS Capitoland ends at a junction with US 50 atNew York Avenue,roughly one mile (1.6 km) north of the 3rd Street Tunnel. Despite its proximity toI-395inMaryland,the route is unrelated and unconnected.

I-395 is known by three different names over its various segments. The Virginia portion is part of the largerShirley Highwaythat continues southward on I-95 beyond the terminus of I-395. In the District of Columbia, it is known as theSouthwest Freewayfrom the14th Street bridgesto the Southeast Freeway interchange (I-695) and the Center Leg orCenter Leg Freewayfrom the Southeast Freeway interchange to New York Avenue. The Southwest and Center Leg freeways are collectively denominated as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Freeway. I-395 is planned to be rerouted off of the Center Leg and onto I-695 with the latter route being decommissioned. The Center Leg will then be designatedI-195.

Route description

Lengths

	mi	km
VA	9.91	15.95
DC	3.88	6.24
Total	13.79	22.19

Virginia

The intersection where I-395, I-95, and the I-495 (Capital Beltway) meet is called theSpringfield Interchange.Unofficially, this interchange is referred to as the "Mixing Bowl". This moniker causes confusion, because the intersection of I-395, Washington Boulevard, andState Route 244(SR 244; Columbia Pike) several miles north was historically known by that name and continues to be recognized by theVirginia Department of Transportation(VDOT) as such.

I-395 contains a third roadway: reversible, barrier-separatedVirginia high-occupancy toll (HOT) laneswith their own entrances and exits, also known locally as the "express lanes", between South Eads Street nearthe PentagoninArlington CountyandSR 610(Garrisonville Road) inStafford County.During morning and evening rush hour, traffic on this roadway flows in the direction of rush-hour traffic.

This third roadway was built as a single-lanebusway,the first in the US, before being expanded and converted tohigh-occupancy vehicle(HOV) use. A 2007 survey found that during the morning rush hour, the HOV lanes carry about 65 percent of travelers on I-395 (61,000 commuters), including 32,000 in transit busses and 29,000 in private vehicles with two or more people. The other 33,000 commuters (35 percent of total users) drove alone.

I-395 andUS 1cross thePotomac Riverfrom Virginia to Washington DC on three parallel four-lane bridges, together known as the14th Street bridges.Potomac River crossings for theWashington Metro'sYellow Lineand for a majorCSX Transportationrailroad line are immediately downstream here. This site has long been a major Potomac River crossing, with the first bridge constructed here in 1809. Of the present highway spans, the eastern one was built in 1950, the western one in 1962, and the central one in 1972.

District of Columbia

After crossing the 14th Street bridges, the freeway has a left-side exit allowing access toUS 1(exit 1). The southbound side of I-395 has no access to northbound US 1 here. I-395 crossesEast Potomac Park(exit 2) and a second bridge, theFrancis Case Memorial Bridgeover theWashington Channel.Here, the route bends from a generally northeast direction to a due east direction, interchanging (exit 3) with the9th and 12th Street Expressways,two tunnels that carry traffic under theNational Mall.A series of complex interchanges (numbered 4, 5, 6, and 7) provide partial access to Maine Avenue and C Street Southwest, as well as connections toI-695.Immediately after I-695, the freeway makes a hard turn to the due north to follow the3rd Street Tunnelimmediately underUnion Square,just to the west of theUS Capitolbuilding and underneathits reflecting pooland theFrances Perkins Building.I-395 follows a depressed roadway (the Center Leg Freeway), which was placed underground in 2019, that has three more partial interchanges (exits 8, 9, and 10) with local streets before terminating atNew York Avenue/US 50.

• Images from I-395, from south to north
• 
  Southern terminus of I-395 at the Springfield Interchange
• 
  I-395 in Alexandria
• 
  I-395 northbound at Glebe Road in Arlington
• 
  Cars on I-395, leaving Washington DC (in distance) and passing by the Pentagon in Arlington
• 
  US 1 exit on I-395 northbound, just after crossing the 14th Street bridges into the District of Columbia
• 
  I-395 northbound along the Southwest Freeway at exit 3
• 
  Entrance to the 3rd Street Tunnel under the National Mall
• 
  I-395 northbound along the Center Leg Freeway at exit 10

History

Shirley Highway

Main article:Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway

The portion of I-395 betweenthe Pentagonin Arlington, Virginia, and the interchange withI-95and the Capital Beltway inSpringfieldis part of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway, named forthe Virginia Highway Commissionerwho died on July 16, 1941, just a few weeks after approving work on the new expressway. OriginallySR 350,the full length of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway was opened on September 6, 1949, from south of the Pentagon toWoodbridge, Virginia,along what is now better known as the I-95 corridor. The Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway featured the nation's firstreversiblebus lanes, a precursor to today's HOV lanes.

During an evening rush-hour snowstorm in 1982,Air Florida Flight 90crashed on takeoff from what was then known asWashington National Airport,hitting the easternmost of the three highway bridges known as the 14th Street bridges. The oldest span, formerly named theRochambeau,is now named the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge, in honor ofa passenger of Flight 90who survived the crash, escaped from the sinking aircraft, and perished in the Potomac River while saving others from the icy waters. The center span is now called the Rochambeau Bridge and the western span the George Mason Memorial Bridge, aftera US delegateto theConstitutional Convention.

Interstate Highway through Washington DC

Original plans called for I-95 to travel throughWashington DCandPrince George's County, Maryland,toward the northeastern portion of theCapital Beltway,from which I-95 presently continues its northbound route. However, neighborhood opposition in DC halted this plan in 1977, diverting planned funding toward construction of theWashington Metro.The only remnant of the Maryland extension is a series oframp stubsnearCollege Park,which now lead to apark and ride.The portion of I-95 within the beltway became I-395, while the eastern half of the beltway was redesignated I-95 (and, later,cosignedI-95/I-495). I-395 terminates in Washington DC at a traffic signal atUS 50,which isNew York Avenue,nearMount Vernon Square.

Center Leg Freeway development/Capitol Crossing

The DC government finalized a deal in 2010 withLouis Dreyfus Companyto construct a 2.1-million-square-foot (200,000 m²)mixed-use developmentin theairspaceover the Center Leg Freeway portion of I-395. The $425-million (equivalent to $580 million in 2023) office, residential, and retail project at the east end of theJudiciary Squareneighborhood will also restore the area's originalL'Enfant Planstreet grid by reconnecting F and G streets over the freeway. The project was awaiting final regulatory approval and expected to be complete by 2016.

In 2015, work began on I-395 in conjunction withCapitol Crossing,a major real-estate project in DC, part of which lies on top of the highway. The work involves adding a $200-million (equivalent to $251 million in 2023) concrete platform that connects neighborhoods that have been severed by the freeway, creating a better community atmosphere in the eastern edge of downtown. TheDistrict Department of Transportation(DDOT) expected the work would take up to four years.

Express lanes conversion

In 2015, the commonwealth of Virginia announced that the HOV lanes between the Turkeycock Run bridge and Eads Street (at the Pentagon) would be converted to toll lanes as part of the I-395 Express Lanes Extension project. The existing HOV lanes, which ran in both directions in some areas, became reversibleHOTlanes for the entire scope of this project, spanning eight miles (13 km).

Part of the project involved the reconfiguring of the Pentagon interchange to provide greater access to Army Navy Drive, as well as the closing of the onramp—from the southbound HOV lanes to the mainline Interstate southbound—located just west of the Pentagon interchange. All existing HOV interchanges within the project's scope became tolled.

Vehicles carrying three or more passengers are still able to use the former HOV lanes for free if they haveE-ZPassFlex transponders in HOV mode.The express lanes opened on November 17, 2019.The lanes are operated byTransurban.The reversible portion runs toward the District of Columbia in the morning and toward Virginia in the afternoon.

Exits 9 and 10A - Boundary Channel Drive Construction

In December 2023, VDOT permanently closed Exit 9 for Clark St as part of construction on Boundary Channel Drive.As part of the project, VDOT is converting Exit 10 to adumbbell interchangeto "improve traffic operations and safety."VDOT is also building new pedestrian and bicycle paths to connectCrystal CitytoLong Bridge Park,theMount Vernon Trail,and thePentagon.Construction is expected to be completed in 2024.

Future

I-195 redesignation

View east at I-395 Exit 5 (2016)

I-395'sturn-off-to-stay-onmovement into the 3rd Street Tunnel causes confusion among drivers who intend to continue straight on the Southeast Freeway, but do not realize that they need to follow the posted "Exit 5" for I-695 to do so.WTOPtraffic reporters monitor the area with their own cameras, and note numerous incidents of dangerous weaving, as well as trucks – which may be over-height or prohibited from the tunnel – reversing up the exit ramp to continue on the Southeast Freeway.In January 2021, theAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO) approved a request by the District of Columbia to eliminate the entirety of I-695 and renumber it as an extension of I-395. I-395's previous route along theCenter Leg Freewayis to be renumbered as a new I-195.Although theFederal Highway Administration(FHWA) also approved the request on April 23,DDOT subsequently delayed updating signage in the area. This prompted renewed pressure on DDOT from the FHWA in September 2023, as both printed and digital maps were beginning to show the long-since-approved but still unsigned designations. Though the FHWA stated at the time they would work with DDOT to start resigning work before the end of 2023, it is still yet to commence as of February 2024.

14th Street bridges rehabilitation

Plans to rehabilitate theArland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge,which carries northbound I-395 andUS 1over thePotomac River,have been in the works since inspections between 2005 and 2009 revealed that the bridge was deteriorating. A small $27-million (equivalent to $36.1 million in 2023) project was done between 2010 and 2011, but a 2014 inspection revealed that the bridge still had problems. However, DDOT pushed the date to fix the problems until 2020 due to the expense and the need to replace or repair several deficient bridges elsewhere in DC.On April 13, 2023, DDOT announced theUS Department of Transportationhad provided $72 million to help fund the rehabilitation project. The $90-million project, which will also be funded in part by the DC government, would start with preliminary engineering and the environmental review for the project later that spring, with the preliminary design expected to be completed later that year. Construction is estimated to take two years.

Exit list

Exits in Washington DC were unnumbered until 2008.In 2014, in conjunction with the rebuilding of the11th Street Bridgesand theSoutheast Freeway,some exit numbers were converted to amileage-based numbering system.

State/district	County	Location	mi	km	Old exit	New exit	Destinations	Notes
Virginia	Fairfax	Springfield	0.00	0.00		1A	I-95south –Richmond	Southern terminus; part ofSpringfield Interchange
						—	I-95 Expresssouth –Richmond	South end of I-395 Express lanes; part ofSpringfield Interchange
						1B	SR 644–Franconia,Springfield	Part ofSpringfield Interchange;southbound exit and northbound entrance
						—	I-495north (Capital BeltwayInner Loop) /I-95 Expressnorth –Baltimore,Tysons Corner	Part ofSpringfield Interchange;southbound exit and northbound entrance for Express lanes only
						1C	I-95north /I-495east –Baltimore	Part ofSpringfield Interchange;southbound exit and northbound entrance
						1D	I-495north –Tysons Corner	Part ofSpringfield Interchange;southbound exit and northbound entrance
			0.40	0.64		2	SR 648(Edsall Road)	Signed as exits 2A (east) and 2B (west); access to Industrial Park northbound
			1.10	1.77		—	I-395 Express
	CityofAlexandria		2.00	3.22		3	SR 236(Duke Street / Little River Turnpike) –Landmark,Lincolnia	Signed as exits 3A (east) and 3B (west) northbound; access to Quantrell Avenue southbound
			3.70	5.95		4	Seminary Road (SR 420)	Includes full access to and from Express lanes
			4.60	7.40		5	SR 7(King Street) –Alexandria,Falls Church
	Arlington	Shirlington	5.40	8.69		6	Shirlington	Southbound access is part of exit 7; includes exit ramp to Quaker Lane
						—	Shirlington	Southbound exit and northbound entrance via Express lanes only
			5.90	9.50		7	SR 120(South Glebe Road) –Marymount University,Shirlington	Signed as exits 7A (south) and 7B (north/Marymount) northbound; southbound exit includes exit ramp to Quaker Lane
		Arlington Ridge	6.90	11.10		8A	SR 27west (Washington Boulevard) toSR 244(Columbia Pike) / South Arlington Ridge Road –Pentagon South Parking	SR 244 (Columbia Pike) signed northbound only; Pentagon South Parking/South Arlington Ridge Road signed southbound only
		Pentagon City				—	SR 27east –Arlington Memorial Bridge	Northbound exit and southbound entrance via Express lanes only
			7.50	12.07		8B	SR 27east (Washington Boulevard) –Pentagon,Arlington Cemetery,Rosslyn	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
						—	Eads Street -Pentagon,Pentagon City	Express Lanes only
			8.00	12.87	9	8B	SR 110north toI-66west –Rosslyn	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		Crystal City	8.40	13.52		8C	US 1south –Pentagon City,Crystal City,Reagan National Airport,Alexandria	Southern terminus of concurrency with US 1; left exit southbound; northbound signed as "To US 1"
			8.50	13.68		—	I-395 Expressnorth	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			8.70	14.00	10	9	Clark Street	Exit closed in 2023
		Long Bridge Park	8.90– 9.00	14.32– 14.48		10A	Boundary Channel Drive –Pentagon North Parking
	Virginia–D.C.line	Arlington– Washington line			11	10B-C	George Washington Parkway–Memorial Bridge,Reagan National Airport,Mount Vernon	Signed as exits 10B (south) and 10C (north)
							14th Street BridgesoverPotomac River
District of Columbia	Washington		9.91	15.95		1	US 1north (14th Street) –National Mall	Northern terminus of US 1 concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance; includes access to/from HOV lanes
			10.01	16.11		2	Potomac Park,U.S. Park Police	Access viaOhio Drive
			10.21	16.43		—	ToI-395 Expresssouth	Northern terminus of I-395 Express Lanes
					Francis Case Memorial Bridge
			10.31	16.59		3	12th Street Expresswaynorth –Capital One Arena	No entrance ramps; southbound exit is part of exit 4
							9th Street Expressway	No exit ramps
			10.71	17.24		4	Maine Avenue–Southwest Waterfront,Nationals Park	No entrance ramps
			10.91	17.56		5	6th Street SW /7th Street SW–L'Enfant Promenade	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
							I-695east toI-295/DC 295	Northbound left exit and southbound left entrance; future I-395 north
			I-395 north from this point on is futureI-195(Center Leg Freeway)
			11.01	17.72	2B	6	C Street SW –U.S. Capitol,The House	Northbound exit only
			11.31	18.20	2A	7	I-695east toI-295/DC 295	Southbound left exit and northbound entrance; western terminus of I-695; future I-395 north
					Southern end ofThird Street Tunnel
			11.61	18.68	2B	8	U.S. Capitol	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; via 2nd Street SW
			11.81	19.01		9	U.S. Senate	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; via 1st Street SW
			12.11	19.49		10	Massachusetts Avenue–Amtrak	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
					Northern end of Third Street Tunnel
			12.81– 13.79	20.62– 22.19		—	US 50east (New York Avenue) toI-95/I-295/I-495/Baltimore-Washington Parkway–Baltimore	At-grade intersection
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Closed/former Concurrencyterminus Electronic toll collection Incomplete access

Related highways

9th Street Expressway and 12th Street Expressway
Location	Washington, D.C.
Length	0.9 mi(1,400 m)

The 12th Street Expressway begins at exit 3 on northbound I-395.

The9th Street Expresswayand the12th Street Expresswayare aone-way pairof freeway spurs connecting I-395 (Southwest Freeway) with US 1 and US 50 (Constitution Avenue) in Washington, D.C. The expressways also provide connections to theL'Enfant PromenadeandIndependence Avenue.Both highways pass through tunnels under theNational Malland are named for the streets that extend northward from their respective northern termini. The 9th Street Expressway and the 12th Street Expressway run southbound and northbound, respectively, between I-395 and Constitution Avenue.

The 9th Street Expressway begins at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 9th Street Northwest. The highway heads southbound along the east side of theNational Museum of Natural Historyand descends into the 9th Street Tunnel under the National Mall. The 9th Street Expressway emerges from the tunnel just north of L'Enfant Plaza and receives a ramp from Independence Avenue. At the south end of L'Enfant Plaza, ramps for northbound I-395 and southbound I-395 split from the roadway; the southbound I-395 also provides access toMaine Avenuein the direction of theTidal Basin.The highway continues south beyond I-395 to an intersection with Maine Avenue atThe Wharf (Washington, D.C.).

The 12th Street Expressway begins as a flyover ramp from northbound I-395 as the Interstate crosses theFrancis Case Memorial Bridge.Southbound I-395 also has a ramp to the expressway as part of its ramp to Maine Avenue. The two ramps both have exits for the L'Enfant Promenade, specifically D Street Southwest. The expressway's ramps from both directions of I-395 merge and the highway descends into the 12th Street Tunnel, before which the highway receives a ramp from Independence Avenue. The 12th Street Expressway passes under the National Mall and then ascends to the west of the National Museum of Natural History to its terminus at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 12th Street Northwest.

See also

• U.S. Roads portal
• Virginia portal

External links

Template:Attached KML/Interstate 395 (District of Columbia–Virginia)

KML is from Wikidata

• Kurumi - I-395 Washington, D.C.; Virginia
• HOV in Northern Virginia, from the Va. Dept. of Transportation
• Springfield Interchange reconstruction, from the Va. Dept. of Transportation
• Shirley Highway (I-395) at Steve Anderson's DCRoads
• Southwest Freeway (I-395) at Steve Anderson's DCRoads
• Center Leg Freeway (I-395) at Steve Anderson's DCRoads