| Springfield Interchange | |
|---|---|
The old Springfield Interchange (in red) superimposed over the new Springfield Interchange (in blue) and the new HOT lanes (in orange) |
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| Location | |
| Springfield, Virginia | |
| Roads at junction: |
I-95 I-395 I-495 Various local roads |
| Construction | |
| Type: | Interchange |
| Constructed: | 1960s |
| Maintained by: | VDOT |
The Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl,[1][2] is the interchange of Interstate 95, Interstate 395, and Interstate 495 in Springfield, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C.. The interchange is located at exit 57 on the Capital Beltway and exit 170 on I-95.
This interchange is nicknamed the "Mixing Bowl" because, prior to the reconstruction, local and long distance travelers shared the same lanes and travelers had to merge to the right or left to reach the correct lanes for their destination. The last of this weaving and merging was eliminated on April 21, 2007. The interchange is one of the busiest highway junctions in the U.S., serving about 430,000 cars per day.[3]
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The interchange was originally built in the 1960s as a simple interchange between I-95 and the Capital Beltway. At the time, I-95 was expected to go through the District of Columbia. After community opposition prevented its construction through the city, I-95 was shifted to the eastern portion of the Beltway, between Springfield and College Park, Maryland. Because of this route change, all traffic continuing on I-95 through the Washington area was exiting at Springfield through an interchange not designed for that purpose. By early 1970, there were 150,000 vehicles per day traveling through the intersection. Thirty years later, that number had more than doubled, with the effect that vehicles "traveling along the East Coast's main north–south artery [had to] be funneled through the ordinary exit ramps at Springfield, routinely causing backups several miles long."[4]
A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined the interchange to be the site of 179 crashes between 1993 and 1994—more than any other spot on I-95—and found that the number of ramp accidents was more than double that of any other Beltway interchange.[4]
In March 1999, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) began an eight-year, seven-phase reconstruction project, which also involved the reconstruction of the I-95/Route 644 interchange. The project was one of the largest highway construction projects in the U.S., costing $676 million.
Completed 1996
Completed November 2001
Completed October 2004
Completed May 2004
Completed July 2007
Upon completion, The Washington Post noted: "The project began in 1994 with a budget of $241 million. By 2002, it had nearly tripled, to $676 million, and a federal audit found that VDOT had underestimated costs and mismanaged funds. As recently as [2005], the project was months behind schedule, and managers predicted that it would not be completed on time. But VDOT officials pressured the primary contractor, including issuing a formal default letter, and work was put back on schedule without adding costs."[6]
The project was completed on time in July 2007. The new interchange has 50 ramps and bridges, is 24 lanes at its widest point, and has a capacity of 500,000 vehicles per day.[7]
This phase was originally planned to be part of the Springfield Interchange Project but due to cost overruns was moved to the future Capital Beltway widening project, which was to include HOV Lanes on the Capital Beltway. However, due in part to both a lack of funds for the Capital Beltway widening project and public outrage at its plan to remove hundreds of homes as part of the project, VDOT has entered into an agreement with Fluor Enterprises, Inc.—under the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995—to instead build HOT lanes where the collected tolls would offset construction costs. VDOT originally did not require Fluor to complete Phase 8, and it is not in Fluor's 2003 proposal to do so.
Phase 8 of the Springfield Interchange is currently under construction as part of the I-495 HOT lanes project, based on an infusion of $400 million of VDOT cash into the project, which will also include interchange construction near Tysons Corner (connectors to Jones Branch and Westpark Drives) and improvements at the Interstate 66 and Dulles Toll Road interchanges.
To aid commuters during construction, VDOT added 5,000 park-and-ride spaces, created a vanpool program, increased safety patrols to clear breakdowns, created a project web site, and distributed notifications of lane closures via an email list. VDOT also maintained a storefront office in the Springfield Mall.
The term "Mixing Bowl" was previously used to refer to the interchange between I-395 and State Route 27 in Arlington, near the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery; this interchange, like the Springfield one, contains a large number of lanes and ramps. However, most news reports on the Springfield Interchange refer to it as the "Mixing Bowl", and the term has become generally accepted.[1] The other interchange is now known as the Pentagon road network.
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