Inner Loop (Washington, D.C.)
3767053
212031924
2008-05-13T03:36:49Z
Emurphy42
587537
{{Infobox road
|marker_image=[[Image:I-66.svg|60px]][[Image:I-95.svg|60px]][[Image:I-295.svg|75px]][[Image:I-695.svg|75px]]
|state=DC
|highway_name=Inner Loop
|alternate_name=
|maint=
|map=
|length_mi=
|length_round=
|length_ref=
|length_notes=
|established=[[1971]]
|decommissioned=[[1977]]
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a=[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]] [[14th Street Bridge|Interstate 95]] at [[the Pentagon]]
|junction=[[Image:I-695.svg|25px]] [[South Leg (DC)|I-695]] near [[Jefferson Memorial]]<br>[[Image:I-66.svg|20px]] [[West Leg (DC)|I-66]] near [[Lincoln Memorial]]<br>[[Image:I-266.svg|25px]] [[Image:US 29.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 266]]/[[U.S. Route 29 in Washington D.C.|US 29]] near [[Georgetown, Washington, D.C.|Georgetown]]<br>[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]] [[Center Leg (DC)|I-95]] near [[New York Avenue Park]]<br>[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]] [[Image:I-295.svg|25px]] [[Image:US 50.svg|20px]] [[North Central Freeway|I-95]]/[[East Leg (DC)|I-295]]/[[New York Avenue Industrial Freeway|US 50]] near [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)|Union Station]]<br>[[Image:DC-295.svg|25px]] [[D.C. Route 295|DC 295]] near [[Robert F. Kennedy Stadium|RFK Stadium]]<br>[[Image:I-695.svg|25px]] [[Southeast Freeway (Washington, D.C.)|I-695]] near the [[Congressional Cemetery]]<br>[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]] [[Center Leg (DC)|I-95]] near the [[United States Capitol]]
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b=[[Image:I-95.svg|20px]] [[Image:US 50.svg|20px]] [[North Central Freeway|Interstate 95]]/[[New York Avenue Industrial Freeway|US 50]] near [[Union Station (Washington, D.C.)|Union Station]]
|cities=
|system= [[Interstate Highway System]]
}}
:''This article is about the partly-built freeway in downtown [[Washington, D.C.]] The [[clockwise]] direction of the [[Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)|Capital Beltway]] is also called the [[Inner/outer directions|inner loop]].''
The '''Inner Loop''' was a planned [[freeway]] loop around downtown [[Washington, D.C.]], serving as an inner-city equivalent to the [[Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)|Capital Beltway]]. Although referred to as a loop, it would in fact have been a double loop with a center leg, similar in shape to an oval. [[Interstate 95]] would have made use of portions the Inner Loop to traverse downtown Washington, and would have met [[Interstate 66]], [[Interstate 295 (District of Columbia)|Interstate 295]], [[Interstate 695 (District of Columbia)|Interstate 695]], and [[U.S. Route 50 in the District of Columbia|US 50]] while traversing the Inner Loop.
==Route description==
The majority of the Inner Loop would have been a minimum of six lanes, with the portions used by I-95 having a minimum of eight lanes. The final design for the Inner Loop made heavy use of cut-and-cover tunnels in order to minimize impacts to the city; one notable example that was actually built is the Mall Tunnel used by the [[Center Leg (DC)|Center Leg Freeway]] (now referred to as [[Interstate 395 (District of Columbia-Virginia)|Interstate 395]]).
The Inner Loop would not have had a single continuous designation, but four separate designations:
*[[Interstate 66]] would have followed the [[West Leg (DC)|West Leg Freeway]], the [[North Leg (DC)|North Leg Freeway]] (meeting I-95), and ended at the [[North Central Freeway]], [[East Leg (DC)|East Leg Freeway]], and [[New York Avenue Industrial Freeway]]
*[[Interstate 95]] would have followed the [[Southwest Freeway (Washington, D.C.)|Southwest Freeway]], the [[Center Leg (DC)|Center Leg Freeway]], the [[North Leg (DC)|North Leg Freeway]] (concurrent with I-66), meeting the [[East leg (DC)|East Leg]] and [[New York Avenue Industrial Freeway]] at the southern end of the [[North Central Freeway (DC)|North Central Freeway]]
*[[Interstate 295 (District of Columbia)|Interstate 295]] would have joined the [[East Leg (DC)|East Leg Freeway]] at the [[11th Street Bridges]], terminating at I-95 at the [[North Leg (DC)|North Leg]], the [[North Central Freeway]], and [[New York Avenue Industrial Freeway]]
*[[Interstate 695 (District of Columbia)|Interstate 695]] would have followed the [[South Leg (DC)|South Leg Freeway]], the [[Southwest Freeway (Washington, D.C.)|Southwest Freeway]] (technically multiplexing with I-95), and the [[Southeast Freeway (Washington, D.C.)|Southeast Freeway]], terminating at [[Interstate 295 (District of Columbia)|Interstate 295]] at the [[11th Street Bridges]]
==History==
The Inner Loop network suffered greatly from [[Freeway and expressway revolts|vitriolic opposition]] from D.C. residents, who were angered over earlier alignments proposed by D.C. officials that would have demolished large numbers of houses and greatly affected city neighborhoods. As a result, all portions of the network that were not yet started were completely cancelled in 1977; this resulted in some portions of the Inner Loop being left incomplete, and others completely unbuilt.
===Portions built===
*[[Southwest Freeway (DC)|Southwest Freeway]] ([[Interstate 395 (DC)|Interstate 395]], originally [[Interstate 95]]), from the [[14th Street Bridge]] to the Center Leg and Southeast Freeway
*[[Southeast Freeway (DC)|Southeast Freeway]] ([[Interstate 695 (DC)|Interstate 695]]), from the Center Leg and Southwest Freeway past the [[11th Street Bridges]] to [[Pennsylvania Avenue]]
*[[Center Leg (DC)|Center Leg]] ([[Interstate 395 (DC)|Interstate 395]], originally [[Interstate 95]]), from the Southwest and Southeast Freeways to [[New York Avenue (DC)|New York Avenue]] (and the unbuilt North Leg)
*[[West Leg (DC)|West Leg]] ([[Interstate 66]]), from the [[Theodore Roosevelt Bridge]] (and the unbuilt South Leg) to the [[Whitehurst Freeway]] (and the unbuilt North Leg)
===Unbuilt portions===
*[[East Leg (DC)|East Leg]] ([[Interstate 295 (DC)|Interstate 295]]), from the [[11th Street Bridges]] and Southeast Freeway to the North Leg and [[North Central Freeway (DC)|North Central Freeway]]
*[[North Leg (DC)|North Leg]] ([[Interstate 66]] and [[Interstate 95]]), from the West Leg and [[Whitehurst Freeway]] past the Center Leg to the East Leg and [[North Central Freeway (DC)|North Central Freeway]]
*[[South Leg (DC)|South Leg]] ([[Interstate 695 (DC)|Interstate 695]]), from the West Leg and [[Theodore Roosevelt Bridge]] to the Southwest Freeway near the 14th Street Bridge
===Other routes===
Several major links to the Inner Loop were not built:
*[[North Central Freeway (DC)|North Central Freeway]] ([[Interstate 270 (Maryland)|Interstate 70S]] and [[Interstate 95 in Maryland|Interstate 95]]), a major link from the [[North Leg (DC)|North Leg]], the [[East Leg (DC)|East Leg]], and [[New York Avenue Industrial Freeway]] to the northern D.C. suburbs and the [[Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)|Capital Beltway]]
*[[New York Avenue Industrial Freeway]], a freeway upgrade of US 50 east from the [[North Leg (DC)|North Leg]], the [[East Leg (DC)|East Leg]], and the [[North Central Freeway (DC)|North Central Freeway]] to the [[Baltimore-Washington Parkway]] and the [[John Hanson Highway]]
*[[Interstate 266]], a northern parallel route to I-66, between its parent at [[Spout Run Parkway]] and the western end of the [[North Leg (DC)|North Leg]] and the northern end of the [[West Leg (DC)|West Leg]]
==See also==
*[[Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)|Capital Beltway]], the "outer loop"
*[[Washington Outer Beltway]], a planned loop outside the Beltway
==References==
*[http://www.roadstothefuture.com/DC_Interstate_Fwy.html ''Roads to the Future'': Washington D.C. Interstates and Freeways]
*[http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2006/11/1955-62-plans.html ''A Trip Within the Beltway'': 1955-62 Plans]
*[http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2006/11/1971-plans.html ''A Trip Within the Beltway'': 1971 plans]
[[Category:Streets in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Cancelled highway projects]]