Motorists passingthrough the Springfield Mixing Bowl on the Capital Beltway’s Outer Loop have a new exit ramp to take to get onto Interstate 395 North.
The ramp, which opened early Thursday morning, is the latest safety enhancement to the interchange where Interstate 95, Interstate 395 and the Beltway come together. About 430,000 vehicles pass through the Mixing Bowl each day, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
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The new ramp, which comes up just after the I-95 South exit, is on the right-hand side of the Beltway. The old ramp, on the left, posed safety problems.
“We had a left-hand exit where vehicles would slow down to get on the ramp and cause backups and accidents,” project spokesman Steve Titunik said. “It is a tremendous safety improvement to a have a right-lane exit.”
The I-395 ramp is one of 50 improvements being made to the Mixing Bowl as part of a $676 million, eight-year enhancement project scheduled to wrap up later this year. The next ramp opening, set for the summer, will connect I-395 North and Franconia Road.
“That will be our last major detangling project,” Titunik said.
