Edited for additional clarity
The Capital Beltway, officially designated as I-495, is a major highway that encircles Washington DC and its inner suburbs in Maryland and Virginia. When you’re driving on the Beltway, you’ll often hear references to the “inner loop” and the “outer loop.” These terms simply describe the direction of travel around the circular highway. Below, we explain what they mean.
At approximately 4:45am Wednesday morning, a significant crash occurred on the inner loop of the I-495 Beltway between Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road, near Exit 31– closing the inner loop of I-495.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Chief spokesperson Pete Piringer reported a collision involving two tractor trailers, one of which overturned and began leaking fuel, leading to some lanes being blocked. The incident, initially dispatched around 4:45am, involved a substantial fuel spill and debris scattered across the roadway. MCFRS HazMat units were called in to manage the fuel leakage, while emergency medical personnel transported one adult from the scene.
Starting last night, Friday, June 27, crews began to implement the first of two traffic shifts of all four lanes on southbound I-495 (Beltway Outer Loop) within the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project area. This first phase shifts southbound I-495 lanes from just north of George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) to just south of Georgetown Pike onto newly constructed lanes on the outer section of the highway. Work began Friday night, with all southbound lanes in this section of the Beltway reopened in their new alignment by 10 a.m. this morning (Saturday, June 28). Delays extended onto I-270 in Maryland.
Several readers have sent us messages regarding a crash that has shut down southbound I-270. According to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Chief spokesperson Pete Piringer, the collision occurred at the southbound I-270 spur in the area of Democracy Blvd. Crews are working to open at least one lane for vehicles to pass.
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded Friday morning to a single-vehicle collision on the ramp from Colesville Road to the Outer Loop of I-495, where a vehicle went off the road into the woods. (more…)
A serious collision involving a tractor, a trailer, and an SUV with reported entrapment occurred on northbound I‑270 near Dr. Perry Road in Frederick County.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) is investigating a fatal collision that occurred on Saturday, May 31, in Gaithersburg, where an 88-year-old woman later died after the vehicle she was in was rear-ended by a suspected unlicensed and intoxicated driver.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded Wednesday morning to a collision on the Watkins Mill Road ramp to southbound I-270, which resulted in some lane closures. (more…)
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT HSA) has released additional information on the closure of the merge lane from the local lanes to the main lanes of northbound I-270 at Shady Grove Road, which is part of the next phase of the agency’s ramp metering project in Gaithersburg. The closure will support the installation of a ramp metering system at the I-370/MD 200 interchange, with paving and intermittent lane closures scheduled through summer 2025.
The northbound I-270 merge lanes from the local lanes to the main/express lanes between Shady Grove Road and I-370 are now permanently closed. (more…)
The Maryland State Police Department charged a Rockville man with multiple felonies, including first-degree assault and firearm use during a felony, after he allegedly pointed a gun at another driver during a road-rage incident on I-270 in Montgomery County.