Interstate 395 in Virginia is a 13 mile long spur route that begins at a junction with Interstate 95 in Springfield, Virginia and ends in downtown Washington, District of Columbia. It passes underneath the National Mall near the United States Capitol and ends at a junction with U.S. Highway 50 at New York Avenue, roughly a mile north of the Capitol tunnel.

History: Shirley Highway

The portion of Interstate 395 between the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and the interchange with Interstate 95 and the Capital Beltway at Springfield was originally part of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway, named for a Virginia Highway Commissioner, who died on July 16, 1941, just a few weeks after approving work on the new expressway. Originally Virginia Highway 350, the full-length of the Shirley Highway was opened on Sept. 6, 1949 from a point south of the Pentagon to Woodbridge, Virginia along what is now the Interstate 95 corridor. Shirley Highway featured the United State's first reversible bus lanes, a precursor to today's HOV lanes.

Interstate Highway through Washington

Original plans called for I-395 to cut straight through Washington, DC and connect with I-95 again in Maryland. Neighborhood opposition halted this plan in 1977, diverting planned funding to construction of the Washington Metro. I-395 now ends in Washington DC at U.S. Highway 50, which is New York Avenue.

Springfield Interchange

The jumble of highways in Virginia where I-395, I-95, and the Capital Beltway meet is officially called the "Springfield Interchange."

HOV Facility

A noteworthy feature, at least from the standpoint of local commuters, is a reversible, barrier-separated HOV facility, with its own entrances and exits, provided as a third roadway of Interstates 395 and 95 between Washington, D.C., and Route 234 in Prince William County, Virginia. During rush hour, the HOV facility operates in the direction of rush-hour traffic and is reserved for HOV-3 and certain other users. At other times, the HOV facility may be open to all traffic, but still in only one direction, or it may be closed to all traffic.

Potomac River: Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge

I-395 and US 1 cross the Potomac River from Virginia to Washington DC on a 3-span bridge. This bridge is known for the Air Florida plane that hit one of its spans during an evening rush hour snowstorm in 1982. The oldest span, formerly the Rochambeau, is now named Arland D. Williams, Jr. Memorial Bridge in honor of Arland D. Williams, Jr. , a passenger of Air Florida Flight 90 who survived the crash, escaped from the sinking aircraft, and perished in the Potomac Rivers while saving others from the icy waters.

External Links

• Kurumi - I-395 Washington, D.C.; Virginia
• Roads to the Future
• HOV in Northern Virginia, from the Va. Dept. of Transportation
• Springfield Interchange reconstruction, from the Va. Dept. of Transportation