🚀 go-pugleaf

"Douglas A. Willinger" <dougwill@idt.net> wrote:
> 
> Scott M. Kozel wrote in message <36C650BA.2A2B@richmond.infi.net>...
> >"Douglas A. Willinger" <dougwill@idt.net> wrote:
> >
> >Yes, but traffic volumes on the Beltway have tripled since then.  It now
> >carries volumes ranging from 190,000 to 225,000 vehicles per day.
> 
> Has not the Beltway also been widened during this time, though admittingly
> not being tripled in capacity?

Of the 64 miles, 50 miles was 6 lanes initially, and 14 miles was 4
lanes.  Now all of the Beltway has 8 lanes except for 4 miles of 6-lane.

I've got the Beltway history here:
"Capital Beltway (I-495 and I-95)" -
http://www.richmond.infi.net/~kozelsm/CapitalBeltway.html
 
> >Hence, a 55 to 60 mph speed limit today is appropriate.
> 
> 55 or 60 mph may be a perfectly appropriate speed upon the Beltway, even in
> the far left hand lane under certain traffic conditions; indeed the
> appropriate speed may be even lower, again, due to due to traffic/weather
> conditions.   If for instance I enter the Beltway eastbound from Rt. 355
> south at 4:30 PM on a weekday (an especially dreadful ramp insofar that one
> can not see the traffic conditions upon the eastbound Beltway before being
> committed to entering it) and encounter heavy traffic flowing at say 35 mph,
> than 35 mph is about the speed limit for those conditions to hold to.

Certainly during peak hours, the speeds can be limited to that or even
lower, by traffic congestion.
 
> However, is placing a set speed limit lower than what is appropriate under
> better conditions involving the average car and driver, and to enforce it
> when such faster speeds are appropriate for such, and not involving
> tailgating, weaving, or even a speed differential of more than 5-10 mph an
> appropriate policy? [...]

But how would a speed limit system be structured to provide one limit
during peak hours (ex.: 55mph) another during off-peak hours (ex.:
65mph) and another at times of the lightest traffic (ex.: 70mph)?

I agree, with 8 lanes, the Beltway is wide open during the wee hours of
the morning; and that 70 or higher seems safe.  But I'm not sure how
feasible a time-based speed limit system would be.

> Of course, one must also ask, if it also wise policy to continually ignore
> the most needed roads directly relevant to why the Beltway is so overloaded,
> namely the utter lack of a comprehensive highway network for Washington,
> D.C.?

How true, Doug! :-)

-- 
Scott M. Kozel     Highway and Transportation History Websites
Virginia/Maryland/Washington D.C. http://www.richmond.infi.net/~kozelsm
Philadelphia and Delaware Valley
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Campus/5961/pennways.html