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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: The D.C. Beltway
Message-ID: <352@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 14-Oct-84 22:18:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.352
Posted: Sun Oct 14 22:18:34 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 16-Oct-84 06:06:59 EDT
References: <5127@brl-tgr.ARPA> <207@x.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 40

The numbering of the D.C. Beltway (which is the only way to refer to it
around town without confusing people) is one of the most calculated stupid
mistakes I've seen in a long time.  It used to be that the entire beltway
was numbered I-495; I-95 just disappeared at Beltsville (md) and reappeared
in Va.  The famous intersection that now says "Beltway" used to be

         +----------+   +----------+   +----------+
         : 95 South :   : 495 East :   : 495 West :
         +----------+   +----------+   +----------+

(The left two options go to the same place.  No ambiguity.)

Apparently someone was disturbed by the disappearance of I-95 at the 
Beltway.  Whatever the reason, the re-labelled the eastern side of the
Beltway as I-95, making I-495 essentially a bypass.  This a) confused
anyone taking directions from a local, and b) gave us some marvelously
confusing road signs.  The one at the north side now reads

    +--------------+  +----------+  +----------+
    : Beltway East :  : 95 South :  : 495 West :
    +--------------+  +----------+  +----------+

which gives us lots of people swerving back and forth trying to decide
which of the two left exits to take.  If one goes down 95, and arrives
at the other end of this mess, one is confronted with

    +----------+  +----------+  +-----------+
    : 495 West :  : 95 South :  : 395 North :
    +----------+  +----------+  +-----------+

(I 395 is the infamous Shirley Highway.)  Quiz time: which do you take
to continue in the same direction you are already going? (Answer: Door
#1)

What they should have done was simply relabel the eastern side of the
beltway as I-95 AND I-495.

"Your Federal Highway Dollars at Work"

Charley Wingate