Capital Beltway

Interstate 495
Interstate 495
Capital Beltway
	Capital Beltway highlighted in red
Route information
	Auxiliary route of I-95
	Maintained by VDOT and MDSHA
Length	64 mi (103 km)
Existed	1961–present
Component; highways	I-495 entire length; I-95 from Springfield, VA to College Park, MD CCW;
Tourist; routes	Star-Spangled Banner Scenic Byway
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
	Beltway around Washington, D.C.
	I-295 in Oxon Hill, MD; US 50 in Glenarden, MD and Dunn Loring, VA; MD 295 in Greenbelt, MD; I-95 in College Park, MD; I-270 in Bethesda, MD; George Washington Parkway in McLean, VA; SR 267 in Tysons, VA; I-66 in Dunn Loring, VA; I-95 / I-395 in Springfield, VA; US 1 in Alexandria, VA and College Park, MD;
Location
Country	United States
States	District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia
Counties	DC: City of Washington; MD: Prince George's, Montgomery; VA: Fairfax, City of Alexandria;
Highway system
	Interstate Highway System; Main; Auxiliary; Suffixed; Business; Future;

The Capital Beltway, designated as Interstate 495 (I-495) for its entire length, is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area. The 64-mile (103 km) beltway encircles Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It also passes through the capital, near the western end of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River; Prince George's and Montgomery counties in Maryland and Fairfax County; and the independent city of Alexandria in Virginia.

The route is the basis of the phrase "inside the Beltway", used when referring to issues dealing with U.S. federal government and politics. Its southern and eastern half runs concurrently with I-95. It was constructed in 1964. The Cabin John Parkway, a short connector between I-495 and the Clara Barton Parkway near the Potomac River along the Maryland–Virginia border, is considered an Interstate spur (I-495X) by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA).

^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2021". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
^ Korr, Jeremy L. (August 15, 2004). "Memory Lanes". The Washington Post. p. B2. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011.

[fhwa-1] Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2021". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.

[wp-2] Korr, Jeremy L. (August 15, 2004). "Memory Lanes". The Washington Post. p. B2. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011.

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