* April Fools *
Well, it turns out that Congress seems unanimous these days about D.C. traffic being out of control.
Just last year, we’ve already seen that D.C. traffic has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, and in TomTom’s 2024 traffic index, the District was ranked one of the top ten worst traffic centers in the nation!
Unfortunately, the remedy that Congress believes might be the fix to these problems isn’t really something that will benefit a vast majority of Washingtonians or DMV area natives.
Instead, Congress is allegedly planning to propose new exclusive lanes for politicians and priority personnel in the name of “efficiency”.
Where the proposed Congress highway lanes would be built
- I-395 Express Lane Conversion:
- The currently high-demand express lane would be temporarily converted into a ‘priority plates’ only lane to ensure lawmakers and policy planners can arrive promptly to complete their legislative duties. A new lane would reportedly be added alongside the I-395 between the Springfield Interchange to Capitol Hill, but it could be a while before this opens.
- Constitution Avenue NW & Independence Avenue SW:
- A central lane would be allocated for cars with ‘priority plates’ only and operate in a one-way capacity, shifting towards Capitol Hill in the mornings and away in the evenings.
- Theodore Roosevelt Bridge:
- Allocated times of one-way access for cars with ‘priority plates’ only – active only during peak hours of 7 – 9 am and 5 – 7 pm.
Why is Congress creating exclusive highway lanes?
We are unsure how this would be funded as we are still awaiting an official announcement, but considering the federal government’s involvement, it would be reasonable to assume taxpayers’ money could be involved.
The leading understanding behind Congress’s plan for exclusive lanes around the D.C. area is that it will boost the overall efficiency of the federal government.
Congress’s plan, while shocking and frustrating to many of us who are familiar with the common traffic woes that we face navigating the DMV Area, is just open of the latest governmental plans being made in the name of “efficiency”.
Key details to keep in mind
The most important thing to keep in mind regarding this announcement is today’s date, April 1st.
In other words, APRIL FOOLS!