Interstate 495 | ||||||||||
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Capital Beltway | ||||||||||
Route information | ||||||||||
Auxiliary route of I‑95 | ||||||||||
Length: | 64 mi (103 km) | |||||||||
Existed: | 1961 – present | |||||||||
Tourist routes: |
Star-Spangled Banner Scenic Byway | |||||||||
Major junctions | ||||||||||
Beltway around Washington, D.C. | ||||||||||
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Location | ||||||||||
States: | District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia | |||||||||
Counties: |
DC: Washington MD: Prince George's, Montgomery VA: Fairfax, City of Alexandria |
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Highway system | ||||||||||
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Interstate 495 (I-495) is a 64-mile (103 km) Interstate Highway that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America, and the city's inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway, the DC Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear. It is the basis of the phrase "Inside the Beltway," used when referring to issues dealing with American government and politics. I-95 utilizes the southern and eastern half of the Capital Beltway to circumnavigate Washington, D.C., and is cosigned with I-495 along that portion.
This circumferential roadway is located not only in the states of Virginia and Maryland, but also crosses briefly through the District of Columbia, near the western end of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River. The Beltway passes through Prince George's County and Montgomery County in Maryland, and Fairfax County and the independent city of Alexandria in Virginia.