Washington DC is circled by the Capital Beltway,
formed by both I-95 & I-495 in the east, and just I-495 in the west. It sounds
confusing, but it's not too hard to find the city.
If you are headed to DC from the North, stay south on I-95 until you get to Route 50. Take
Route 50 west (the John Hanson Highway) into the city. It will turn into New York Ave.
From the south, take I-95 to I-395. This will lead to you over the 14th Street Bridge and
into the city.
I-66 leads to the city from the southwest, but unless you are traveling during off-peak
hours, you will encounter High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) restrictions. Cars headed
eastbound on the Capital Beltway (I-495) from 6:30 AM to 9 AM, must have
at least one passenger (besides driver) in the car. Same restrictions apply headed
west-bound from 4 PM to 6:30 PM.
Take I-66 across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to Constitution Ave.
If you're coming from the northwest, take I-270 to
I-495 East. Then take Connecticut Avenue south into the city.
