User:Jayron32/295 (draft)

The Anacostia Freeway is the name of a freeway the runs from an interchange with the Capital Beltway near Oxon Hill, Maryland through eastern District of Columbia to its northern terminus at an interchange with U.S. 50. North of U.S. 50, the freeway continues as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The road has several designations. From the southern terminus to the 11th Street Bridges it is designated Interstate 295. From the 11th Street Bridges north to the D.C./Maryland border it is designated District of Columbia Route 295. For the short (less than 0.5 miles) section from the D.C. Maryland border to the complex U.S. 50 interchange, it is designated as part of Maryland Route 210. The freeway takes its name from the Anacostia River which it closely parallels. The section north of East Capitol Street is also sometimes known as the Kenilworth Avenue Freeway as it was built over a portion of the former Kenilworth Avenue; the name still applies to the frontage roads that parallel portions of the freeway.

Route description

I-295

[Image:Capital Beltway Anacostia Freeway junction.jpg|thumb|left|Beginning of I-295 at I-95/I-495 Capital Beltway interchange (2007)]] Although I-295 technically begins at the Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495), a pair of mainline ramps connects the southern terminus of the route to the nearby MD 210. Continuing north from this interchange, I-295 enters the District of Columbia; the route is only 0.8 miles (1.3 km) long in Maryland.

Passing to the west and north of Oxon Cove Park, the route parallels the Potomac River, running through the Southeast quadrant of D.C. It passes close to Shepard Parkway and forms the eastern boundary of Bolling Air Force Base and the Anacostia Naval Station. Near the southern end of Anacostia Park the route turns east and begins to parallel the Anacostia River, interchanging with South Capitol Street near the latter's crossing of the river.

The south end of northbound I-295

Within the park, I-295 encounters the junction with I-695 (which heads northwest across the 11th Street Bridges) and D.C. Route 295 at Exit 4.

DC 295

View north along DC 295

North of the I-695 interchange the road changes designations from I-295 to DC-295. Along the west side of the freeway, between the freeway and the river, lies Anacostia Park. The interchanges along DC-295 are unnumbered. After the 11th Street Bridges, the next three interchanges are with major crosstown thoroughfares: Pennsylvania Avenue, East Capitol Street, and Benning Road. North of Benning Road the freeway becomes narrow, with exits and entrances facilitated by Kenilworth Avenue, which parallels the freeway along both sides and acts as both a frontage road and as a collector-distributor road for the freeway. Frequent pedestrian overpasses cross this section.

MD 210

The road crosses the D.C./Maryland border at Eastern Avenue and assumes the Maryland Route 210 for a short segment (less than 0.5 miles) before an interchange with U.S. Route 50. Beyond this interchange begins the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.