HoCo’s Outer Beltway

Since moving to the corporate colony of Columbia Gateway I've begun using an interstate highway to move between Columbia and Ellicott City. From Route 32 to the south, to Route 100 to the north, I-95 has become part of makeshift HoCo outer beltway.

The numbers bear this out. According to the MDOT traffic maps, average daily vehicle volume on I-95 increases from an average daily volume of 190,680 cars below Route 32 to a peak volume of 197,902 vehicles between Route 175 and Route 100. After MD Route 100 the volume drops back down to the 191,280.

Today, at 4:00 PM, as I merged on to 95 from 175, traffic had slowed to 35 mph. By the time I hit 100 it was picking back up again. 

Even with the slower speed, I managed to make it from my office in Gateway to my appointment in Ellicott City in just over 10 minutes.