I-66 was meant to continue eastward from its current terminus at US 29 to connect to the proposed I-95 north of downtown DC. 29 would have been I-266 along the Whitehurst Freeway. I-66 is good at making freeways into stubs; in addition to its own incompleteness, the E Street Expressway stubs off to the east for five blocks, and the Potomac River Freeway stubs to the south after almost no distance at all. The latter was meant to be part of I-695, as the Southwest Freeway, connecting to I-395 (which would have been I-95), duplexing, and then splitting off as the part of the Southeast Freeway that was constructed.


The first interesting sign inside the DC limits, which is defined as the southern shore of the Potomac River; it's on both I-66 and US 50, which are just together to share the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge. This is the last I-66 East reassurance motorists see, and the sign implies that 66 follows the E St. Expressway. "Independence Avenue" is really the end of the Potomac River Freeway, and first leads to Ohio Drive.


Potomac River Freeway SB at Ohio Drive by the Lincoln Memorial. In other words, this would have been I-695 eastbound.


I-66 EB follows the "Whitehurst Freeway" sign. There is still ample opportunity after E St. to exit into the heart of DC (L St.) or onto US 29 North (K St.).


Virginia Ave. NW eastbound at I St. NW. I St. is the first onramp to I-66 since its beginning out of the Whitehurst Freeway EB (US 29 NB).


Circling around from Virginia Ave. NW westbound to I St. NW, via (obviously) 27th St. NW. The district-name signs flank a very wide I.


The sun was out in force, but you can still see this ancient button copy on the Potomac River Freeway SB, which is well-signed as I-66 in this direction. I'm sure the blank sign on the left was meant to be for I-695 EB, the continuation of the Freeway. Note that while all three signs have unreflective backgrounds, they're all different colors.


Now on I-66 and US 50 together, westbound entering Virginia just shy of the shore and the state line. By the time you get to the exit, US 50 is in Virginia, so the DC-US shields are peculiar indeed, even if they are barely within city limits. It's also peculiar that unlike the other DC-US shields to be found in the city, these are on fairly new signs.

Onto US 50 alone

Into Virginia on I-66
Into Virginia on US 50
Onto the George Washington Memorial Parkway
To the Whitehurst Freeway and US 29
Back to DC Roads
Back to Roads