Capital Beltway

Prince George's man arrested after chase A Prince George's County man was arrested early yesterday after an hourlong chase that began when Baltimore County police attempted to stop him on the Beltway in Woodlawn, authorities said. Two police cars were rammed in the chase, which ended in a crash in Prince George's County, according to police. Terrence Anthony Brooks, 30, of Mitchellville was charged with first-degree assault, malicious destruction of property, reckless driving, fleeing and eluding, and driving on a suspended license, authorities said.

Connector freeway wouldn't solve real congestion problemThe Sun's May 10 editorial "Tying Montgomery Co. to the Baltimore region," claimed Montgomery County needs a new east-west road.This runs counter to positions taken in the past two months by the Montgomery County Council and Prince George's County Council, who want to abandon the proposed Intercounty Connector (ICC).The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), prepared in 1997, found that the proposed ICC would not solve the problem of congestion on the Capital beltway, Interstate 270 or I-95.

COLLEGE PARK -- Technology that lets the Army track speeding bullets is being used by state police to catch aggressive drivers on what is perhaps Maryland's nastiest stretch of highway.Equipment developed at Aberdeen Test Center and installed in a Ford Bronco can scan more than 1,000 vehicles each hour on the Capital Beltway, providing a five-second video clip and snapshots of the region's most atrocious driving.In the first two months of full-time use, more than 600 motorists caught bobbing, weaving and bullying their way through traffic have gotten stern letters listing their transgressions from the superintendent of the state police.

SOME ADVICE for visitors to the new Six Flags America Amusement Park in Largo: Make the trip on a weekday.Those who dare visit on weekends should be prepared to sit through traffic jams on roads that lead to Maryland's only big-league amusement park and then to scout for scarce parking. Many visitors defy caution and park on the shoulders and grass along Route 214.So while the new Joker's Jinx roller coaster is not dangerous, getting to it could be.The $40 million expansion of the former Adventure World -- off Central Avenue (Route 214)

Want to see traffic on the Baltimore Beltway near Wilkens Avenue before you leave the house? Now you can, on your personal computer.The Maryland State Highway Administration has launched a new Internet Web page that features real-time videos of selected locations in the Baltimore and Washington areas.More city and state transportation agencies are venturing onto the World Wide Web, but the Maryland site is apparently one of only two nationally that offer live video footage, according to state and federal highway spokesmen.

A man questioned in Friday's armed holdup of a Roland Park NationsBank is expected to be charged with bank robbery tomorrow, the FBI said, giving authorities their first break since three suspects outran them in a high-speed chase down Interstate 95.Dante Carrington, 22, who police said owned the silver-colored 1993 Subaru Legacy they pursued for 33 miles, was formally arrested yesterday by federal authorities and is being detained until his arraignment in...

ANOTHER small college town. Another shattered community. Another pubescent murder suspect wearing a vacant stare in the back seat of a patrol car.After two youths were charged in the slayings of a teacher and four classmates in Jonesboro, Ark., a month ago, the question was, "How could this happen?"But after another middle-schooler, witnesses say, shot a teacher in the head Friday, then walked coolly into a school dance to open fire, the question now becomes, "How can we stop this?"Andrew Wurst, 14, of Edinboro, Pa., who is charged in the homicide, had told others at James W. Parker Middle School that he was going to the dance to "kill some people."

The way Howard prosecutors see it, former Maryland Trooper James M. Harding was looking for a fight last March 21. The way Harding sees it, his stepson, Marine Cpl. Andre Boone, was the one looking for trouble.What no one disagrees about is that when the men's paths crossed that day, Boone ended up dead, and Harding was charged with homicide.Yesterday, Harding's trial got under way in Howard Circuit Court. Prosecutors called the former state trooper a murderer, while Harding maintained he killed Boone, 23, in self-defense during a struggle at Harding's Columbia home.

ONCE AGAIN, CONGRESS has ducked a responsibility that falls directly in its jurisdiction. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have shelved until next year an important highway reauthorization bill containing two conflicting plans to replace the heavily traveled, crumbling Woodrow Wilson drawbridge linking Maryland and Virginia.It's just as well: Both chambers on Capitol Hill want to fob off on the two states much of the financial burden for replacing this interstate highway bridge.

Next week, drivers will speed down Interstate 495, maybe weaving in traffic or tailgating a tractor-trailer, before flying by a large 4x4 with state police markings.Many of those drivers will relax when the police vehicle doesn't pursue, thinking they've escaped for another day of dangerous motoring.But what they just drove past was a souped-up Ford Bronco equipped with calibrated lasers and three cameras designed to capture dangerous drivers on tape.In a few weeks, those reckless drivers are likely to receive letters about their actions that day, with color photographs showing them in midviolation.

Capital Beltway death toll highest in Prince George's New statistics show that the portion of the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County is by far the deadliest section of the roadway. Forty-two people were killed in crashes between 2006 and 2008 between the Virginia border and the interchange where Interstate 95 splits off toward Baltimore. During the same period, 18 people died on the rest of the highway. The numbers come from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Traffic backed up on the Capital Beltway starting about 3 a.m. Washington subway riders were packed together like Tokyo commuters. Lines at some stations forced would-be riders to wait for hours amid the crowds seeking to return home after witnessing the inauguration of President Barack Obama. But overall, the transportation system in the Washington region appeared to have passed with flying colors its biggest-ever stress test - moving more than 1 million people to the National Mall and inaugural parade route and getting them home.

Hospital patient injured in jump from bridge A patient who walked out of Maryland General Hospital last evening suffered multiple injuries a short time later when he jumped from the Howard Street bridge, said a city Fire Department spokesman. The patient's name was not released. About 6:30 p.m, police and the crews of two ambulances responded to the bridge and to Falls Road under the bridge moments after the man jumped at least 60 feet and landed in heavy brush near the Jones Falls, said Chief Kevin Cartwright.

Avoiding the purgatory that is Interstate 95 on a holiday weekend is not all that difficult if you're heading from Baltimore to the Northeast. Pennsylvania offers a wide choice of routes to scoot to the west of Philadelphia and invade New Jersey. Going south is more difficult. There aren't that many great options when you're heading to Richmond or beyond at peak travel times. The obvious route is to take the Capital Beltway to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and follow I-95 south. But I-95 in Northern Virginia frequently makes the New Jersey Turnpike look like a quiet country road.

Backups are expected at Wilson Bridge Transportation officials are urging motorists to avoid the Woodrow Wilson Bridge this weekend or risk being caught in severe backups. Crews will be finishing work on connections to new lanes on the bridge, which carries Interstate 95 over the Potomac River in suburban Washington. When the work is finished, the new bridge will carry five lanes of Capital Beltway traffic in each direction rather than the current three. Starting today at 9 p.m., the inner loop of the beltway will be reduced to one lane, and several ramps on each side of the river will be closed.

A state prison inmate was struck by a dump truck and killed yesterday morning while working on a cleanup detail on the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County - the second fatality involving a Division of Correction highway crew in the past three months. The Maryland State Police, who are investigating the incident, said the victim's identity was being withheld until the family could be notified. Police said the victim was working on a trash-removal detail shortly after 10 a.m. near Interstate 495 and Landover Road with five other male inmates from the Herman L. Toulson Boot Camp in Jessup.

Prince George's man arrested after chase A Prince George's County man was arrested early yesterday after an hourlong chase that began when Baltimore County police attempted to stop him on the Beltway in Woodlawn, authorities said. Two police cars were rammed in the chase, which ended in a crash in Prince George's County, according to police. Terrence Anthony Brooks, 30, of Mitchellville was charged with first-degree assault, malicious destruction of property, reckless driving, fleeing and eluding, and driving on a suspended license, authorities said.

GAITHERSBURG -- Seeking a new way to finance transportation "mega-projects," the Ehrlich administration said yesterday that it will seek partnerships with private companies to help fund highway and mass transit expansion and share the proceeds. Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan said the first projects for which Maryland will explore such partnerships involve the Capital Beltway and the Interstate 270 corridor. He said the model could be used in the future to expedite construction of express toll lanes on the Baltimore Beltway or Interstate 95 between the city and Washington.

Md. gets A's for higher education Maryland ranked near the top of the nation in a new study of higher education released yesterday, although the state, like most of the rest of the nation, got an F for the affordability of a college degree. The study, conducted every two years by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, evaluates categories such as how well states are preparing students for school, numbers of working people enrolled in college classes, numbers of students who drop out during the first year and benefits to the state from having a highly educated work force.

Mark Middlebusher lives in Maryland, but works in Virginia. An intrepid commuter, he follows Interstate 95 to the Washington Beltway each day. On his route are several variable message signs. One is on I-95 south, just after Route 212, but before I-95 joins the Beltway. The primary function of the more than 60 overhead permanent variable message signs in the state highway system is to alert motorists to delays, lane closures, incidents or construction. Mr. Middlebusher believes the variable message sign should be moved so that drivers see it before they get to the exit for Route 212. He has had plenty of time to ponder why, sitting and waiting in traffic backups.