Interstate

The state Department of Transportation reported a collision on the inner loop of Interstate 695 prior to Exit 16 (Interstate 70) in Baltimore County at 9:10 a.m. A three-vehicle collision on the inner loop of Interstate 695 prior to Exit 16 (Interstate 70) in Baltimore County hampered traffic toward the end of the morning rush hour, according to the state Department of Education. The crash closed one of four inner loop traffic lanes and one of two inner loop shoulders at 9:15 a.m., DOT said.

Of the eight possible sites for a new and larger park-and-ride at Interstate 95 and Route 152 in Joppa, state transportation officials' favorite is the least popular with residents. The preferred site is a nearly 10-acre wooded parcel just north of the interstate. "That is 10 acres of pristine woods that is our buffer from 95," said Vince Rabenau of Joppa during an informational meeting last week at the Joppa-Magnolia Fire Hall. The property, owned by Trinity Baptist Church, provides "a sanctuary from the noise, pollution and traffic," he said.

Unrelated traffic accidents yesterday on two interstates claimed the life of one Prince George's County man and critically injured another, state police said. And in Carroll County yesterday, a 41-year-old man was killed when the van he was driving crashed into an embankment in Taneytown, police said. Shortly before 6 a.m., Vincent Tyrone Woodland, 49, of Lanham stopped his pickup truck on southbound Interstate 495 near Upper Marlboro in Prince George's County after seeing a collision in fog. He was standing on the shoulder to warn oncoming motorists when a 2005 Chrysler sport utility vehicle struck the pickup and Woodland.

With $1.6 million in loans and grants, state officials have brought Interstate Corrpack -- and 80 new jobs -- to Cambridge, Gov. Parris N. Glendening said yesterday.Interstate Corrpack said it will invest $15 million in a manufacturing plant on the site of the former Connelly Container building at 903 Woods Road, Cambridge. The company, a division of Rosslyn, Va.-based Interstate Resources Inc., manufactures corrugated boxes for the food industry.Interstate also said it would hire 80 workers over the next two years.

Traffic in downtown Baltimore was being effected Wednesday morning by Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. crews blocking lanes of S. Charles Street between Pratt and Lombard streets for emergency repairs to a 12-inch-wide gas main, according to Rachael Lighty, a company spokeswoman. Lane closures will be in effect "until the work is complete," Lighty said. No estimate for when that will occur was given. Also Wednesday morning, a two-vehicle collision on Interstate 95 in Howard County, prior to Route 175, had closed one lane and the right-hand shoulder as of 8:30 a.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

All lanes of southbound Interstate 95 near Interstate 695 were reopened Thursday after crews spent the morning making emergency bridge repairs that caused miles-long traffic backups, officials said. The temporary repairs were needed after bridge joints where the interstate crosses I-695 failed, said Teri A. Moss, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority. Crews will be back out after the evening rush hour to make additional repairs, she said. For a time Thursday morning, traffic was backed up several miles north of the crossing.

The final section of the Intercounty Connector will be open by 6 a.m. Nov. 22, according to Jack Cahalan, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Transportation. Previously, the state had not said exactly when the section would open. "The weather has played in our favor," Cahalan said. Construction on the toll road, which cost $2.6 billion, started in 2007. The ICC is currently open from Route 97 (Georgia Avenue) through Interstate 370, which feeds into Interstate 270, the main artery between Frederick and Washington.

Patriot American Hospitality Inc. and Interstate Hotel Inc. said yesterday that they had reached a settlement in principle with Bethesda-based Marriott International Inc., paving the way for Patriot to complete its delayed $2.1 billion purchase of Interstate.The companies said they asked the U.S. District Court in Baltimore to delay a trial scheduled to begin yesterday for one week to allow the parties to complete a settlement agreement.The companies said they agreed to keep the terms of the settlement confidential in the interim.

What:Legg Mason Tennis Classic Where:William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, Rock Creek Park, Washington When:Today through Sunday. Sessions daily beginning at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Field:Defending champion Andy Roddick and five-time tournament winner Andre Agassi lead the 56-player draw. Tickets:Call 202-721-9500 or TicketMaster at 410-481-SEAT or via the Web at www. leggmasontennisclassic.com Directions:Take Interstate 95 south to Interstate 495 west (Capital Beltway). Take exit for Georgia Avenue south.

Opponents of the Intercounty Connector have appealed a federal judge's decision to allow construction of the highway. Environmental Defense, the Sierra Club and the Audubon Naturalist Society filed an appeal Monday with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. They are seeking to overturn a November ruling by U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr., who rejected arguments that federal and state planners did not properly study the impact the 18-mile highway would have on the environment and the health of residents living nearby.