Outer Loop

As if Baltimore's Beltway weren't loopy enough.Over the past two months, state highway crews have erected a dozen signs under selected Interstate 695 route markers with the designation of "Inner Loop" or "Outer Loop."The signs are supposed to help motorists figure out which way they're headed on the busy interstate. The inner loop designates the interior circle of the divided highway, the outer loop the outside half.But, after posting the signs, the State Highway Administration began to realize that a lot of drivers don't understand what the heck this inner and outer loop stuff means.

Two people were killed and others were injured in a car accident at the Curtis Creek drawbridge that closed all lanes of eastbound Interstate 695 in Baltimore late Sunday night, according to the Baltimore Fire Department. Rescue personnel were dispatched to the outer loop bridge at 10:01 p.m. and found at least five victims, a dispatcher said. A Maryland Transportation Authority Police spokesman said 21-year-old Victoria DeAngelo of Dundalk entered the outer loop of 695 near exit 1 driving in the wrong direction Sunday night around 10. She then crashed into an SUV. DeAngelo and a 3-year-old in the SUV, Lily Kelley, died.

Two accidents within a half-mile of each other on the Baltimore Beltway in Catonsville yesterday evening left one person dead and eight injured and caused major traffic jams on the inner and outer loops, state police said.The name of the dead man, a 29-year-old Catonsville resident, and the names of the injured were not immediately available.A Baltimore County Fire Department dispatcher said eight people were taken to three hospitals by ambulances from several county fire stations.The dispatcher said six people were taken to Sinai and St. Agnes hospitals and an adult and a child were transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore City by a state police MedEvac helicopter.

Incidents in Baltimore suburbs caused lane closures during Thursday morning's commute, according to the state Department of Transportation. In Anne Arundel County, a disabled vehicle in the roadway of MD 100 East prior to the Baltimore Washington Parkway closed one of three eastbound shoulders at 7:50 a.m., DOT said. The transportation authority reported two collisions on the outer loop of Interstate 695 in Baltimore County. A five-vehicle collision on the outer loop of I-695 past Frederick Road has closed two of three outer loop traffic lanes and the outer loop traffic shoulder at 7:10 a.m. And, a two-vehicle collision on the outer loop of I-695 at Dogwood Road has closed one of two outer loop shoulders at 7:57 a.m., DOT said.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on I-95 northbound at Scaggsville Road, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on the outer loop of I-695 at Liberty Road in Baltimore County and on southbound I-95 near I-395 in Baltimore City. A disabled vehicle was obstructing traffic on the outer loop of I-695 near Belair Road. There were no major delays reported on Baltimore area transit systems.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow on I-895 southbound past Lombard Street, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Route 100 at Hoods Mill Road in Howard County, Route 97 at Hook Road in Westminster, the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at Charles Street in Baltimore County, and the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at Perring Parkway in Baltimore County. There were no major delays to local transit systems.

Five traffic incidents, including two in Baltimore County, prompted road closures during Friday morning's commute, according to the state Department of Transportation. A single-vehicle crash in Baltimore County on the outer loop of Interstate 695 at the Northwest Expressway exit closed the left outer loop shoulder at 8:43 a.m., DOT said. Also in Baltimore County, a four-vehicle collision on Interstate 95 South at the 63.9 mile marker has closed one of two southbound traffic shoulders at 8:34 a.m., DOT said.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow on Route 97 southbound at Generals Highway, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Route 100 eastbound at Route 97 in Anne Arundel County and the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at Route 10 in Anne Arundel County. There were no major delays reported on local transit systems.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, traffic was slow on I-95 northbound prior to I-395, due to an accident involving five vehicles. Accidents were slowing traffic on I-95 southbound prior to the Baltimore Beltway, I-83 southbound at Belfast Road in Baltimore County, the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at Reisterstown Road in Baltimore County, the outer loop of the Baltimore Beltway at Stevenson Road in Baltimore County, U.S. 40 westbound past the Baltimore...

After nearly five hours of halted traffic, an accident on the Baltimore Beltway was cleared shortly after 9 p.m. Friday, reopening three lanes on the outer loop, according to Maryland's Department of Transportation. The single-vehicle accident on Interstate 695, just north of the highway's intersection with Interstate 70, closed all but one outer loop lane around 4 p.m. Maryland State Police's Golden Ring Barrack said that there were no injuries. Traffic headed south toward Catonsville was slow for miles, at times traffic was backed up all the way from Interstate 70 to Towson.