CAPITAL OF THE NATION-READY FOR EVACUATION?

The good ol' Washington Post really stuck its neck out with a bold prediction in their editorial, "Forecast: Gridlock" (Thursday, June 29, 2006). The subhead - "If rain can paralyze movement in downtown Washington, are we ready for a terrorist attack?" - pays tribute to Mother Nature's recent demonstration of raw power.

Should Maryland reconsider the decision to prevent I-95 being built into Washington,D.C.?
(The North Central Freeway was canceled in 1977.)

Without a throughway, traffic from I-95, north of town, is forced onto the beltway (495) and then onto streets to access downtown. This has caused a beltway bottleneck that has consumed extra time and fuel, every day, for years and years. (Not to mention stress and frustration and mishaps)

The same scenario plays out each evening, in reverse. But, commuters have the option of working late, waiting out traffic to enjoy a less stressful return to their homes. In the event of a full scale evacuation, we will all pile into a horrible mess of traffic that strains the imagination.

We must insist that I-95 (North Central Freeway) be built without delay! Invoke Homeland Security. Lives are at stake.

"Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure."
-Edward Eggleston, American Writer, Historian