Work Starts This Summer on Arena Drive Interchange

LANDOVER, Md. - A heavily traveled section of the Capital Beltway is getting prepped for a major makeover. The Maryland State Highway Administration says work will start this summer on keeping the Arena Drive interchange, near Fed-Ex Field, open permanently.

Since the interchange opened in 1997, it has only been used during events, such as Redskins game and concerts. After the work is completed, it will be used full time.

Residents in Prince George's County have been calling for the interchange to stay open permanently, but safety conditions prohibited that from happening.

The interchange sits right between the Landover Road and Central Avenue interchanges, and traffic is often moving very fast when people want to merge onto the Beltway from Arena Drive. Now, the proper safety precautions are going into place.

Parts of the Beltway will be widened, the nearby Landover Road and Central Avenue interchanges will be reconfigured and the Arena Drive interchange will totally be revamped.

The work will take place during off-peak hours, mainly between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., as well as between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Game and event days will not be affected by the construction.

More than 194,000 vehicles travel along the Capital Beltway near Arena Drive each day. All of the work is expected to be finished by spring 2009.

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