Whether you agree with highway expansion or not, the new Springfield Mixing Bowl interchange (where a worker was killed this weekend) and the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge under construction are impressive pieces of infrastructure considering the amount of concrete and engineering ingenuity that have gone into the projects. The Capital Beltway connecting the two chokepoints is slated for some major improvements as well, and one of the most controversial is how Virginia is planning to reconstruct the Route 1 interchange without imposing more of its right-of-way on the city of Alexandria.

Highways and Communities, “A Gallery of the History and Evolving Design of Highways, and their interrelationship with the adjoining communities, particularly in cities” has been working on the problem and is proposing on “Orb” interchange for Route 1 and the Beltway. According to the plan, it’d incorporate a future Purple Line metrorail line, increase parkland on a decked-over section of the Beltway and move traffic more smoothly through the partial spiral/radial interchange.

An interesting proposal. To see what Virginia envisions, check out image 23 from the official Wilson Bridge website gallery.