Traffic was crazy today on the I-495 (Capital Beltway) inner loop. The commute was double that on regular days (which is bad already)! The increased traffic is probably because of people leaving one day early for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend this Thursday (November 25, 2010).
The Google Maps screenshot below was taken at 7:56 PM and traffic was still crazy at that time!
No wonder this route is ranked the 3rd worst traffic bottleneck in the US with 243K cars daily!
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_495_%28Capital_Beltway%29
“Two intersections on the Capital Beltway are ranked in the top 20 on a study of the “worst bottlenecks in the nation.” They are the I-495 at I-270 interchange in Montgomery County, Maryland, ranked third overall, which receives 243,425 cars daily, and the I-495 at I-95 interchange in Prince George’s County, Maryland, ranked 11th, with 185,125 cars”