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By Robert Thomson

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Lately I've been hearing from some of the metropolitan Magellans who travel from one end of our region to the other, then back home again.

As they arc around the Capital Beltway, they wonder if there might be some hidden passageway, some narrow strait that would free them from the slow stream of traffic in which they float.

Exploration sometimes leads to discoveries, but our basic routes across the region are well-established. With few exceptions, the likely improvements involve more creative use of existing routes and upgrading the mass transit alternatives.

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

My daughter will be doing a field placement in Hyattsville. She plans to take the Capital Beltway Exit 29 East, then University Boulevard to Sargent Road. We live in Herndon, three miles from the entrance to the Dulles Toll Road at Reston Parkway.

I am at a loss as to what time she should be leaving to arrive in Hyattsville by 8 a.m. Some friends have said she will be going against traffic. She will leave her job at 4 p.m. That could be a tough trip home. Do you have any suggestions or input on this trip? I am a worried mom.

Caryn Rich

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