A Beltway Change

Slow down to get there sooner? That's not a concept familiar to Washington area drivers. But it's a theory behind the traffic control program that officials with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project launched this week. Drivers on the Capital Beltway between the new bridge and the Springfield interchange will begin to see the speed limit adjust to the level of congestion ahead, an attempt to maintain the flow of traffic. They'll also get information about their likely travel times. Here's a look at how the "variable speed limit" system will work: