BELTWAY BONEHEADS

A contractor working on the Springfield Mixing Bowl project missed a 5 a.m. deadline, shutting down the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway at Interstate 395 for an hour and a half during Tuesday's morning commute. -- October 31, 2006; WJLA ABC 7 TV News

Here are some updates on works in progress across the region. Weather and equipment availability can affect timing of some projects. -- By Bob Thomson, October 29, 2006; Washington Post

Want to spend less at the pump? Lose some weight. That's the implication of a new study that says Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960 because of their expanding waistlines. Simply put, more weight in the car means lower gas mileage.
-- October 27, 2006; WUSA TV 9 News

Maryland State Police said they have increased patrols after 25 cars were hit with rocks and bricks as they drove on the inner loop of the Beltway Saturday evening. -- October 24, 2006; NBC4 TV News

A privately backed plan to build express toll lanes on the Virginia portion of the Capital Beltway, which was promoted as a way to ease traffic without using taxpayer money, has become so expensive that the firms behind the project could require more than $100 million in public funds to make it work, according to state transportation officials. -- By Eric Weiss, October 23, 2006; Washington Post