The region has identified twenty five (25) corridors radiating from downtown Washington, DC as emergency event/evacuation routes. Each of the routes extends to the Capital Beltway (I-495) and beyond. Egress and ingress signs have been designed and approved for installation along these routes by the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. This will allow for easy identification by the motoring public and authorities.

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, between Rock Creek Park and the US Capitol serves as the dividing line for egress routes. When evacuation is ordered, motorists north of Pennsylvania Avenue will be directed North, East, and West on radial evacuation routes; motorists south of Pennsylvania Avenue will be directed South, East, and West on radial evacuation routes. None of the evacuation routes cross and no vehicles will be permitted to cross Pennsylvania Avenue during an emergency evacuation.

During a major event or emergency situation, radial evacuation routes featuring traffic signals will be retimed. Selected traffic signals on each radial corridor will be recalibrated to operate on a cycle length of 240 seconds (4 minutes) with maximum green time allocated to the main street. Signalized intersections between these selected traffic signals will be operated on flash with yellow for the main street and red for the side street. In addition, 70 critical intersections on the evacuation routes within Washington, DC will be manned with uniformed police officers to expedite the flow of traffic and to prevent bottlenecks.

• Evacuation/Event Routes Map* (1.3MB)

You may also view the map in JPEG format. To enlarge, click on the icon that appears when scrolling over the black and white arrow at the bottom of the map.

Additional websites regarding emergency preparedness:

• Emergency Management Agency
• Regional Emergency Coordination Plan