beltways
Cities' encircling highways
A beltway is a highway that encircles a city, allowing traffic to bypass the urban center.
The term is especially associated with the Capital Beltway surrounding Washington, D.C., which has given rise to the phrase inside the Beltway to describe the insular world of federal politics and the people who inhabit it.
Someone described as a Beltway insider is deeply enmeshed in Washington's political establishment.
Circular bypass route
- bypassRoute that skirts obstacles
- interchangeReciprocal transfer between parties
- expresswayLimited-access highway
- overpassBridge spanning a road
commuter · traffic · lanes · cloverleaf · asphalt · tollway · orbital · circumferential
Of residential outskirts
- sprawlExtend in disorderly fashion
- commuteRegular work travel
- metropolitanOf a major city
- outskirtsOuter parts of town
perimeter · development · zoning · exurban · city limits · bedroom community · growth · satellite
U.S. seat of government
- insiderOne with confidential access
- establishmentFounded organization or venue
- lobbyistPaid legislative influencer
- punditProfessional opinion-giver
bureaucracy · Capitol · politicians · think tank · elite · policy wonk · partisan · incumbent
ring road
Circular bypass route
- bypassRoute that skirts obstacles
- interchangeReciprocal transfer between parties
- expresswayLimited-access highway
overpass · commuter · traffic · lanes · cloverleaf · asphalt · tollway · orbital · circumferential · motorway
suburban
Of residential outskirts
- sprawlExtend in disorderly fashion
- commuteRegular work travel
- metropolitanOf a major city
outskirts · perimeter · development · zoning · exurban · city limits · bedroom community · growth · satellite · encircle
Washington
U.S. seat of government
- insiderOne with confidential access
- establishmentFounded organization or venue
- lobbyistPaid legislative influencer
pundit · bureaucracy · Capitol · politicians · think tank · elite · policy wonk · partisan · incumbent · special interest
beltwaysthoroughfares
Public roads for transit
arterial roads · spokes · main drags · trunk roads · main streets
beltwaysMain Street
Town's central thoroughfare
heartland · flyover country · small-town America · grassroots · rural America