Interstate 695 was part of the proposed Inner Loop Expressway in Washington, D.C. The interstate highway was to have continued northward along the western shore of the Anacostia River to U.S. Route 50. Significant opposition to the Inner Loop led to its cancellation, but not before the portion of Interstate 695 from 2nd Street SW to Barney Circle had already been completed. The tunnels beneath the circle and bridge were constructed in 1970 as part of the interstate project.

Interstate 695 from the 11th Street Bridges to Barney Circle was decommissioned in 2012, and the tunnels and connections with the stadium service road are now inaccessible and unused. The District of Columbia tore up the roadway, and began raising the roadbed by 20 feet. Construction on a new local road, "Southeast Boulevard", will conclude in 2016.