ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I'll be coming back from NC up 95 next week, and of course the traffic on 95 is always a long slow slog along that part of the corridor in the middle of the day. Is it that bad in the mornings as well? I was thinking of getting started driving the night before, sleeping in Fredericksburg, and then getting a 7 a.m. start. Is that huge mistake? Am I better off just getting a 7 a.m. start from Raleigh and hitting that part of the corridor just after lunchtime? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 It has been my experience that 7 a.m. Is always worse than 11 or 12 a.m, however if you are coming through on a day when most people aren't working, 7 a.m. could be fine. If you're in holiday traffic, it's just gonna suck, but the day of the actual holiday is usually fine. We often drive from Baltimore to Alexandria for holiday meals and there's relatively little traffic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) It has been my experience that 7 a.m. Is always worse than 11 or 12 a.m, however if you are coming through on a day when most people aren't working, 7 a.m. could be fine. If you're in holiday traffic, it's just gonna suck, but the day of the actual holiday is usually fine. We often drive from Baltimore to Alexandria for holiday meals and there's relatively little traffic. Yeah, I figured. Darn it. We'd be traveling on Tuesday, so there would definitely be commuter traffic. Southbound usually isn't so bad if we can hit it early enough, but dang, I didn't think the northbound lanes could even get worse than they are after lunch. Until I found the alternate route that now may not work for me, we'd regularly sit in 15-20 miles of crawling northbound traffic. One year it took us 14 hours to make the 8-9 hour trip home. We finally stopped at a strip mall near Potomac Mills, where we ate Chinese food and I tried not to cry. I thought traffic would ease while we waited, but nope, got back on the highway and kept on crawling! It's this or that bridge. I can't decide what's more upsetting :lol: Edited March 23, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Where are you headed? My mom takes a roundabout route that avoids the city but she comes from southern wv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Have you considered 64 to 81 to 70? That route has NEVER been as congested as 95 or the bay bridge route for us. It might be worth looking into. On paper it looks like it's an hour longer but we often come out ahead because there are no traffic delays. It's more scenic too. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaelAldrich Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I think what KungFu Panda is correct. I used to take 95 from NC to points further north (MD, NJ, NY. MA) and if I went around 12-2pm there were delays but they were short. I took 74 to 77 to 81 to 70 and there was no traffic and would have been the same or less time from NC to Baltimore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 Have you considered 64 to 81 to 70? That route has NEVER been as congested as 95 or the bay bridge route for us. It might be worth looking into. On paper it looks like it's an hour longer but we often come out ahead because there are no traffic delays. It's more scenic too. That's one of the options I'm considering, actually. We've taken that route home twice. It adds a little over two hours to the trip (according to Mapquest), but my main concern is that it puts me in the worst part of our state at rush hour, which will then add two more hours. So that's a total of four extra hours anyway. It is a much prettier route though. Maybe if I left at night, drove for a few hours, stopped at a hotel, and then picked up again the next day? Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 What about 301? If traffic is normal on 95, the time isn't much different, but it's scenic and not stressful. If 95 is backed up, 301 could save you hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) What about 301? If traffic is normal on 95, the time isn't much different, but it's scenic and not stressful. If 95 is backed up, 301 could save you hours. It could, but I have a panic attack issue surrounding large and terrifying bridges, so I'm trying to find a possible workaround for that. If I take 301, I have to cross either the Bay Bridge or the Harry Nice bridge, and I'm not sure I can handle either one just yet. I'm considering the Harry Nice, but I'm also considering maybe just being a big chicken and finding another route! I took the 301 route the last two years, and with the exception of the fact that the Bay Bridge last year set off a panic problem that lasted months, it was by far the fastest route I've tried, by several hours. It was fairly scenic too, until we hit the more suburban sections. Pretty farm country! Edited March 23, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Raleigh to points north on 95? How far north? I can't imagine 81 is a better option from there, honestly. From further west in NC maybe. But depends on your endpoint. It sure is pretty and empty. We do 66 to 81 and then back roads into north Georgia to avoid 95. It's so much better. But it makes sense for our middle of nowhere north Georgia endpoint. One very minor trick you can try is going the other way around the city on 495. It's a little longer, but sometimes traffic is better because there's less of a bridge bottleneck. But it depends. When I was going back and forth from NC to New England I could never decide if it was helping or not to do that and then it was rendered moot by moving smack into DC. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 It could, but I have a panic attack issue surrounding large and terrifying bridges, so I'm trying to find a possible workaround for that. If I take 301, I have to cross either the Bay Bridge or the Harry Nice bridge, and I'm not sure I can handle either one just yet. I'm considering the Harry Nice, but I'm also considering maybe just being a big chicken and finding another route! I took the 301 route the last two years, and with the exception of the fact that the Bay Bridge last year set off a panic problem that lasted months, it was by far the fastest route I've tried, by several hours. It was fairly scenic too, until we hit the more suburban sections. Pretty farm country! Take this with a grain of salt (since bridges don't bother me) but I like the Harry Nice. There's a lot less traffic on it than the Bay Bridge, which might help you. Then you can stay on 301 until it becomes 3, and cut over on 32 to 95, or catch I-97 and then over to 95. 95 usually isn't too bad that far north. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I just drove up 95 from NC to DC today (Thursday). We came through Fredericksburg at 1:30pm. Traffic got bad quick right after that, and what should have taken an hour to an hour and a half took about 2 hours -- so not actually too bad. I think if I had come through at 11am, it would have been fine. 7am on 95 going North from Fredericksburg would be a mess. After 10:30am is okay. Could still be slow. Once you get past Woodbridge you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I think some schools are off in No VA next week, so that might reduce the traffic at either time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I think some schools are off in No VA next week, so that might reduce the traffic at either time. Fairfax County and Manassas Public Schools (many NOVA schools) are off this week. My sister is up near Baltimore in Howard County schools, and they are out next week. I'm not sure that it made any difference for my drive today, though I think there were more cars leaving DC early today for the long weekend, making the drive out of DC a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 7am would be the worst you could do! Wait for 10am, get an EZ Pass, go in the HOV lane, and it shouldn't be bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.