I-95 to I-64 E vs U.S 13 S (Baltimore, Frederick: construction, live)

[Danny K]

So I will be driving from philadelphia down to Nags Head, NC in the summer. I will be leaving at 7:00am and stopping for breakfast on the way, and also lunch and dinner, and maybe 1-2 snacks for ice cream or something.

So google maps says the most direct route is to take U.S 13 S through delaware. But it looks like not a highway, is it?

So I was thinking maybe I-95 S to I-64 E might be faster.

Also I drove I-95 route before, but I faced horrible traffic in northern virginia from Alexandria all the way down to Fredericksburg Area.

So here are the options:

Option 1: I-95 S < Baltimore Washington Pkwy (MD-295) < I-295 S < I-95 S (Over the Wilson Bridge) < I-95 S < I-64 E < VA-168 S < U.S 158 E < Nags Head

Option 2: I-95 S < DL-1 S < U.S 113 S < U.S 13 S (Over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel) < I-64 E < VA-168 S < U.S 158 E < Nags Head


I am wondering also how is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel? I herd its over 20 miles, so is it a nice bridge to cross, also is it a tunnel for half way or what? Never crossed this before.

So which option would you take, I want to get there faster. Does Option 2 have many restaurants on the way? And why would you pick that option? And which route is more scenic?

[marlinfshr]

My guess would be 13. I live just outside Ocean City, MD and Nags Head is about 4 - 4 1/2 hours for me with a short stop or 2.

Route 13 has some 45 MPH areas, some lights and some small towns so it's not a steady cruise but you can avoid all the I95 traffic. If you leave Philly around 7ish you should miss the heavy VA beach rush hour traffic. The airport in Philly is just over 3 hours from me. By taking 95 it's hard to time it where you'll miss Balt, Wash, Norfolk AND VA Beach rush hour.

Years ago, in another life, while I lived right outside the capital beltway in MD (495), after many trips going to Hatteras by way of 95 I found it actually a little quicker to head east across the bay and go down the eastern shore to get to the OBX.

The bridge/tunnel is about 17 miles including 2 separate tunnels about a mile or so. It's a long and low twin span bridge with 2 lanes each way but the tunnels are shared with only one lane each direction. Pretty cool if a warship is passing over and you can time it to stop at the rest area by the main channel.

Also, there are plenty of options for getting some food and to me the small towns and farmland down the eastern shore are a lot more interesting then 95 as well.

[newhart]

Another option would be to take 95 south and around the Wash beltway in Md until you get to Rt 5. Take Rt 5 towards Waldorf, then Rt 301 south into Va, to Rt 17 east, through Tappahanock and Gloucester, and you will eventually intersect I64 in York County. This is the route we've been taking from Baltimore to Hampton Roads for years. I can't deal with 95 in NoVa, and there's a lot of construction there now.

[Phyxius]

I like the US 301 to US 17 route better. You can also get on 301 from either 896 South in Delaware (bypassing both Baltimore and Washington traffic) or I-895 to I-97 (pass the Harbor Tunnel)

No matter what, avoid I-95 in Virginia at all cost.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Phyxius

No matter what, avoid I-95 in Virginia at all cost.

And the stretch getting to VA; and while you're at it... most of the rest.

The US 13 route (with the bridge/tunnel) should be done at least once.

[P47P47]

Originally Posted by newhart

Another option would be to take 95 south and around the Wash beltway in Md until you get to Rt 5. Take Rt 5 towards Waldorf, then Rt 301 south into Va, to Rt 17 east, through Tappahanock and Gloucester, and you will eventually intersect I64 in York County. This is the route we've been taking from Baltimore to Hampton Roads for years. I can't deal with 95 in NoVa, and there's a lot of construction there now.

That's the route that I use to get to Elizabeth City, NC.

I find the best place to go from Rt. 17 to I-64 is the road that goes to Fort Eustis.

[jobber123rd]

Originally Posted by Danny K

So I will be driving from philadelphia down to Nags Head, NC in the summer. I will be leaving at 7:00am and stopping for breakfast on the way, and also lunch and dinner, and maybe 1-2 snacks for ice cream or something.

So google maps says the most direct route is to take U.S 13 S through delaware. But it looks like not a highway, is it?

So I was thinking maybe I-95 S to I-64 E might be faster.

Also I drove I-95 route before, but I faced horrible traffic in northern virginia from Alexandria all the way down to Fredericksburg Area.

So here are the options:

Option 1: I-95 S < Baltimore Washington Pkwy (MD-295) < I-295 S < I-95 S (Over the Wilson Bridge) < I-95 S < I-64 E < VA-168 S < U.S 158 E < Nags Head

Option 2: I-95 S < DL-1 S < U.S 113 S < U.S 13 S (Over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel) < I-64 E < VA-168 S < U.S 158 E < Nags Head


I am wondering also how is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel? I herd its over 20 miles, so is it a nice bridge to cross, also is it a tunnel for half way or what? Never crossed this before.

So which option would you take, I want to get there faster. Does Option 2 have many restaurants on the way? And why would you pick that option? And which route is more scenic?

You would be going faster for much of Option 1, but it's hard to make up for the extra 65 miles (compared to Option 2) from Wilmington to Chesapeake -- nearly impossible if you get caught up in any traffic from Baltimore to Fredericksburg.

US-13 from Pocomoke City MD to Cape Charles VA is a 4-lane road that's 55 mph in rural areas (which cover the vast majority of the distance), and lower limits (usually 45, but IIRC 35 or 40 in a couple of places) in the few towns that it goes through. US 113 has similar character south of the Milford DE area, though there is a stretch of a few miles in MD that's two lanes. If you follow Google's suggested route (DE-1 to US 113), you won't be on 13 at all in DE; you'd be on it for maybe 5 miles in MD before crossing the VA state line.

There are restaurants along the way, but typically fewer in each location than the range of choices you get at your average suburban I-95 exit in the region. There's more along US-13 in DE/MD, if you choose to take that route, exiting DE-1 in Dover. It's a (slightly) shorter distance than going to US-113, but it goes through more developed areas with lower speed limits. (It must be noted, however, that US-13 is 4 lanes all the way through, and you get to use the limited-access Salisbury Bypass.) Google Maps estimates a 1-minute difference between the 13/113 routes in getting from Dover to Pocomoke City.

By the way, there are two tunnel sections in the CBBT, each a mile long: