Anne Arundel County to DC commute (New Carrollton, Largo: vs., beach, office)

[ianthomas]

Can anybody tell me what the commute would be like to downtown DC from south-western Anne Arundel County (say, the Lothian area)? How is Rt. 4 during rush hour? Would Davidsonville be better, commuting in on Central Ave.? Thanks.

[PenguinSix]

Route 4 depends on the time. If you are going when everyone else is going, you'll have a bit of a backup near the AFB and then again in the city proper. PA Avenue is hit or miss pretty much every day.

We often go in about 9 to get to work by 10 without much of a problem from Chesapeake Beach (i.e. a bit further from Lothian). But a wreck on the Freeway or on Suitland/PA Avenue can make the day ride suck pretty badly throughout SE (295/Suitland/11th Street Bridge/PA Avenue). A wreck on any of the arteries can be negotiated around, but the Freeway has quite a ripple effect.

[sobo16]

Would driving to a metro stop be an option? I'm not sure what it's like traffic-wise getting there, but taking the Green Line (from the Branch Avenue stop), the Blue Line (from Largo Town Center), or the Orange Line (from New Carrollton) might relieve some of the stress of driving. Does anyone have any advice commuting from southern Anne Arundel County to any of these metro stops?

[PenguinSix]

We've tried the metro option, using things like Largo or Branch, and basically it just is annoying. You find a place to park (if lucky), wait 10 minutes for a train, and then you have a 30 minute ride downtown, and then get to your office vs. driving all the way. After driving 20 minutes to a metro driving another 20 vs. subway for 30-40 doesn't always work.