Best route for getting out of Manhattan toward New England on Friday afternoon (Boston: area)

[shadyside]

Tomorrow afternoon (Friday), I'll be driving out of Manhattan for a weekend in New England. I'm hoping to leave the West Village area by 4 or 4:15 at the latest. I'd love to leave earlier than that, but unfortunately that won't be possible.

Everyone knows how rough it is to drive out of NYC at the beginning of a summer weekend, since it seems that half the town is trying to get outta Dodge. My question is, is there a less-traveled (or at least less painful) route for getting out of the city toward Connecticut and beyond? My eventual destination is Maine, but as long as I can get into Connecticut relatively unscathed, I'll be in good shape.

Normally I'd do one of the following:

1) Take the West Side Highway going northbound, then switch to the Cross Bronx (I-95) and take that all the way northeast into Connecticut.
2) Take the FDR Drive northbound to the Willis Ave Bridge, then hop on the Bruckner Expressway (I-278) up to I-95.
3) Same as #2, but from the Bruckner, I'd switch to the Hutchinson Parkway instead of I-95, and then take the Hutch all the way up through southern CT along the Merritt Parkway.

Does anyone have a good alternative to these routes? Maybe I could wind my way through the western Bronx and Westchester before cutting eastbound to CT to avoid the South Bronx/southeast Westchester traffic?

[bmwguydc]

The Cross Bronx is almost always delayed, and the FDR and 95 are not usually the best, either.

I would stay with the Henry Hudson to the Saw Mill, exit at the Cross County Parkway and take the Hutchinson northbound from there. Just stay to the left to get on the Hutch northbound where the Cross County Parkway divides, and this area can slow, but it's not nearly as bad as the Cross Bronx/I-95. I would follow the Hutch to the Merritt, and take the Merrit into Connecticut. If you want I-95, exit at the Milford Parkway as it's very close to 95 at that stretch of the Merritt and then follow 95, avoiding the delays in Southern Connecticut.

[7 Wishes]

It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow with most of the weekend being ruined by being on the fringe of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Danny (and worse effects in New England but except maybe on Cape Cod not the kind where they'd evacuate people and I emphasize maybe) so I think at least tomorrow that will cut down on your traffic somewhat. Otherwise, what bmwdcguy said here is sound (in case you go his way and don't see a sign for Milford Parkway, it is exit 54 on the Merritt right after a bridge across the Housatonic River.....I think the sign will say I-95).

[john_starks]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

The Cross Bronx is almost always delayed, and the FDR and 95 are not usually the best, either.

I would stay with the Henry Hudson to the Saw Mill, exit at the Cross County Parkway and take the Hutchinson northbound from there. Just stay to the left to get on the Hutch northbound where the Cross County Parkway divides, and this area can slow, but it's not nearly as bad as the Cross Bronx/I-95. I would follow the Hutch to the Merritt, and take the Merrit into Connecticut. If you want I-95, exit at the Milford Parkway as it's very close to 95 at that stretch of the Merritt and then follow 95, avoiding the delays in Southern Connecticut.

yup, this is the best way. HH>SM>CCP>Hutch>Merritt through CT. no doubt you will hit pockets of traffic @ the Hutch & Merritt. the Merritt's got a thousand exits and hilly. you can reconnect to 95N around the New Haven area.

but Cross Bronx/Bruckner/95 is suicide

[shadyside]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Makes a lot of sense to me, so I'm going to give that route a try.

[holden125]

Don't touch 95 north at all. I do this many a weekend and either (1) the Willis or Triboro (RFK I guess now) to the Bruckner to the Hutch North, or (2) the H Hudson/Saw Mill to Cross County to Hutch North work fine most of the time.

I love the Merritt but I take 684 to 84 east and find it faster every time. If you do take the Merritt, take it to 91 North, then 84 East, then 90 East (Mass Pike), then 495 North to 95 North in Massachusetts. Taking 95 North through eastern CT and RI is way out of the way and has all the Cape/MV and Boston traffic too.