help please: driving from MD to VT this thursday afternoon (Philadelphia: construction, versus)

[happjack]

i haven't made this drive in a long time (prolly 10 yrs or so), however my nightmares are still riddled with scenes of jersey turnpike/garden state parkway bloodbaths.

i'll be leaving the baltimore area this thursday around 4PM or so (hopefully). i'm thinking that a thursday evening between 5-7 PM is gonna be ugly thru philly/jersey/newark, so i am considering avoiding the area all together and driving an extra 50 miles to go through harrisburg and scranton to reach the ny state thruway at newburgh -- any thoughts or tips on this strategy?

thanks in advance for any advice.

~jack

[SteelCityRising]

I-81 will largely be smooth sailing. Traffic can become congested at times near both Harrisburg and Scranton, two of the state's larger cities, but by and large the snarls should be child's play in comparison to NJ's rat-race gridlock. Best of luck.

[happjack]

thanks swb.

i had someone else recommend this route: I-81 > I-78 east > 287 north > 87 north. according to google maps it would save a bit of time/mileage versus the 81/84 route through scranton. any problems with I-78 that i should be aware of? i.e. more congestion/construction around allentown/bethlehem? i probably won't be hitting allentown until around 7PM or so.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by happjack

thanks swb.

i had someone else recommend this route: I-81 > I-78 east > 287 north > 87 north. according to google maps it would save a bit of time/mileage versus the 81/84 route through scranton. any problems with I-78 that i should be aware of? i.e. more congestion/construction around allentown/bethlehem? i probably won't be hitting allentown until around 7PM or so.

78 can be congested from what I have heard, but I would think that is usually around rush hour. 7pm would probably be fine. I have heard horror stories about traffic on I-287 in Jersey....I would avoid that route.

[happjack]

i'm a d.c. commuter, so "congestion" is only a minor inconvenience...i'm more worried about parking lots!

i won't likely be hitting 287 until after 8 PM, so hopefully the rush hour will be pretty well cleared, right?

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by happjack

i'm a d.c. commuter, so "congestion" is only a minor inconvenience...i'm more worried about parking lots!

i won't likely be hitting 287 until after 8 PM, so hopefully the rush hour will be pretty well cleared, right?

Most likely, but you might want to ask around on the NJ forum for a better idea.

[happjack]

thanks mrkrabs.

i'm already on the nj forum too.

[karen_s]

Originally Posted by happjack

thanks swb.

i had someone else recommend this route: I-81 > I-78 east > 287 north > 87 north. according to google maps it would save a bit of time/mileage versus the 81/84 route through scranton. any problems with I-78 that i should be aware of? i.e. more congestion/construction around allentown/bethlehem? i probably won't be hitting allentown until around 7PM or so.

You should be fine on I-78 at that time heading east, as the bulk of the traffic is the commuter crowd coming west at that time. However, you have to drive pretty fat into NJ to catch 287, it may be quicker to map out what I mention below to compare.

We are north of I-78, on Route 33. When we drive to VT, we go Rt 33 - 80 - State road 402 (no trucks, very rural, saves time) to 84 and then onto the NY State Thruway (I-87). We've done this at many different times of the day/night and the only traffic we've really encountered is a bit by Albany depending upon the time of day.

So if you were on I-78, you could take 78 E to 33 N and then follow the directions I noted above. The mapping programs would take you on Route 209 (a bit shorter) but we have found 402 to be faster because of the lack of traffic (watch for wildlife though LOL)

Good luck with whatever route you use. I would LOVE to be in VT right now

[karen_s]

Just in case you're still mulling over routes, I see that I-95 in Philly is closed, both lanes:
I-95 closed in both directions in section of Philadelphia -- themorningcall.com

So obviously avoid that

[ff18wife]

Once you hit Scranton, what about taking 84 up into NY? Not sure the exact route but I think it's hits the Thruway. Can someone else confirm??