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Thanks artyguy. What about buses or metro? Is metro even an option out that way?
my father commutes from his home about five minutes from the home you posted. He drives to Springfield, then metros into DC.
he leaves the house at about 545AM, arriving to springfield around 630ish, and then an hour or so on the train into DC.
he makes it out of the metro garage right around 6pm, and makes good time on the (at that point open HOV) typically and only needs 15-30 minutes to make it into woodbridge.
If you are leaving home at 5 am you will beat the morning traffic in the regular I-95 lanes. And if you are leaving Pentagon at 6:30 pm you miss out on the HOV lanes so you might as well drive in your own car. Post 6 pm the regular southbound lanes are usually less congested that the HOV lanes because everyone piles in the HOV lanes thinking it will be faster.
While Lake Ridge is a nice area, I would try very hard not to be up Old Bridge as far as that. My parents live off Springwoods. I used to wish I had moved off Old Bridge (this was back in the 90s). Now, I am thankful that I do not have to make that commute. They can't really make that road wider or better and it can be awful.
Leaving at 5AM, your husband should be fine. I leave my house at 5:15 am (I am more down by Montclair) and I am at my desk in DC at 6AM. The Old Bridge Road part, though is full of lights and if you don't catch them right, it's an arduous drive. I've done it many times when I had to go to my parents and I *hate* it. Of course, you get used to it and I think most people who live off of it are immune or used to it.
If you are set on Lake Ridge, try to find somewhere that is closer to I95. Of course, the houses are older but I think your husband will appreciate it.
The commute factor might be an issue, if you want a one of less than an hour. Once you get to I-95 via bus or slugging, your husband will be fine (~20-25 minutes from between Exit 160 and the Pentagon). However, he will need to travel all the way down Old Bridge from near Hoadley, which can take a long time (20-40 minutes, depending on traffic). The home is also located a decent distance from Old Bridge, which again adds to the commute.
This is the same problem I ran into when we were looking to purchase a home in Lake Ridge. Depending on what part you're in and how long you have to stay on Old Bridge during rush hour that can be an extra 30 to 45 minutes.
OP, Lake Ridge is a great area, lots of trails and family activities to do. The commute wouldn't be the greatest but it wouldn't be too awful depending on the times your husband is working.
Thanks artyguy. What about buses or metro? Is metro even an option out that way?
It is-- use the Franconia-Springfield station. Even though I am stationed at Belvoir, there are times I need to go into DC for work. I'll leave around 6 am and I'm at the metro station in 30 minutes. Metro ride from Franconia to the Pentagon is 20'ish minutes.
From that part of Lake Ridge, the best bet is to use OmniRide and/or Slug out of Horner Rd commuter lot. Slugging is an effective way to travel and if you're going to the Pentagon, it's easy to get a ride. If not, take the OmniRide bus that also leaves out of there.
I am not personally familiar with the particulars of commuting from that location. The house certainly looks lovely. However, I just want to put out a cautionary note for you regarding commuting in this area. I'm not sure where you're coming from, but there are few stretches of interstate in this country that are as congested in this country as the 395/95 corridor from DC to Fredericksburg. Yes, there are ways to traverse it that do not involve sitting in your car for hours on end, but sitting on a bus (or even having to stand sometimes), slugging, and even Metro are not things that everyone enjoys. Maybe your husband has a lot of experience with these types of things or is a very roll with the punches sort of person. But, if I were in his shoes and had a 6 am to 6:30 pm job with the sort of commute he would looking at from that location, it wouldn't take long before I'd be depressed and hating life. I mean, on top of what I would call long hours, he may be dealing with a 1.5 hour commute home in the evenings that will be worse than that on many days - seriously, there are days in the summer where I wouldn't be surprised if it takes your husband 2+ hours to get from the Pentagon to that location at 6:30 pm, even on a bus or slugging.
That location may work very well for your family, but I would personally think long and hard about whether that commute is worth it, particularly given the long hours your husband is going to be working. You certainly won't find that kind of new, large house for the same money closer in, but your husband and your family may be a lot happier.
I am not personally familiar with the particulars of commuting from that location. The house certainly looks lovely. However, I just want to put out a cautionary note for you regarding commuting in this area. I'm not sure where you're coming from, but there are few stretches of interstate in this country that are as congested in this country as the 395/95 corridor from DC to Fredericksburg. Yes, there are ways to traverse it that do not involve sitting in your car for hours on end, but sitting on a bus (or even having to stand sometimes), slugging, and even Metro are not things that everyone enjoys. Maybe your husband has a lot of experience with these types of things or is a very roll with the punches sort of person. But, if I were in his shoes and had a 6 am to 6:30 pm job with the sort of commute he would looking at from that location, it wouldn't take long before I'd be depressed and hating life. I mean, on top of what I would call long hours, he may be dealing with a 1.5 hour commute home in the evenings that will be worse than that on many days - seriously, there are days in the summer where I wouldn't be surprised if it takes your husband 2+ hours to get from the Pentagon to that location at 6:30 pm, even on a bus or slugging.
That location may work very well for your family, but I would personally think long and hard about whether that commute is worth it, particularly given the long hours your husband is going to be working. You certainly won't find that kind of new, large house for the same money closer in, but your husband and your family may be a lot happier.
I agree with most of your post and that the OP needs to be careful. However, for the bolded part, I think it's a huge exaggeration. If the OP's husband chooses to bus, slug, or carpool he will be fine. Granted, a lot of that benefit of public transportation goes out the window leaving the Pentagon at 6:30. He'd do VERY well if he left by 5:30 PM. With the exception of some major catastrophe, public transporation to Woodbridge via the HOV (soon-to-be HOT) lanes, is really quite wonderful. I have worked late often and left DC between 6-6:30 and it's generally a 1-hour ride home for me (single rider) at that time. Sure, there are days that it has been worse (and days that it was only 45 minutes).
Having said all that, I still stand behind the rule of living as close as you can to your work center with trying to get a good balance of schools and home life. I still think the Springfield area is ideal for the OP's husband and it certainly gives the family a great school system. The housing is probably not going to be as nice as what you can get for the same money in the Woodbridge area so a family needs to really think about just how important a beautiful, modern home is to them in comparison to a person's commute. If there's a spouse and 4 children spending a LOT of time in that house, it could be very important to them. Just depends on your priorities.
I agree with most of your post and that the OP needs to be careful. However, for the bolded part, I think it's a huge exaggeration. If the OP's husband chooses to bus, slug, or carpool he will be fine. Granted, a lot of that benefit of public transportation goes out the window leaving the Pentagon at 6:30. He'd do VERY well if he left by 5:30 PM. With the exception of some major catastrophe, public transporation to Woodbridge via the HOV (soon-to-be HOT) lanes, is really quite wonderful. I have worked late often and left DC between 6-6:30 and it's generally a 1-hour ride home for me (single rider) at that time. Sure, there are days that it has been worse (and days that it was only 45 minutes).
Having said all that, I still stand behind the rule of living as close as you can to your work center with trying to get a good balance of schools and home life. I still think the Springfield area is ideal for the OP's husband and it certainly gives the family a great school system. The housing is probably not going to be as nice as what you can get for the same money in the Woodbridge area so a family needs to really think about just how important a beautiful, modern home is to them in comparison to a person's commute. If there's a spouse and 4 children spending a LOT of time in that house, it could be very important to them. Just depends on your priorities.
Well, maybe the 2+ hour commutes home is an exaggeration - I certainly defer to you having the actual experience that I do not in commuting from Woodbridge. But, do you think the 1.5 hour door to door commute time from the Pentagon is really a huge exaggeration? If I lived any distance from the nearest park and ride lot in Springfield, my door to door commute time from the Pentagon would easily be an hour. Since I'm really close, it's more like 40-45 minutes (making my door to door commute time into DC almost exactly an hour). So, adding about 30 minutes to that for a point further south doesn't seem like it would be that unrealistic, particularly after 6 pm when the HOV lanes can fill up and become gridlocked. But, you definitely have the experience that I do not so maybe an hour door to door commute time is possible from the house OP is contemplating. Obviously leaving at 5 am in the morning, the morning commute should be much better.
It's my urnderstanding that this area is nice for families with kids. Not sure why this home has been on the market for soooooo long (over 140 days). I called and its still available. It feeds into schools with good ratings. Is it a safe area?
It says its 27 miles to the Pentagon but not sure what that equates to in VA traffic? Thanks
That is very near my home. You would take about a 5-10 minute drive to where you could pick up a direct commuter bus to the pentagon. The bus takes 55 minutes from that lot - that is extremely reliable time frame. As far as driving, in the non-HOV lanes, when traffic is running smooth it is about a 40-45 minute drive to the pentagon, in the crush it is about 1:15 minutes. The early morning hours aren't the issue - it is the return home you have to worry about. The worst so far my husband has encountered was 2 1/2 hours on a Friday afternoon. However, that is not the norm. Slugging, which allows use of the HOV lanes, is quicker.
I love living in this area! It's near enough to Fort Belvoir that you can still use those services but is more suburban than nearer to base. Not only that but you can also use Quantico by driving about the same amount of time south. Local driving is easy and everything you could want is here. However, whenever you want the big city life, it is accessible. The schools are good - especially the elementary school. When the new high school is built your kids should go there. I highly recommend the area. The rent is within the reasonable range for this specific area, although it is high for Woodbridge in general.
I don't have any personal experience with that location, but I would like to second the suggestion that you check out Springfield. We live in West Springfield (22152 zip code) and my husband had the choice of three express buses to the Pentagon, all stopping within about four blocks of our house. It was a 30-minute bus ride. He could not possibly have found an easier, less stressful way to commute. The buses start early enough and end late enough for your husband's schedule. The houses are definitely older and not quite as big, but here's a house that's not far from us: Springfield Home For Rent near Fort Belvoir MBO194081 It's a wonderful neighborhood with excellent schools. I can't say enough about how happy we are that we settled here.
Good luck with your decision!
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