Vienna traffic clarification (Centreville, Chantilly, McLean: travel, work, homes)

[ManWithoutQualities]

When people say the traffic in Vienna is bad, do they mean that the morning commute from Vienna to D.C. is bad? Or do they mean the traffic within Vienna itself can also be bad?

Is it slow and congested everywhere you go (school, bank, hardware store, etc.)? At most times of the day?

Thanks!

[juniperbleu]

I don't live there, so all my information is second-hand, but my friend has been living a few minutes' drive from the metro and complains constantly of the traffic (she doesn't drive into DC, just to the metro). According to her, she can't go to the grocery store until after 7:30 or it'll take 45 minutes to just get there. Because of her experience there alone she's dreading the idea of living near DC after grad school (I told her live within the Beltway and she won't have that problem).

Basically, the description reminds me of where my parents used to live in New Jersey. You learn when the traffic is and stay off the roads until it's over. I've driven through there at night (usually 9pm or so) and it's been fine, but I think rush hour and possibly weekend traffic is what can be very bad. Also, keep in mind that the friend I mentioned is a pure country girl and not used to much traffic.

[SueB1]

That's ridiculous. I live in Vienna and get to four grocery stores, all in 5 to 8 minutes, without any traffic lights or backups. Ditto tons of restaurants, Starbucks, the library and the post office. I run around Vienna all day. There is no problem getting around the town at anytime of the day, although the main route, Maple Avenue, gets crowded at rush hour. But the lights are timed pretty well. Vienna is a great town with great services. Much more traffic than we had 20 years ago, but still not a big issue within the town.

[eikalilos]

Within Vienna, no problem. In the A.M. on a weekday, trying to get down 66 from West towards DC, not so good. Have patience. On a weekend, not a biggie.

[Fairfax Mom]

I sometimes go into Vienna during the workday and it is always crowded and takes forever to get anywhere. I guess you locals must know some back road.
Vienna is a beautiful town though - I love all the old homes.

[dkf747]

Every time I have been there the traffic was awful. Well, ok, one time it wasn't, but that was at night.

[mtneeratheart]

I agree with the above posters. I work in Tysons Corner and drive through Vienna quite often, the traffic is horrible. I guess it depends on the exact location but I'm hear to tell you the Vienna/Tysons area isn't some traffic free utopia. I've taken 123 before away from Tysons and it has taken me half an hour to go through a few stop lights...

[novanative75]

Back roads are key in Vienna. You can parallel Maple Avenue, 123, through the whole town on back roads.

[claude henry smoot]

I think timing is the key... 123 can get pretty choked up during evening rush, and on Saturday afternoons. I've driven through 123/Vienna on some Saturday afternoons where it takes me 10 minutes to travel a half mile. I generally make it a point to avoid Vienna during certain times of the day due to 123 traffic.

Back roads are an option though... just gotta pull a map or GPS out and plan ahead.

[saganista]

Traffic is something to consider everywhere in NoVa. Vienna is no exception, though it has nothing to do with I-66 backups. Those are typical in the AM because the road carries heavy eastbound volume from Chantilly/Centreville/Manassas and the rest of the western county, and 66 itself is HOV-only inside the Beltway. That's lots of cars trying to exit onto 495, a road that is already heavy (at best) itself. The results are pretty predictable.

As for Vienna proper, 123-North in the morning and 123-South in the evening are major arteries into and out of Tysons Corner. Expect delays. They can be quite substantial. Mid-day to mid-afternoon on Saturday will also be bad, but not as bad as in the rush hour. People are mostly not at work or school on Saturday. That's more people out on the road for activities, shopping, and what have you, with 123 again bearing the major brunt of that.

There is not a good back-road alternative to 123 on the north side of town because of one-way streets and a resulting lack of ways to cross over Wolftrap Stream. The south side of town offers some better options, but the residents of both sides of town are glad that the town was laid out in general to discourage commuter cut-throughs.

The bottom line is that there are messy traffic spots all over NoVa, and some of those are in and around Vienna. With familiarity, you learn what routes to use when in order to minimize the problem. Like <SueB1>, I'm all over Vienna (and those same four grocery stores, I'm sure) as well as Oakton, Fairfax, Falls Church, and McLean. Vienna isn't any worse than any of them...