Commute: Annandale to Reston to Arlington? (Orange: construction, top school, live in)

[OrangeFish]

I am considering a private school for my child. The school is in Reston. How long would the commute be from Annandale (Braddock and 495) to Reston and then to Ballston each day during the morning rush?

[claremarie]

It would be long and unpleasant. From Braddock Road to the Dulles Toll Road the Beltway is under construction, with fewer and narrower lanes than usual. Then you have to turn around and join the hordes inbound on the Toll Road and work your way into Ballston. I think you're looking at a commute of at least an hour, and probably more.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by claremarie

It would be long and unpleasant. From Braddock Road to the Dulles Toll Road the Beltway is under construction, with fewer and narrower lanes than usual. Then you have to turn around and join the hordes inbound on the Toll Road and work your way into Ballston. I think you're looking at a commute of at least an hour, and probably more.

Thanks for your reply. An hour-long (+) commute was my fear.

[nananeliz]

Originally Posted by OrangeFish

I am considering a private school for my child. The school is in Reston. How long would the commute be from Annandale (Braddock and 495) to Reston and then to Ballston each day during the morning rush?

I agree, it would probably be about an hour commute, and more in difficult weather or traffic circumstances. I live in Reston and used to work off Edsall Road at the junction of 395 and the Beltway -- that commute took about a half an hour. I currently work in Ballston and that's about a half hour too (not to mention that you would be impacted by the HOV restrictions heading from Reston to Ballston in the morning and back in the afternoon).

[stuntmonkey123]

That commute would be really bad. Just one of those commutes would be bad, but driving from Annandale to Reston and THEN to Ballston would be a nightmare everyday. It would be way over an hour to drive that route.

[Yankeesfan]

That sounds very bad. Is there another school closer by that you would consider?

[gnu]

That is a really nasty commute and I'd say it'd be 1.5 hours +.

Getting on 495N from Braddock means a parking lot all the way until 66 - I get on in the mornings from Arlington Blvd, and it takes 20-25 minutes from that point to get to the toll road exit, so from Braddock it'd probably be 40 minutes. The toll road to Reston would be a cruise, probably only 10 minutes, but then from Reston back to Ballston might take well over an hour judging from how slowly traffic eastbound on the tollroad looks in the mornings. (Unless, of course, you cheat and loop around at the airport and take the traffic-free airport access road all the way into Arlington :-p.)

[nwlv]

In Annandale, you have the top high school in the US, and the top school for mentally disabled persons in the area (The Phillips Schools). Some folks are hard to please.

[claremarie]

The top high school in the US is open only to students who are selected after an extremely competitive admissions process.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by nwlv

In Annandale, you have the top high school in the US, and the top school for mentally disabled persons in the area (The Phillips Schools). Some folks are hard to please.

TJ will not work for my rising-3rd grader.