How's traffic driving on 395 into the city 4-8 PM weekdays? (Arlington: moving, stadium)

[ACWhite]

Hi, I should have clarified - I mean driving southwest from MD, not northeast from VA.

I have a friend planning a trip to Arlington, by car from Philadelphia. He is taking I95. What kinds of delays might he encounter once he gets inside the beltway at that time of day? I don't ever take that route so have no idea. Thanks!

[pcity]

I'm a little confused. 395 doesn't go into MD. It starts in DC and goes south toward VA.

If you're talking about 295, it can vary. It will definitely be better going in than coming out. The worst part will be once you're on 395 in DC and trying to get out to Arlington. The other problem is that if you come down from Philadelphia, you hit Baltimore rush hour as well (which is admittedly not nearly as bad as DC rush hour). I would recommend moving the trip back or forward a few hours.

[ACWhite]

Thanks!

[juniperbleu]

The biggest issue will be on 395 by the bridge and, unfortunately, there's not much of a way around it. However, when I go into Arlington around 7-7:30pm the traffic's not that bad. By that point the bulk of it has moved further south. Traffic around Baltimore will be horrible, though.

When I have to drive south from Philly during rush hour I usually take the back way:
- I-95 South to rt 896 in Delaware, just before the tolls
- Follow 896 to 301 south and then 50 East across the Annapolis Bridge
- Off of 50, follow the sign for "Kenilworth Avenue to 295" to get on 295
- From 295 take the Howard Road/Nats Stadium exit to get to 395 South (right at the end of the exit, merge onto South Capitol, follow signs for 395 South)

After the initial traffic on 95, it's pretty much just farms from there on until the bridge. In the evenings you should be going against traffic, so that shouldn't be too bad.

[ACWhite]

Thanks, juniperbleu!