Commute from Centreville to DC?? (Burke, Reston: low crime, townhomes, transfer)

[lovetoboat]

Can you tell me what the general time would be to get to the Metro from Centreville? We are looking into this area as well (the Westfield Schools) but don't want to have too long of a commute. Is it that much more time than Oakton?

[VRE332]

at least 1 hour each way.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by VRE332

at least 1 hour each way.

Yes. Centreville is "out there." It took a co-worker of mine nearly an hour one day last week to get home to Centreville from our workplace in Herndon due to some poor weather, and it took me nearly an hour to drive from my home in Reston to GMU in Fairfax one day last week during rush-hour quite simply due to the congestion. If it takes 45-50 minutes at "peak" hours here to go 9-10 miles, then you can only imagine how long it would take to battle the traffic from Centreville to Vienna to hop on the Orange Line of the Metrorail and then take that to Rosslyn, where you'd transfer most likely to the Red Line.

Traffic is HORRIBLY congested anywhere north and west of Vienna because local urban planners and eleced officials are morons who didn't foresee the need to expand Metro service anywhere else until now---when it is too late and many of us are gnashing our teeth! The Silver Line, which will link Dulles Airport, Herndon, Reston, and Tyson's Corners onto the Orange Line, STILL won't be completed until years in the future, and it SHOULD have been completed, in my opinion, back in the late-1990s.

[lovetoboat]

Okay-crossing that off my list. Too far and too much of a headache. thanks for the replies!

[Legs1357]

One of my friends commutes from Centreville to Foggy Bottom...pays $13 a day in metro and parking and it takes her 1.5-2 hours. Wouldn't recommend it.

[estorilator]

Way more time than Oakton. The Centre Ridge bus is consistently 45 mins to V-F metro during peak hours, like clockwork. Then add 15 min to Ballston, 25 min to Rosslyn. And the fact that yes, the state and local govts are doing nothing to improve the situation (why should they, people are still moving to NoVa in record numbers). And if there's an accident on 66...all bets are off. Now for the good: Centreville HS is one of the top public 100 schools in the entire country, year in and year out. Most people can actually afford a SFH in Centreville -- to own, not rent. The fed gov't will largely or completely subsidize the commute if you get a fed job. You get what you pay for: it's the NoVa "sliding scale." Longer commute = more house, possibly better schools, newer neighborhoods, more suburban feel, less clutter. I worked in Ballston and it took an hour a day. When I worked at the Pentagon it was 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30. Problem is, those times will go up five to ten mins every few years until the local governments start losing money and caring about commute times. Not likely. Still, I would highly recommend Centerville. If you can bite the (big) commute bullet, the public schools, cleanliness, low crime, and actual "community" feel & pride are great.

[CeciliaFuller]

How about the VRE from Burke to DC? Is is easy to park in Burke? How long does it take to drive from Centreville to Burke? Is the commute better than taking the bus and the metro? I am just going to start a new job by the Judiciary Square Station. Please, I will appreciate any suggestions.

[VRE332]

Originally Posted by CeciliaFuller

How about the VRE from Burke to DC? Is is easy to park in Burke? How long does it take to drive from Centreville to Burke? Is the commute better than taking the bus and the metro? I am just going to start a new job by the Judiciary Square Station. Please, I will appreciate any suggestions.

In the morning you can do 28->66E->7100 or something in that respect.

The traffic going North on FFX County Parkway during 4-7pm is congested, but not perfect.

[charlesj]

If you can position yourself near a Metro station like Gallows or Nutley, you save yourself an immense amount of time and take out one variable. Depending on what you are looking for, there are some nice Townhomes right near the Nutley metro.

Unless you plan to commute at odd times, the metro is your only feasible option from anywhere not inside the beltway. A few of my coworkers have a bit more luck coming from further south (Annandale/Burke), but the second you get in a car, its a game of luck traffic wise. I am currently commuting into rosslyn, and it takes 1 hour total door to door from Fair Lakes, half train, half car.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by charlesj

If you can position yourself near a Metro station like Gallows or Nutley, you save yourself an immense amount of time and take out one variable. Depending on what you are looking for, there are some nice Townhomes right near the Nutley metro.

Unless you plan to commute at odd times, the metro is your only feasible option from anywhere not inside the beltway. A few of my coworkers have a bit more luck coming from further south (Annandale/Burke), but the second you get in a car, its a game of luck traffic wise. I am currently commuting into rosslyn, and it takes 1 hour total door to door from Fair Lakes, half train, half car.

The commute by car to Rosslyn/DC from neighborhoods in McLean, Vienna or Great Falls not too far outside the Beltway is decent, but it's a different story if you are talking about places further out like Chantilly, Centreville or South Riding. In that case, I'd definitely agree that Metro is the best option.