Mt Airy to New Brunswick NJ: doable or crazy? (Philadelphia: home, transfer to)

[taha-nj]

Wife and I both work in New Brunswick, 4 days a week, we have very flexible schedules so rush hour commute is not an issue. Having recently visited W Mt Airy we were struck by the community, the beauty of her housing stock, and the affordability of the area.

So the biggest issue is getting to NB. We thought about driving to Trenton and then taking the train. But just driving straight to NB could be easier maybe? A little over an hour each way. I never had a commute that long, so not sure if it's doable or even worth it. Any ideas?

[RightonWalnut]

How many days will you be commuting to NB? 5 days a week? As you said, I would hop on Route 1 to Trenton, then take the train to NB... traffic can get ATROCIOUS during the week once you pass Trenton along Route 1.

If you have a flexible schedule, I would certainly recommend it. Do you have to go into work ALL 5 days a week? Maybe you can work from home some days?

I would recommend getting a monthly pass for NJ Transit and do just as you plan... hopefully your employer will let you come in only a few days a week or transfer to a closer location if there is any (possibly Central or South Jersey? Maybe they have offices in the Philadelphia metro?... it is worth a shot in asking.)

Mt. Airy is certainly a very beautiful area.

Hope you enjoy and I hope everything works out for you

[bryson662001]

I used to commute occasionally between Cranbury and Center City and the trip on 130 was surprisingly smooth and traffic free, usually less than an hour. The problem IMO is getting from NJ to Mt Airy through the city. That is the deal breaker. Have you looked in the other direction? Someplace in North Jersey that has an atmosphere like Mt Airy?

[BTA88]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

I used to commute occasionally between Cranbury and Center City and the trip on 130 was surprisingly smooth and traffic free, usually less than an hour. The problem IMO is getting from NJ to Mt Airy through the city. That is the deal breaker. Have you looked in the other direction? Someplace in North Jersey that has an atmosphere like Mt Airy?

The OP already lives in North Jersey.

I agree that driving through the city is a nightmare and would suck the life out of you quickly. I've never found an acceptable to me way to drive through or around Philly.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by BTA88

I agree that driving through the city is a nightmare and would suck the life out of you quickly. I've never found an acceptable to me way to drive through or around Philly.

From Mt Airy, snake your way north to the PA Turnpike, then over to Rt 1.
Or, take Lincoln Drive down to the river and pick up Roosevelt Blvd, also Rt 1.
Rt 1 all the way to New Brunswick.

Google Maps claims 1 hour and 20 minutes, late on a Friday night. I imagine it will be worse during the day, even away from rush hour... What's Rt 1 in NJ like? Is it limited-access highway, or some stop lights?

[tintin19119]

Your best bet is to take Stenton ave. to Paper Mill Rd. then jump on 309 to the turnpike.That`s the way I take into NJ. I would avoid RT.1 ,way too many accidents and jam ups.