Drive to DC. How to avoid DC traffic/rush hour. (Raleigh: home, live in)

[helenocean]

I need drive to DC and come back in one day. Last time when I drove, from Raleigh to DC, only 4 hours, because I started at 7Pm. But when I drove back from DC to Raleigh, it was a Sunday afternoon, but still I was trapped in the traffic outside of DC and took me 4 hours from DC to Petersburg.

Could anyone give me some good suggestion how to avoid the traffic/rush hour?
Thanks!

[mdp_az]

Amtrak or US Airways. Of course, either of these options has its own issues. I'm afraid there really isn't a good option.

[Waterboy526]

Originally Posted by helenocean

I need drive to DC and come back in one day. Last time when I drove, from Raleigh to DC, only 4 hours, because I started at 7Pm. But when I drove back from DC to Raleigh, it was a Sunday afternoon, but still I was trapped in the traffic outside of DC and took me 4 hours from DC to Petersburg.

Could anyone give me some good suggestion how to avoid the traffic/rush hour?
Thanks!

Ahh how I don't miss DC traffic. I especially loved my 50 mile 3 hour nightmare from Fairfax County to Fredericksburg on a Friday afternoon when I used to drive down to see my wife (GF at the time).

The only advice I can give is drive at off times if possible...this is the only way to avoid the traffic. Traffic on 95 south can last until 8-9pm with no accidents or almost all night long if there is a bad accident/accidents.

[bta]

Originally Posted by helenocean

I need drive to DC and come back in one day. Last time when I drove, from Raleigh to DC, only 4 hours, because I started at 7Pm. But when I drove back from DC to Raleigh, it was a Sunday afternoon, but still I was trapped in the traffic outside of DC and took me 4 hours from DC to Petersburg.

Could anyone give me some good suggestion how to avoid the traffic/rush hour?
Thanks!

You can try this method if traffic is bad. I typically check the traffic report before I leave and decide if I'm going to use this route.



I wouldn't suggest it without a GPS. You're really going through the backwoods of VA. The roads take strange turns and aren't marked well.

Basically you want to go by:

Burke Lake
to Manassas via Yakes Ford Rd
to Culpeper
to Mineral
to Gum Spring
to Richmond
to Raleigh

It will add about 60 miles and at least an hour but you won't hit any traffic. I used this method during Thanksgiving and it worked well.

[mmemk]

Another alternate route is taking 50 East to 301 South and connecting to 95 just north of Richmond.

[Njrover0216]

I second MMEMK's suggestion. Get on 50East for about 10 minutes and you will see signs for 301 S Richmond. You will hit some traffic lights and shops for about 10 miles, then it clears up and is smooth sailing all they way down. Very pleasant drive.

[Waterboy526]

Originally Posted by bta

You can try this method if traffic is bad. I typically check the traffic report before I leave and decide if I'm going to use this route.



I wouldn't suggest it without a GPS. You're really going through the backwoods of VA. The roads take strange turns and aren't marked well.

Basically you want to go by:

Burke Lake
to Manassas via Yakes Ford Rd
to Culpeper
to Mineral
to Gum Spring
to Richmond
to Raleigh

It will add about 60 miles and at least an hour but you won't hit any traffic. I used this method during Thanksgiving and it worked well.

That route would probably work well, but there is not too much traffic headed into NoVA/DC on a Friday (can be though). If you take that way back (on a Friday) it can be just as bad, as many other people do the same thing and there are tons of people that now live in Warrenton, Culpeper, and Orange that work in NoVA take that way back home on Friday afternoon/Evenings..

I would just use 95 North if you are going towards DC on a Friday, but not if you are leaving DC on a Friday afternoon. And if you are going south from DC on a Sunday it's not that bad, but going towards DC on a Sunday can be bad. I always take 95 North on Friday evenings when I go home to see family and never really run into traffic (going South is AWEFUL)...and I leave on Sunday and usually it's not too bad, sometimes a little stop and go, but it never cost me more than 15 minutes extra or so to get back ro Raleigh. I will NEVER get on 95 on Dec. 26th again, like I did last year...it was a parking lot all the way to Richmond.

[MrsBTA]

Originally Posted by Waterboy526

And if you are going south from DC on a Sunday it's not that bad, but going towards DC on a Sunday can be bad.

This past Sunday, I drove up to DC and had no problems getting in on 95 (around 3pm). But the southbound lanes were at a standstill from the beltway down to Woodbridge (no accidents that I could see or that were being reported in the traffic reports). Later that night, around 7pm, I heard the traffic report say that 95-South was still jammed all the way down to Fredericksburg.

So.... basically you never know! I'm leaving in a couple hours to make the drive back down to NC. Wish me luck!

[Waterboy526]

Originally Posted by MrsBTA

This past Sunday, I drove up to DC and had no problems getting in on 95 (around 3pm). But the southbound lanes were at a standstill from the beltway down to Woodbridge (no accidents that I could see or that were being reported in the traffic reports). Later that night, around 7pm, I heard the traffic report say that 95-South was still jammed all the way down to Fredericksburg.

So.... basically you never know! I'm leaving in a couple hours to make the drive back down to NC. Wish me luck!

Oh you are right, one can not really predict that well when it comes to traffic around DC, but I was just generally speaking. Any kind of accident on 95 can back up traffic for 50 miles (no kidding). If you think the Triangle has problems with traffic (and we do), NoVA is a mess most of the time and it's built up and spread out, so public transportation around NoVA really doesn't work well (like here). The Metro does get TONS of use going in and out of DC, however it's just overloaded. Did you know that they are in the process expanding the metro line through Tysons Corner and out to Dulles, but they only have one tunnel that runs under the Potomac River so only one train can pass at a time. Boy that was pretty poor planning.

[tarp]

A good suggestion is to get XM Satellite Radio and listen to the D.C. area traffic reports.

For avoiding traffic between Fredericksburg and the beltway I take a special route that goes around the west side of Quantico MCB. It is complicated and poorly marked but it gets me out of the congestion.