Raleigh Durham Airport Traffic (Wilmington, Burgaw: construction, beach, car)

[GMarcan920]

When leaving RDU airport heading towards Wilmington NC, what is the traffic like, especially in and around the airport. Does one have to navigate through a city to get to Rte. 40 which looks like the main route to Wilmington (actually it's Burgaw NC).

I know Wilmington is closer, but I'm thinking we may prefer Southwest as it may be less expensive; however, the 2 to 2-1/2 hour drive may even things about.

Anyway, I'm just wondering about the logistics of the RDU area.

[Jkgourmet]

The traffic in the immediate area of RDU is minimal. I would not think it would EVER be a problem baring a major accident.

However, on Friday afternoons, the traffic to the shore can get kinda bad, but it will be bad in Wilmington all weekend, so. . .

[NYC2RDU]

RDU is literally right off of I-40. From the time you get your bags you can be in your car and on the highway in less than 10 minutes. And the drive in from eastern North Carolina should be uneventful and without traffic, depending on the time of day. However if you're driving during rush hour or heading east with the beach traffic on a Friday, you get what you deserve.

[tkeru408]

I'll just kind of reiterate what others have said. From the airport to I-40 is just a couple of minutes. If you get onto I-40E during rush hour (~4:30-6:00pm) you will sit in traffic getting out of Raleigh on the interstate. Otherwise, you'll be fine getting out of Raleigh.

[BC1960]

Yes, avoid RDU at rush hour like the plague.

[hertfordshire]

Getting to I-40 from the airport is simple. Once you're on I-40E, what you encounter depends on the time of day. If you travel during rush hour, you will probably encounter a slow-down prior to the Wade Avenue split (a couple exits from the airport), through the construction zone as you pass through Raleigh, and then general congestion to the east of Raleigh as you travel through Johnson County. Once you pass that, it should be smooth sailing.

[NM posts]

Also consider Myrtle Beach airport - an easy 45 minute drive to Wilmington.

[Dire Wolf]

Here is info on the Fortify construction project:

https://www.ncdot.gov/fortifync/

If you get into RDU before 3pm or after 6:30pm, traffic is probably not likely to be a big factor (except for a Friday in summer, then add some time around that window).

[GMarcan920]

Thank you all, much appreciated.

[cchampagne232000]

8-9am can be an issue as well.