3 Hour Drive from Washington DC to Richmond, mostly bumper to bumper (Chesapeake: vacation, home)

[Dingler]

The traffic from Northern VA to Richmond is usally a nightmare. I take the trip on a regular basis and find it scenic but extremely difficult. It is usually bumper to bumper for the first 60 miles and then it is just heavy. Recently the 110 mile trip has taken me 3 hours.

Something needs to be done to add more lanes to Americas Main Street, Interstate 95. Anyone else hate driving I 95?

[jballa]

Every Interstate in VA is like that, with I81 feeling left out so its trying hard to catch up. Complain, gripe, whatever makes you feel better but its not getting better anytime soon.

Why put 4 more lanes on your 10 lane highway when the main route to South Hampton Roads (HRBT) is 4 lanes and 64 to Richmond remains 4 lanes? They should give out Prozac with our vehicle registration every year!

[irisheyes13]

I have to agree with jballa. I have been making frequent trips to NOVA lately and 95 has been a breeze in comparison to the trip down 64 from Richmond to Yorktown!

[CosmicWizard]

Driving ANY Interstate highway in Virginia was always less than pleasurable for me. I 81 was my favorite of the lot, though it too has gotten very hectic with all of the truck traffic, often barrelling along on your 6 at 75 mph. I'm living in Colorado now and people here complain about the traffic on I 70, but they ain't seen nuthin if thay haven't driven I 95 or I 64 thru Virginia.

Many Blessings...Franco

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by irisheyes13

I have to agree with jballa. I have been making frequent trips to NOVA lately and 95 has been a breeze in comparison to the trip down 64 from Richmond to Yorktown!

i dont. not too long ago i spent 5 and a 1/2 hours on the road traveling from Alexandria to Chesapeake and i spent three and a 1/2 hours on I-95 not even going into Richmond. From 295 to Monitor Merrimac to Rt 58 was cake except a little traffic around Ft. Eustis.

[Yankeesfan]

I have to drive from Fairfax County to Richmond on Saturday mornings a couple times each summer. It is brutal with the beach and vacation travelers. Coming home there is usually a slow-down around Potomac Mills because of the shoppers. During the rest of the year I go occasionally, sometimes on weekdays, and don't find any problems but it's a reverse trip: going OUT of NoVA in the AM and INTO NoVA in the PM. If it was the opposite, yikes!

[jballa]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

i dont. not too long ago i spent 5 and a 1/2 hours on the road traveling from Alexandria to Chesapeake and i spent three and a 1/2 hours on I-95 not even going into Richmond. From 295 to Monitor Merrimac to Rt 58 was cake except a little traffic around Ft. Eustis.

Not too long ago would mean once in a while I assume, it took 3.5 hours for you to go from Alexandria to Richmond avg. of 30 mph. Consider going into a city, and driving from a city would matter the time of day as well so I'd guess that it was morning when you made the trip, but maybe not.

.... so, "not to long ago", it took me 2.25 hours to go 24 miles from Va Beach to Hampton @ an avg. of 11 mph. A good day across the HBRT from Hampton to Va Beach is an avg. of 24 mph so mathmatically, you draw the conclussion.

Regardless, I'm still down for the free Prozac w/ vehicle registrations.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by jballa

Not too long ago would mean once in a while I assume, it took 3.5 hours for you to go from Alexandria to Richmond avg. of 30 mph. Consider going into a city, and driving from a city would matter the time of day as well so I'd guess that it was morning when you made the trip, but maybe not.

.... so, "not to long ago", it took me 2.25 hours to go 24 miles from Va Beach to Hampton @ an avg. of 11 mph. A good day across the HBRT from Hampton to Va Beach is an avg. of 24 mph so mathmatically, you draw the conclussion.

Regardless, I'm still down for the free Prozac w/ vehicle registrations.

of course it took you longer. you went through the HR tunnel, not the Monitor-Merrimac, HR tunnel's traffic ain't a secret to no one. and from alexandria to tunnel the traffic was maybe 10 miles an hour and i left alexandria at 1:30 pm in the summer. Delays started right before i got off 395 and onto 95.

[jballa]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

of course it took you longer. you went through the HR tunnel, not the Monitor-Merrimac, HR tunnel's traffic ain't a secret to no one. and from alexandria to tunnel the traffic was maybe 10 miles an hour and i left alexandria at 1:30 pm in the summer. Delays started right before i got off 395 and onto 95.

Look, I'm not trying to argue about sitting in traffic longer... You don't know where I live and what's most convienent but obviously you're never wrong so maybe I should just go 20 miles out of my way to go the MMBT.

Relax, GEEZ. You can tell you're live near DC b/c you want to argue about everything.

My point was that 4 lanes is less than 10 lanes. I can't wait to hear you're arguement with that!

[tberg224]

I'm really surprised I-81 has traffic, you must have an odd definition.
I-81 is out in the country, it is not a commuter road.
I'd like to hear more details.

As for I-95, on a typical commuter day how far does the traffic go/when does it become rural?

If on a weekend I want to go the Outer Banks, am I going to be in for horrible traffic, or is it still drivable at highway speeds?