[Just hanging out]

Hi all, I reside in Westchester (right off 287) recently began a job in Stamford off of exit 8 going north on 95. The hours are somewhat flexible in regards to what time I can come in and go home (8a-4p, 9a-5p, 7-3, etc). Typically, I leave Westchester around 7:45 have no problem with traffic going east on 287 in the morning , but there seems to always be some kind of stop and go traffic on 95 north without any apparent reason (my exit is before the construction they are doing on the ramp).
Leaving Stamford, the red lights and "no turn on reds" seem to take me about ten minutes just to get on 95, where it is backed up around 5:00pm (takes me 45 min to get home bud have done it before in 20).

Anyone know how I can try to beat this traffic? Routes or times?

Any tips would be appreciated. It is also worth noting that I am in the medical field and there will be times that I am "on call" and need to respond in a timely manner from white plains to Stamford
TLDR: best time to commute from Westchester to Stamford (in terms of least amount of traffic)

[robr2]

Use WAZE on your phone and obey her every command.

[Stylo]

Another vote for Waze. Or try the Merritt.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Another vote for Waze. Or try the Merritt.

This.

[SailCT]

Originally Posted by Just hanging out

Hi all, I reside in Westchester (right off 287) recently began a job in Stamford off of exit 8 going north on 95. The hours are somewhat flexible in regards to what time I can come in and go home (8a-4p, 9a-5p, 7-3, etc). Typically, I leave Westchester around 7:45 have no problem with traffic going east on 287 in the morning , but there seems to always be some kind of stop and go traffic on 95 north without any apparent reason (my exit is before the construction they are doing on the ramp).
Leaving Stamford, the red lights and "no turn on reds" seem to take me about ten minutes just to get on 95, where it is backed up around 5:00pm (takes me 45 min to get home bud have done it before in 20).

Anyone know how I can try to beat this traffic? Routes or times?

Any tips would be appreciated. It is also worth noting that I am in the medical field and there will be times that I am "on call" and need to respond in a timely manner from white plains to Stamford
TLDR: best time to commute from Westchester to Stamford (in terms of least amount of traffic)

There are many old and good back roads that cut through that part of CT. AKA Greenwich, my favorite is to use the Merritt but if it is backed up you can exit and discover various ways. many times I exit at the first NY state exit on the HUTCH and then go around the Westchester County Airport to get to 684 North. That moves saves a few minutes and some congestion. The biggest challenge is East West, there are tons of North-South arteries but not so many other straight-forward east-west ones. This is also true in the various towns. I think this is because the Boston Post RD. was THE route from very early times as in the Colonial era. Then the HUTCH / Merritt / Wilbur-Cross; it does have three total names or just Route 15 in CT. opened up in the 1920s? or 1930s? I am sure someone on here can give you the exact date and then after WWII and Eisenhower saw the German autobahn he was determined to build a vast interstate system in the US. This is why you see signs with 5 stars that say Eisenhower Interstate System. Problem with 95 is that it was opened in 1958 and the day it opened it was already obsolete. It now carries something like 10X the projected worse case scenario for volume. The only real alternative 84 is a horror show for many reasons. I have discovered that when I need to go to the Albany. NY area it is much quicker and easier for me; (living east of New Haven) to go straight up Route 9 to 91 North to 90 West. I always thought it was better to go the Tappan Zee or Taconic route but that isn't true from this part of the state. Bottomline is 95 is a mess, avoid it if you can. I lived in that area north of Exit 9 for 20+ years and the traffic is one of the reasons I left that area almost two years ago. The worst time was once it took me about 75 minutes to get from Exit 6 on 95 to Exit 9. That doesn't count a few times when there was a fatal accident and they shut down the highway for 4-6 hours which is like a mandatory thing now if there is that type of accident which one of those recently happened in Old Lyme about three weeks ago. The only solution there would be to put a double deck onto the highway, top part for express through traffic, that has worked in other areas. There is just no way to predict what will happen the best way to avoid being late when there is a typical delay is to add 50% onto your average travel time. It has taken me awhile to learn this so if it normally takes an hour, allow 90 minutes. Since I moved up past New Haven this is my rule with driving east-west, or west - east in CT. now.

[Stephy0519]

Ditto everyone who said Waze. I did Yonkers to Norwalk, with occasional pit stops in Westchester, for two years. Waze is the best.

[allanny13]

As far as CT commutes go this is a relatively easy one. As others suggested you could take the Merritt (via Anderson Hill Rd from WP), but then you would face different traffic coming from the North part of Stamford that would probably cost more time.

[Just hanging out]

Originally Posted by SailCT

There are many old and good back roads that cut through that part of CT. AKA Greenwich, my favorite is to use the Merritt but if it is backed up you can exit and discover various ways. many times I exit at the first NY state exit on the HUTCH and then go around the Westchester County Airport to get to 684 North. That moves saves a few minutes and some congestion. The biggest challenge is East West, there are tons of North-South arteries but not so many other straight-forward east-west ones. This is also true in the various towns. I think this is because the Boston Post RD. was THE route from very early times as in the Colonial era. Then the HUTCH / Merritt / Wilbur-Cross; it does have three total names or just Route 15 in CT. opened up in the 1920s? or 1930s? I am sure someone on here can give you the exact date and then after WWII and Eisenhower saw the German autobahn he was determined to build a vast interstate system in the US. This is why you see signs with 5 stars that say Eisenhower Interstate System. Problem with 95 is that it was opened in 1958 and the day it opened it was already obsolete. It now carries something like 10X the projected worse case scenario for volume. The only real alternative 84 is a horror show for many reasons. I have discovered that when I need to go to the Albany. NY area it is much quicker and easier for me; (living east of New Haven) to go straight up Route 9 to 91 North to 90 West. I always thought it was better to go the Tappan Zee or Taconic route but that isn't true from this part of the state. Bottomline is 95 is a mess, avoid it if you can. I lived in that area north of Exit 9 for 20+ years and the traffic is one of the reasons I left that area almost two years ago. The worst time was once it took me about 75 minutes to get from Exit 6 on 95 to Exit 9. That doesn't count a few times when there was a fatal accident and they shut down the highway for 4-6 hours which is like a mandatory thing now if there is that type of accident which one of those recently happened in Old Lyme about three weeks ago. The only solution there would be to put a double deck onto the highway, top part for express through traffic, that has worked in other areas. There is just no way to predict what will happen the best way to avoid being late when there is a typical delay is to add 50% onto your average travel time. It has taken me awhile to learn this so if it normally takes an hour, allow 90 minutes. Since I moved up past New Haven this is my rule with driving east-west, or west - east in CT. now.

Thanks! I will try some back roads to avoid the lights

[7 Wishes]

I do a similar commute to you, mostly 7-3. Those hours you shouldn't have much of a problem. After that it gets kind of bad, though the reverse of your commute is a lot worse. The traffic at exit 8 is a lot worse since the construction but I find at 7am it's still not too bad.

[Just hanging out]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

I do a similar commute to you, mostly 7-3. Those hours you shouldn't have much of a problem. After that it gets kind of bad, though the reverse of your commute is a lot worse. The traffic at exit 8 is a lot worse since the construction but I find at 7am it's still not too bad.

Nice I have also noticed that.. I will try to work with that. Thanks