Commute from Newark, DE to Columbia, MD? (home, construction)

[Moose619]

Hello, I am considering a move from CA to DE for a job. Have no idea what the commute would be like from Newark, DE to Columbia, MD. Is there public transportation that would get me close? Would the drive be an absolute nightmare, is it do-able?

Want to stay near Philly, that is the reason for Newark.

Thanks.

[nlblueyes]

Drive would be a nightmare. You would hit lots of traffic on 95S going to Baltimore, then through Baltimore and towards Columbia. Going out towards Columbia you would hit Bmore traffic heading to DC. Baltimore,Columbia,DC areas have so much to offer, why not live closer to your job??

As for public transportation, MARC train (MD commuter train) can be found in Cecil County (not sure exactly where) but won't take you to Columbia that I am aware. Don't remember trains in Columbia area, buses yes but not sure if they are just local.

I grew up in DE, lived in Baltimore area 10yrs and now in NC but I do have knowledge of area.

[SXMGirl]

DH says that the drive could be between 2 to 2 1/2 hours each way during rush hour. It would probably be best to move to the Columbia area. I thought that Baltimore would probably be a good area to move to, but DH says that Baltimore is still more than 40 miles from Columbia.

[Joe84323]

Ouch.... You do NOT want to drive. You might want to look up MARC from Perryville (15 mins? from Baltimore.)

I will warn you there are at least $10 in tolls just to get to Baltimore. Not sure about all the way to Columbia, MD.

[nlblueyes]

West side of Baltimore County or Anne Arundel counties would be best if you don't wish to live in Howard County. You could also look into Carroll COunty.

[Moose619]

Thanks for the info. What time does all the traffic start? What if you're an early bird and hit the road around 6am, would that help at all? Or, is it an absolute nightmare any time of the day?

So, there is no way to stay relatively close to Philly and make a commute to Columbia, MD. My friends are all in Philly so wanted to stay close, plus I hear the baltimore area is not so great.

[SXMGirl]

Many people in this area work in either Philly or Baltimore. DH has to leave home by 5:20 in order to avoid a good bit of traffic. I leave at 6:30 and there is a lot of traffic. So, it looks like by 5:30ish that you will run into traffic. If there is road construction, which seems to be never-ending, then you will have to add additional time. And, as previously stated, there's the tolls unless you want to run Route 40. Then, the traffic lights and school buses will delay you even more.

[Moose619]

Thanks!! By the looks of a map, Aberdeen would give me the same problems with traffic and tolls into Columbia, just a shorter commute. I guess there is no real practical way to stay close to Philly.

[nlblueyes]

I wouldn't think it was all that practical unless you were working in Baltimore or DC and could take the train (Joe Biden, when he was Senator used to take the train from Willmington to DC)

Rush hour in Baltimore area is rougly 530/6 - 9ish and 230/3 - 7ish.

[Boompa]

I lived in Newark and had to go to Ft Howard for a while. If I didn't clear the intersection of I-95 and 695 by 0630 I was going to be crawling for 30 minutes to get there.