commuting from ashburn/brambleton area (Reston, Leesburg: 2013, how much, home)

[midlifeman]

What is the morning commute like to get from brambleton to the beltway near tysons? I'm trying to convince the wife that living near the toll road out that way might be an easier drive then say living in the middle of fairfax and navigating lights or the stress of 66/50 etc. What say ye?

[shamrock847]

What time of the morning are you talking about for the drive? How much flexibility do you have with when you have to leave or be at work?

Is driving the only option or would taking the bus be a possibility? Would the silver line to Tysons be an option in a few years?

[Novamom06]

Generally, I would say that from Brambleton, if you take the greenway, commute to tysons without use of HOV would be max of 45 min. (maybe more if an accident). You could actually get it down to around 30 min with a hybrid, if you commute earlier or later, of if you have two or more for HOV. Not a bad commute at all, I say totally doable.

[cdmurphy]

I know several people who take the Tysons Express from Broadlands. It's around 30-45 minutes, a little longer for the later stops. Free WiFi, comfy seats, cheaper than driving + tolls.

[kobechrome]

I go to Tysons periodically for work and here are my timing observations.

Leave anytime before 715 - less than 30 min to Tysons
Leave between 715-915 - approx 45 min to Tysons
Leave after 915 - less than 30 min to Tysons

If there's an accident on the toll road all bets are off and the assumption here is that you're taking the Greenway to the Toll Road. If you take 28 to the Toll Road, add about 15-30 min to the commuting time.

[NC211]

It's easily doable, I do it every day with my 9-5 job. There are a few tricks you'll learn as well that'll make it easier too. The HOV lane restrictions on the toll road expire at 9am, so that opens up all lanes to all cars and helps with the flow. Going home though, they don't expire until 6:30, and it can get rough. I've been here only 18 months (live in Brambleton) and can tell you the volume in traffic that i've seen has probably increased 25 to 30% so far. But, there is a trick that will help tremendously. It's all in knowing what "Airport Business" means. If you figure that out, then it's a breeze. Ever since I did, regardless of traffic, my commute is 95% cruise control all the way in/out. One of the other benefits of living out that far, which does relate to "Airport Business", is the fact that you have "Airport Business" as an option if the toll road is jammed up, without having to reverse course back towards say Reston or Herndon.

Now, before the legal eagles and the "that's not fair" crowd jumps down my throat for this... Just know that I pay approximately $12 each and every day in tolls to travel maybe 10 miles. The state gets their money from me in the form of income tax on the greenway. Get control of the greenway and stop holding the only expressway in the region hostage to insane tolls, and I'll reconsider..

OP: the "Greenway" is the section of the 267 Toll Road that goes from Dulles Airport to Leesburg. It's a private road owned by an Australian outfit. It is easily the biggest scam in the area. You will be charged $5.90 one-way during peak rush hour times, regardless if you drive on it for 3 miles or the entire 15 mile run from Leesburg to the airport. Their is no "distance pricing" with it. The alternative is to use the side roads that avoid it, but they're not easy to deal with and get jammed up. The nice thing about Brambleton/Broadlands is that you'll have direct access to the Greenway. But you really need to understand and budget for the annual expense of using it. I budget approximately $5,000/year for it. When we moved here in November of 2011, the peak time fee was $4.80. It's now $5.90, with no end in sight. It is crucial for you to understand this before considering the area. Brambleton/Broadlands is very nice for a family setting. We really enjoy it. But, they don't call it "cAshburn" for nothing either...

[Fredesch]

I live a couple of miles from the beltways Braddock Road exit. You can take the HOT lane from Braddock to Tyson's. I doubt you could beat that commute time from brambleton if you used a broomstick and flew. Really living in Loudoun is a choice you make, but don't try to make anyone believe a commute from Loudoun makes sense.