Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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I have been hearing horror stories about the traffic in the triangle area.I currently live in mass and I travel 41 miles to get to work.It takes me about 1 hour.Is the traffic really bad to get anywhere within a 40 mile radius?I will be more than likely relocating to the Apex area,right off of ten ten rd.What do I have to look forward to?
41 mile and 1-hour commutes are not the norm around here. From Apex, if you commute to RTP you're looking at just over 20 miles, which without traffic would take 20 minutes and with traffic could be 30-45 minutes...but probably closer to 30.
I live in NW Cary and commute to Duke. Without traffic, it's a little over 20 minutes. With traffic, it's more like 40 minutes. Some routes through and around Cary are more crowded than others (I'd never wish 54 on anyone, for instance!). If your commute requires time on 55, then you're in for some delays as 55 gets crowded south of the 540 exit. The good news is that the 540 extension will bring relief to those caught in the 55 parking lot. Or at least that's what we all hope.
Yes, obviously it depends on where you live and work--if work is next door, no communte, but if you live in Carrboro and work in East Raleigh, bless your heart (said in the non-ironic way). Also many choose to live in outlying areas that are cheaper and commute in (just like in other cities) so their commutes are of course longer. Do you have a specific job offer and are looking for where to live?
A 40-mile commute here would be an hour or more if you had to go through RTP or any of the downtowns, but if you lived in Raleigh and worked 40 miles east, it would be nothing. There IS traffic, very bad in certain time windows, and just because "it's not as bad as [whatever city somebody moved here from]" doesn't mean it's not bad at all or should be dismissed. An all-day migraine isn't as bad as a kidney stone, but it doesn't mean it's nothing. Also, the population here is increasing by about 4% a year, which of course increases the traffic each and every year, since major road improvments take a long time to catch up with the growth. I estimate that my own commute (30 mins from North Raleigh to near downtown, off-hours) gets longer by about 1-2 minutes per year on average.
everything that I have read seems reasonable.I guess theres traffic wherever you go. I thought that it would be worst givin the fact of the population explosion down there in the recent years.
Traffic down here is nothing like traffic in Boston. You will definitely hit pockets of traffic as others have said (on 40 or 55) and it depends on the time you are commuting. If you need to take 55, you are best to go off hours and not during rush hour which I have found is typically from 8-9 am and 5-6 pm unlike the 3 - 4 rush hours every morning and evening in Boston. Once 540 is completed, it will help with the traffic on 55.
I travel 25 miles and it takes 30 to 35 minutes on I-40. It is a very easy commute in. I never have an issue with traffic. Once the road expansion is done, the commute will be even quicker. I have zero complaints.
I have been hearing horror stories about the traffic in the triangle area.I currently live in mass and I travel 41 miles to get to work.It takes me about 1 hour.Is the traffic really bad to get anywhere within a 40 mile radius?I will be more than likely relocating to the Apex area,right off of ten ten rd.What do I have to look forward to?
Where in MA? Eastern or Western?
We relocated here from W. MA about 2 months ago & are getting spoiled by the driving here.
What used to be a 45 - 60 minute work commute has been dropped to 20 - 30 minutes here. And we are amazed how close/easy it is getting to the mall, ball park, etc. Compared to Hartford, Worcester or Boston Durham is a breeze as far as traffic is concerned.
And as others pointed out, depending on where you work will depend on your commute. If your job is in North East Raleigh you will have a longer commute than if your job were right in Apex.
If you are not locked into a particular place already I'd suggest looking at where you work and then letting that help you decide where you want to look for a house/apt.
And welcome to NC!
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And we are amazed how close/easy it is getting to the mall, ball park, etc. Compared to Hartford, Worcester or Boston Durham is a breeze as far as traffic is concerned.
