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hi
we are moving down from long island next month finally but we have been making the trip back and forth ALOT for the past 6 months ....
we have discovered the best times I think.
Gonna do this backwards:
*LEAVING NY- nap for a while and get on the road about 2am. sounds crazy but you cut your trip from 10 hours to 8 and avoid ALL the NY& NJ traffic.
*NC to NY: We always get on the road about 8 or 9 in Raleigh and end up stuck in both DC traffic & rush hour in NY, not fun.
Last week we were delayed by some last minute paperwork and didn't get on the road until about 1:00 in the afternoon. But it worked out GREAT! We hit a tiny bit of traffic around DC even though I took the outer loop (495 instead of 395) but otherwise, none whatsoever. Missed rush hour and did the drive in probably 9 hours, stopping whenever we felt like it.
We take Capital Blvd to 85 to I95 all the way to exit10 in NJ to the outerbridge crossing (fastest bridge) into staten island to the verresano bridge and the belt pkwy... just occurred to me that I have no Idea where in NY your going....
Be safe, have a good trip!
Another alternative to going through DC is to take 301 N just past Richmond and on up to Baltimore. I strongly recommend this if you are near DC at rush hour as either 495 or going through the city will be very, very ugly.
Well, we just drove up to LI last night and I have to say the leaving at 3PM plan is a winner - it took us 9.5 hours from F-V to Garden City, including 3 stops of about 25 mins each... did not see any traffic at all - we did take the 295 bypass around Richmond as we were approaching Richmond at 5:30PM and it was starting to get a little congested. We hit DC at around 8PM and drove straight through the middle (395/295) with no problems...Lincoln Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel around midnight, no worries...
Now, how to tackle driving home the day after Christmas???
Well, we just drove up to LI last night and I have to say the leaving at 3PM plan is a winner - it took us 9.5 hours from F-V to Garden City, including 3 stops of about 25 mins each... did not see any traffic at all - we did take the 295 bypass around Richmond as we were approaching Richmond at 5:30PM and it was starting to get a little congested. We hit DC at around 8PM and drove straight through the middle (395/295) with no problems...Lincoln Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel around midnight, no worries...
Now, how to tackle driving home the day after Christmas???
5:30PM or later, reverse the directions I gave earlier in this thread. The earlier you leave the likelier you are of hitting traffic on the way out of NYC and possibly some in central to southern NJ caused by the NJ Tpke expansion construction. But after that you should be OK, bar'ing VADOT construction on I-95 causing delays between DC and Richmond. Re: NYC, use google maps to find the best route out, and in NJ if the traffic is bad you can use NJ-130 or I-295 as alternates depending on where you are .. both parallel the Tpke for many miles .. NJ-130 is more local, speed limit ranges from 40-55. Then when you get into DC, double check the I-95 traffic in VA .. but then it will only be construction delays not volume.
Note you can leave later than 5:30 .. but the later you leave the likelier you are to fall asleep on the desolate I-85 in the wee hours of the morning. A 5:30PM departure with a couple of stops with traffic only as noted above = hitting the I-95/I-85 interchange around 12:30-1AM, give or take a few.
5:30PM or later, reverse the directions I gave earlier in this thread. The earlier you leave the likelier you are of hitting traffic on the way out of NYC and possibly some in central to southern NJ caused by the NJ Tpke expansion construction. But after that you should be OK, bar'ing VADOT construction on I-95 causing delays between DC and Richmond. Re: NYC, use google maps to find the best route out, and in NJ if the traffic is bad you can use NJ-130 or I-295 as alternates depending on where you are .. both parallel the Tpke for many miles .. NJ-130 is more local, speed limit ranges from 40-55. Then when you get into DC, double check the I-95 traffic in VA .. but then it will only be construction delays not volume.
Note you can leave later than 5:30 .. but the later you leave the likelier you are to fall asleep on the desolate I-85 in the wee hours of the morning. A 5:30PM departure with a couple of stops with traffic only as noted above = hitting the I-95/I-85 interchange around 12:30-1AM, give or take a few.
I was thinking of more like 5:30AM...being the day after Christmas and all...
Evaofnc, has it right. Leave at 9pm from Cary and avoid most of the traffic. When I used to make the NY to Fla run years ago (and in 18 hrs no less) the trick was to get through D.C. at night. As late at night as possible. If you leave at 9pm once you hit I-95 just take it untill you get to exit 13 on the Jersey Turnpike. Then you have a decision. You should be up there by 5:30 or 6am. If you take the Staten Island route that puts you on the Belt Pky or BQE for Long Island. Not bad IF your going EAST! You can also go up further on the Jersey Tpk to exit 16 to Lincoln Tunnel to Manhattan and out to Long Island, a little dicey at that time but still ok. If your going up to the Bronx or Upstate you should be clean and green at that time of the morning. Best of luck, Cadillac 811.
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