hx88

I am planning to spend the July 4 weekend in Quebec City. There are two possible routes for me to get into Quebec,, Canada from NYC: (1) I-87 North; (2) I-84 connecting to I-91 North. I am planning to leave home around 6 PM on July 2 (Friday). Can people who have travelled those routes comment on holiday traffic conditions?

Thank you!

AlexA

Hi, hx88. You know that you're looking at a 8 hour drive without traffic and border crossing, right? If you leave the New York City area at 6pm on the Friday of a holiday weekend, you can count on really slow going for at least the first hour or 2 no matter which route you take. The border crossing tends to be busier from I87 because it leads directly to Montreal while the I91 crossing takes you to an area that most Americans don't go to.

Can you stay somewhere overnight and continue the next day or drive a different day or time?

hx88

Alex, Thanks for the reply and suggestion. Yes, sounds like I should stay overnight somewhere before continuing into Canada. I am aware of the traffic jam on I-87 near Albany - Lake George, so I am leaning to take I-84/I-91 even it's about 20 miles longer per google map. As I never drove along I-91, can you comment on the road and traffic conditions of I-91 North?

AlexA

Working backwards, I-91 for the entire length of Vermont is a breeze, and the border crossing is smaller than the one in 87 but generally much faster. Mostly Canadians returning home, and I rarely see trucks.
Now through Massachusetts is ok once you're past Springfield, but around Springfield it gets busy (there's a Six Flags park somewhere nearby) and in Connecticut it's trafficky around Hartford, of course. Fom White Plains to Hartford will be a mess because I84 always seems to have constuction and there will be people going home from work plus people starting vacations. Friday at 6 is just going to cost you an extra couple hours of drive time no matter what.

For I87, I was thinking about the traffic from White Plains up to about exit 20, well before Albany- Lake George. Again on that Friday, you have commuters going home plus people headed to the Catskills.

I don't know what to suggest other than adding an extra day and doing this on Thursday instead of Friday. Or leaving very late Friday (maybe after 9 pm?) getting just a couple hours of driving under your belt, and start early the next morning. Regardless of the route, you might miss the first couple of hours of congestion and then you get to start the next morning in a less busy location plus at a time that is less crowded. Unless people are headed to the beach, no one seems to be on the road early Saturday morning. (shh...don't tell anyone

hx88

Thank you Alex. Your post is very informative. Greatly appreciated.