directions
 

I will be traveling from Cape May NJ to Parkway North to Norwood Ma..I would like the best route of directions to avoid traffic and what is a good time to start my travels in the am

I'd leave Cape May around 8:00am if MTWTh. I'd avoid trying this on a Friday during the summer. Sat or Sun I'd say the earlier the better. The shortest route is GSP to I-95, but you're almost guaranteed to hit serious traffic that way, so I wouldn't do that. Next option is GSP to I-287 East to I-684 North to I-84 East to I-90 (Mass Pike) East. This route will be busy, but moving. The only place you'll likely stop is in the construction near Waterbury, which can be anywhere from a 5-minute annoyance to a 20-30 minute crawl. Other option is GSP to I-87 (NYS Thruway) North to I-90 (Mass Pike) East. This is a much longer distance than the others (just look at a map), but has much less traffic. I've started to prefer this last one because it's a much easier drive (little traffic, no exits/entrances to deal with), but it will likely add 15-30 minutes to the trip.

Thank You ...greatly appreciated

After trying all the routes to NY from Boston, I like taking the parkways through Connecticut. Henry Hudson Parkway to the Saw Mill River Parkway to the Cross County Parkway, which becomes the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut, then changes to the Wilbur Cross Parkway. Then hop on 91 North to Hartford, and 84 North to the Mass. Pike (I-90). It's sounds more complicated than it is. The parkways connect easily.

Then South on 95 at the Weston tolls to Norwood.

You avoid all the truck traffic on the parkways, and I really dread that never-ending construction that always seems to cause back-ups in the Waterbury area.

Not sure it's worth the $12-$20+ in bridge tolls to get to the Henry Hudson from NJ though. If doing the parkways I'd do the GSP to I-287 East (across Tappan Zee Br - $5) to Hutchinson River Pkwy North. As cw said, the Hutch to Merritt to Wilbur Cross is so seamless you won't even know the name changed unless you're really paying attention. One other note, 84 is signed East, although it actually goes northeast.