Hi everyone. Just got back last night from a grueling trip to South Carolina. If anyone plans on driving 95 from the North East through Virginia, be warned, traffic was a NIGHTMARE. I can only imagine this is because fewer people are flying? There was no evidence of tourism being down, in fact, it was the busiest and most crowded I've ever encountered.

We always travel this same week every year but this was by far the worst. As an example it took us 7 hours to drive from Baltimore to CT. This should only take 4 and a half hours.

Worst spots going were NJ turnpike, just about the whole way we crawled, from Alexandria to 15 miles south of DC took us well over an hour. Traffic was at a virtual standstill.

Coming home traffic was heavy from Richmond all the way up. Again, getting through DC was horrendous. It was a Sunday so there wasn't even any construction going on but it crawled.

All told the worst traffic I've ever experienced in my entire life. Never again. Avod 95 at all costs unless you're a sadist.

Read an interesting article in the New Yorker on this subject. Apparently the number of cars on the road has grown about 7 times the rate of population growth in recent history. The Northeast is the first place to feel real gridlock, but other parts of the country aren't far behind.

The next step is to look at pricing access to the roads by time of day.

That's what I was afraid of.

I have to drive from Baltimore to North Carolina this week. What is the alternative?

Hi- I live near RIchmond-travel thru the DC corridor is ALWAYS horrendous during rush hour-7a-10am and 330pm-630pm==If you can avoid the "MIXER BOWL " in Dc at that time , do it....

Or you can get off I95 D and take 301/1 S. thru MD and pick up I95 again at the Bowling Green Exit--It may take you an hour longer than normal but at least traffic will be moving ....it is usually a STANDSTILL up in DC due to rush hour and all the construction==getting to/from I95 to I395(Baltimore) is horrendous because you go from 4 lanes to 6 lanes going N and the reverse going South-

Hope this helps

Not a lot of alternatives, except driving in the middle of the night. I agree with Nina though. Took a trip from Falls Church to Williamsburg in July--an hour from the Springfield mixing bowl to Quantico. To Woodbridge last week -- an hour and a half. My son took a church bus trip from Falls Church to Kings Dominion (just before Richmond)-- two hours sitting still in a parking lot.

There have been several comparable posts with good alternative routes posted in the last few months, but I'm not sure I remember good key words on which you can search. Try "I95", though, since everyone agrees that from NYC to Richmond, that is to be avoided at all costs.

Our favorite get-around involves (from Balt. south) I-97 to 3 to 301 all the way to Richmond beltway if it's a Fri. or Sun. afternoon -- or cut-over at Bowling Green if a weekday.

Much longer but also possible from DC is I-66 to US 29 to Charlottesville and I 64 back to Richmond -- out of your way but no headaches. I have been in gridlock from WashDC beltway to Richmond -- took 4 hrs. or more (should be 1 1/2- 2 hrs.) -- never never again.

If you are actually aiming at certain places in SC, it may pay you to go that western route (29) and just stay west of I-95 -- or even get over to I 81.

Some options as you approach DC from Baltimore, going south: if travelloing on I95, take 495 (beltway) west thru Md. and then join I 95 south to Richmond. But if you're on the Balt.-Wash. Parkway, stay on the Pkway. after you reach the beltway, and then take 295 south to Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

There are some trouble spots near DC: always a back-up on 495 east of the bridge; tie-ups near the construction of the new Springfiled Interchange; and jams in both directions at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Obviously avoid rush hours: 7-10:30 a.m. and 3-7:00 p.m. Saturdays are bad as well, all day long. And you will, if going south, find considerable traffic DC-Richmond. Just be patient - improvements are coming in the next 2-5 years.

I see nothing has changed. We used to go to SC via 95 (70's) but after encountering stand still traffic every time in VA, we started going a different route.

Sorry "x" but that won't save Nina from misery. One has to avoid the Wash. Beltway and the stretch of I-95 that runs from that Beltway to Fredericksburg to maintain one's sanity.

Hi everyone

We also take this trip fairly often as we drive from Annapolis MD to Florida. We generally take Rt 301 through LaPlata and cross the bridge into Virginia where we pick up I-95 at Bowling Green (exit 104). It works well if you need to take yourself on the eastern side of Washington DC.

If you need the western side of Washington and if you're coming down Rt 83 from Pennsylvania then you can take Route 15 and bypass Washington and pick up rt I-95 at Fredericksburg.

You can see a less hectic countryside this way and it really doesn't add time onto your trip since DC is always a slow-down.

If nothing else it made me realize how inadeqate our highway system is. Something major has to be done. There are simply too many cars on the road and the highways can't support the volume. I can't even imagine how people who live south of DC commute to work in the city.

If someone could come up with a good solution to this transportation debacle they'd make a fortune.

Nina - they HAVE !

It's called PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. Like train and bus!

The problem is too many ALMOST EMPTY cars on the highway.

www.amtrak.com
www.greyhound.com
www.vre.org
www.njtransit.com
www.wmata.com
www.mtamaryland.com
www.mbta.com
www.mta.nyc.ny.us/

(got the picture yet ??)