Travelling Saturday and Sunday in July.
Should I take I 95, the most direct route, or take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (route 13)?
Yet another option is to take I 81. Google maps indicates they're all about the same in time, but I am not sure how much traffic to expect around DC on Saturday, or whether the Bay Bridge would be clogged with vacationers.

Do you suppose it matters where in SC to where in NJ?

I am confused where the Bay Bridge comes into it. Do you plan to take it and then a ferry to NJ or do I have my bridges confused. Is that the bridge near Annapolis that people go
over when going from the DC area to Ocean City, MD?

Delaware is working on their tollbooths to add highway speed lanes. I drove up to NJ from MD a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday and down on a Sunday and there was traffic in both directions b/c of it.

I figured out which bridge you were talking about.

It matters a lot from where to where.

If you are in Western SC your route choices are very different, especially to North Jersey.

If you are in coastal South Caroline, take the Bridge Tunnel and drive up the DelMarva peninsula. There is no good news on I-95, I have learned the hard way, though Saturday will be better than Sunday.

South Carolina means either I-85 or I-95. In either case, take I-295 north of Richmond. Take Exit 107 onto Hiway 207, then get on north US-301 into Maryland. Take US-50 east near Bowie, then go north on I-97 towards Baltimore. Take I-895 north towards New York, which will run into I-95. Take I-295 into New Jersey, then either continue on I-295 or the New Jersey Turnpike.

If you take DelMarVa, it'll cost $10 to use the bridge-tunnel, and then more to use Hiway 1 north thru Delaware. For this amount of money, you will spend MORE time on the road, as you will take non-interstate highways.

Totally confused by the question. Where you starting from? And where do you want to go? And yes vacationers are everywhere near the coast.

It matters a LOT where in SC, and if I81 was brought into it, that would be the way to go. We drove from Charlotte to NJ (right at NYC) in 10 hours last year. I was A-Mazed. Easy drive, no cities, direct.

Agree with the I-81 suggestion, if you're going to Western SC. It's a pretty drive, and though it might take a little longer than I-95 without traffic, it's up in the air as far as summer travel.

The only downside to I-81 is that it's heavily traveled by trucks.

Does it really take longer, including all the traffic on I95? It's been a few years since we drove it, but it was 8 full hours just to DC where we lived for a while.