Tehila

Heading North ( Fl to NJ ) on i95. Just found out that there is going to be a million woman march in Washington. Does anyone know if this will effect our drive.

Macross

I hope so!!

vincenzo32951

Does your drive coincide with the march?

Ackislander

Yes, enormously as will the Inauguration the preceding day. But I think it is only 200,000 women.

Still, the area around Washington is likely to be choked the entire weekend and busy into Monday.

You could go way west (I-81) though weather can be an issue and every truck in the world will take that route.

You could take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and bypass DC to the east, but I would expect choking traffic on Sunday in the Philadelphia-Wilmington area.

Tehila

The march is 10am to 5pm. I'm sure we will be close. Is there an alternative route?

Tehila

Oh my gosh! I could not get struck in the tunnel. I would have to just get out and walk !!!LOL

happytrailstoyou

I hope so!!

Thanks for a good laugh.

Macross

Many buses are already full from states that are going to take people. They will be there early in the morning and leaving again after the march. You bypass D.C. I would not worry about it.
I just hope a million women march!

Tehila

Thank you for all the help. Does the CBay tunnel get backed up a lot ? I really do hate tunnels. But if 95 is at a standstill I would rather keep moving even if it is through a tunnel.

yestravel

I95 is a mess in the best of circumstances. Just make sure you go around the city or you will wncounter roadblocks and lots of traffic.

basingstoke2

This is what I would do. Take I 95. On 95 as you are getting closer to Alexandria VA and the Wilson Bridge, keep a look out for the Franconia Road exit - don't take the exit but know that a mile or so up the road 95 will split to local lanes on the right and through lanes to the left of those. Take the through lanes - you should also see by the large green overhead sign that you are on the route to Baltimore. You will cross the Bridge out of VA and will be on I 495 north of DC. Stay on I 495 and after about 20 miles or so (not sure of the mileage) take the exit to the Baltimore Washington Parkway ( 295) north towards B'more. (from that point you could also just stay on I 495 for another 4 miles and take I 95 N but there could be more traffic that way -- or not). After getting on the p'kwy move left one lane and continue north. The easiest place to cross back to I 95 north is by taking exits either to (in order) rt 32 W toward Columbia, Rt 100 W, or 195 (that is one ninety five) I would probably take the latter. You are now well north of DC. From any of those 3 look for the exit to I 95 N toward B'more. From there just continue up to the Delaware Bridge and either go straight to the NJ Turnpike or by keeping all of the way to the right on the bridge, 295 toward Trenton depending where in NJ you are going.

emalloy

If you have a transponder for tolls, it will work for the CBay/bridge too. Look for the no cash lane and it should be moving along through the toll plaza.

obxgirl

Still, the area around Washington is likely to be choked the entire weekend and busy into Monday.

The march is downtown (and not only women, Ackislander).

I don't think I95 will be particularly impacted by this but I certainly would take basingstoke's directions. Do not go through the city.

It's normal business on Monday. (well as normal as life in a post-truth dystopia can be)

I'm not a fan of bridges or tunnels. Something just short of nuclear war would get me to use the CBBT.

Ackislander

Not arguing, just trying to show my thought process. Anyone should make her-his own decisions.

I think that for a lot of people, traffic around Washington is daunting at best.

Northbound from Richmond leaving at 8:30 AM, I can be at the I-295 junction or the I 95 - 495 junction (they aren't very far apart) in 2 hours, maybe a bit less.

Southbound to Richmond, the same distance has taken me 4 or 5 hours (with wrecks) and never less than 3.5 if I hit the junctions after 3-3:30.

So the OP's travel time is going to be entirely dependent on the day of the week and the time of day -- plus an X factor for the inauguration and March.

Having participated in similar events, I agree that it will be much more disruptive in the District, but I still would expect long delays on the highways, especially at tolls and rest areas. Going north, you have tolls at the Baltimore tunnels, the Maryland tolls after crossing the Susquehanna, and the Delaware tolls. I think the Delaware Memorial Bridge is toll free going north. The Maryland rest area are barely adequate on a normal day, and even the vast new Delaware comfort stop gets congested at the food kiosks. Will women's rooms cope? Will there be sufficient porta potties? I don't know. I just think it will be slow enough that if I were coming from a long way off, I would try to stay East or West of 95.

Fortunately, it looks like good weather for the March, so that won't be an issue.

Christina

I agree, the march may be downtown but all those people are coming from somewhere, and their hundreds if not thousands of buses. And then they have to leave. I would not want to bet that I95 is going to be perfectly as usual. 1200 buses requested parking permits for that Saturday, although only hundreds will be allowed. the buses are parking at RFK stadium that got permits and when they leave, it will likely be on 295 (which is 95 near the city).

It isn't clear when the OP is actually going to be driving in that general area, though. Personally, I would not go on the east side of the city, I'd go around to the west on (I495. I also wouldn't use the BW Parkway as it is farther to the east than you need to go (assuming you come around I495 from the west) and I've personally got stuck in stop and go traffic on that several times when I95 was quicker. I'm just real leery of it.

YOu could avoid I95 and the DC area and Baltimore if you wanted, a map can show you alternates, like go up through Pennsylvania (on I270 or I81 to Harrisburg, then east on I76 or I78, wherever you are going. In fact, I've driven up I15 from Frederick north to Harrisburg and that is a decent road even though not an interstate. I might even do that if I really wanted to avoid I95. I think it's guesswork.

basingstoke2

I disagree with the idea of going around from the west. However heavy 495 coming from the east may be, coming around from the south of the city is nearly always worse and coming up toward the American Legion bridge is almost alway awful. If one did come up that way though, I would go past the 495 split and continue north on I 270 until 200 which I would then take east to link back up with I 95.

The reason that I suggested taking 295 toward B'more rather than continuing 4 miles to I 95 is that traffic between the two becomes heavy during much of the day. Traffic north on 295, although it had been difficult because of construction delays is no longer the problem it had been during non rush hour time. If you hit 295 before 9:30 am or after 3 pm, expect delays as you approach rt. 32 because of the NSA.

Ackislander

If the OP would only tell us the blankety-blank days that s/he plans to be passing through the DC area, s/he would get better advice.

The optimists may be correct, the pessimists may be correct,new all are probably correct depending on the day.

Garbage in, garbage out.

The OP has given us very little to work with.

obxgirl

I'm probably under thinking this but I assumed when the OP said " million woman march in Washington" he/she was talking about Saturday January 21st.

I live in the area and know the roads people are talking about here but this thread makes my head spin.

OP's got plenty to work with if they are still around to read or respond. Hopefully they're traveling with a smartphone, a car radio, and/or a paper map.

Birdie

I take the Eastern shore route and CBBT often from Virginia to NJ. It's my preferred route. The CBBT is rarely backed up and never in the tunnel. To avoid Philly traffic, look into taking the Cape May-Lewis Ferry.

yestravel

I'm with you obxgirl -- lifelong resident and know the area very well, but my head was spinning trying to figure out the routes. The bottom line is just go around the city.