Will be driving through DC about 3PM on a Tues afternoon, mid Oct., north to south. Would one beltway be better than the other?

isy

There is only 1 DC Beltway -- I495. Inner or outer Beltway refer to which direction u are going. Depending upon where u are going and where u are getting on 495 will depend upon whether to go clockwise (inner beltway) or counter clockwise (Outer beltway).
http://www.aaccessmaps.com/show/map/...cmetro_beltway

While I agree that where you're headed makes a modicum of difference, being on I495 at 3 pm on a weekday has all the allure of a vaca in Dante's 8th circle of hell. Good luck!

It might help if you told us where you're driving from and where you're headed to as there COULD be some alternatives to the Washington Capitol beltway. I live east of DC so when we are headed south we do not use the beltway because it can snarl up at any given point and keep it tied up for 1 or 2 hours. Friends of ours who live on the western side of DC take a route much closer to their area and staying away from the infamous beltway.

So give us your points and we'll try to assist.

OK. We're a senior couple driving south from the Boston area to FL along 95 and plan to spend the 1st nt in the Richmond area somewhere near 95/295 so we need to get "through" the DC area. I anticipate getting to the DC area will take a good 7 hours of driving time and then a couple more to the Richmond area. Didn't know if one side of the beltway wes a better bet in terms of traffic flow.
Thanks,
isy

Your time estimates are off. I make the I95 trip Boston south several times/year for almost 10 years with kids in college in the south. Ignore Mapquest times, GPS times and routing - they are wrong. Unless you are incredibly lucky or driving in the middle of the night, you will not make it to even Baltimore, much less Washington in 7-8 hours. There is always some sort of issue in NY/NJ area involving construction or traffic.

Our trip usually involves leaving Boston area by 7 AM and staying in Fredericksburg, VA for the night - and that never takes less than 9-10 hours - and at times longer. (Fredericksburg is about an hour north of Richmond).

It is difficult to time this trip so as to avoid Boston metro, NYC area and Washington, DC area rush hours. If you want to drive during normal travel hours (which I am guessing you want to as you describe yourself as a senior couple) - leave Boston area at 5-6 AM. Drive efficiently and limit your lunch stopping time. You will then hit DC area earlier in the afternoon and have somewhat less traffic. There is no reasonable way to avoid Washington/Baltimore area and there is always some traffic - but this will reduce it somewhat.

If you do not have one, get a toll transponder - it will save you some time.

And as far as routing, most mapping programs send you over the George Washington Bridge in NY - the consensus here has been to take Tappan Zee Bridge instead - there are various ways to get to that point depending on from where in Boston you are leaving and how you wish to get thru CT - would be happy to offer my ideas if you want.

Making it to Richmond the first night is really pushing it - by the time I reach Fredericksburg I am ready to leave the car and never return - with traffic and interchanges along the way it is a rather exhausting 450+ miles that always takes longer than it should

We have found it is a little farther, but much less stressfull to go west and take i 84 to i 81 south to i 77 south of Roanoke and then use the loop around Columbia, SC to i 26 which hits i 95 north of Charleston. The time was the same or shorter than going straight 95 and you avoid the traffic jam that often exists between New Haven, Ct and Richmond, VA. We usually make it to close to Roanoke the first night and there are plenty of places to stay along i 81. DH really hates sitting in a traffic jam.

You know, I've heard people refer to US301 as the "outer beltway" for people driving past DC, as an alternate north-south route for I-95. It can be better if you're going through the DC area at rush hour, but it has it's own set of challenges. It takes you through Waldorf in MD, which has a lot more traffic and lights than it used to. Traffic can move pretty slowly through that area. I'd say it's better to stick with I-95, if you can time your passage through the DC area at non-rush hour.

emalloy - there is no reason to go anywhere near New Haven driving from Boston unless you are taking I95 the entire way - which I would not recommend.

When driving to central NC I tried the more western route - over Tappan Zee Bridge and then continuing west thru Pensylvania, Winchester, VA, etc. It was somewhat longer in mileage, a nice break from my usual route. I think the drive time on average would be about the same to much of the south - but I am not sure how it would be if then going towards Florida - I am guessing it depends on where in Florida.

smetz - I also try to avoid Baltimore/Washington at rush hour and just stay on I95 - have tried alternate routes in that area and think on average it works about the same to stay on the highway. On any given day one might be better or worse, but I just put my brain on autopilot and head south like a migrating bird

At 3 PM you are getting close to the witching hour for DC traffic. Getting to DC at 2 or even 2:30 might be best. I would guess that the Beltway on DC's east edge heading to the Wilson Bridge might be the best bet if you are not too late. Yet there is the Northern Virginia traffic complete with what seems to be continuous road construction to impede. Northern Virginia is trapped in a cycle in which roads are built to alleviate traffic, developers use the roads to build more development, and then new roads have to be built to solve the traffic congestion created by the previous cycle. It's been this way in Northern Virginia for decades and likely will continue until Doomsday itself.

Perhaps taking Route 301 South might be an alternative but I would warn that the town of Waldorf is loaded up with traffic lights and can take a long time to get through. A benefit might be that the Northern Neck of Virginia is rural and the drive aggreeable. You can get back on Route 95 near Richmond.

gail, I know you don't have to go through New Haven, but since the trip was on i 95, that is what was commented on. We did the trip south to visit son when he was at UNCW by every possible route and also to Florida when parents were there. We found 95 was ok if you got through NY city by 7 am and through DC by noon, otherwise you could count on a jam. For going to Florida, the trip I mentioned using 81 was much more pleasant and once past CT there were few tie ups.

Well, like Gail, I lived in the Boston area and drove many, many times to NC when my kids were at Chapel Hill. From Boston, the hassle-free (well, almost) route was MassPike to I-84 to I-684 to Tappan Zee to I-78 to I-81 by a variety of scenic routes in PA, similar to emalloy. Like GeorgeW, I have not found US 301 to be much help.

Now, our grandchildren live in Richmond, and we drive via DC multiple times yearly. Gail is absolutely right that unless you are unbelievably lucky, you will not get to DC in 7 hours. Think Newark, Delaware, in 7 hours. This time last year, there was a traffic jam on the northbound side all the way from the MD-DE line to the Delaware Memorial Bridge toll booth owing to an accident and construction.

Since you are going all the way to Florida, you can bypass Washington by taking the Garden State Parkway, the Cape May-Lewes ferry, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, rejoining I-95 south of Richmond. Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Virginia are very beautiful if you are not hell-bent on getting to Florida.

To take I-95 going south, consider taking I-895 in Baltimore to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and rejoining I-495 at the Wilson Bridge, rather than where you first cross it. This has the virtue of being mostly truck-free, though there is plenty of traffic.

If you elect to stay with I-95, watch for the electronic warning signboard just before the I-495 junction with advice about traffic tieups on the "eastern" and "western" routes. Follow its advice. We generally choose to go on the western route of I-495 because there appear to be more major routes that siphon off traffic along the way (Dulles Parkway, I-66). If you are going near Christmas, be aware that there may be a five backup in either direction near the Woodbridge exit for the Potomac Mills mall. Stay left.

Be aware that GPS devices, probably for security reasons, are less accurate in pinpointing where you are in the Washington area, at least mine is. The map are still good, but your vehicle may or may not be on the ramp or frontage road where it is shown, a slight hazard if you decide to go "cross country" to avoid a tieup.

Wow! Thanks so much everyone. Guess we should be on the road much earlier than we had thought. That's good to know. I certainly appreciate everyone's helpful advice.

isy