Tappan Zee or Cross Bronx Dec 22?
 

I have to drive from Cape Cod to Richmond the weekend before Christmas.

Ordinarily, I would take I-95 to the Tappan Zee and then the GS Parkway to the NJ Turnpike, but there are lots of malls etc along the Parkway that are likely to be crowded that weekend, spilling traffic back on the Parkway itself.

Would I be better off taking I-95 and the Cross-Bronx to the GW Bridge on that Saturday in the early afternoon? I wouldn't do it on a weekday, so it has been some years since I took this route.

Thanks in advance for any advice! Staying home is not an option!!

Marshall

ANYTHING is always preferable to the Cross Bronx (unless you know the bridge fell down or something).

Take the Tappan Zee, get off at the Nyack exit ( the first one as you get off the bridge) and take 9 to the George Washington Bridge..which will put you on the GSP / Turnpike...taking you past posh gated communities but no malls until you hit close to Fort Lee.

I 95 thru Conn can be bad. Try getting to I 84 to NY then I 684 to Hutchinson Pkwy. Get off on the Cross County Parkway. Get on Major Degan South (I 87). This gets you to the George Washington Bridge and avoids all but the last mile of the Cross Bronx. Then GWB to NJP, etc.
Avoiding I 95 thru CT and the Cross Bronx is the key.
We have found that GWB via above, saves 30 min over Tappen Zee.
Also get a EZ Pass or Fast Pass, if you don't have one. Will save tons of time and agrivation going thru tolls.

Avoid the Cross Bronx Ex. as much as possible. I traveled from New Hampshire to NYC for 7 years, once a month and it was always crowded, always under construction, always a nightmare.

If you get on I-84, I would go past 684 and cross the Hudson in Newburgh and pick up 87, then you don't need to take the GWB or Tappan Zee.

The Cross Bronx approach is fine on Sunday morning, and returning very late at night, but I avoid it otherwise. I think Scarlett's plan might be the best although crossing the TZB can be a nightmare too.

I'm heading through Manhattan and on to Richmond the day before you, fully expecting a disaster. No alternative, unfortunately.

We have a family rule: NEVER take the Cross Bronx.

Loki's route is the one you want. You may get a little jammed right at the TZ bridge but otherwise, that's how to go.

ALSO: You want to avoid I-95 around DC. Strongly suggest taking I-97 south from Baltimore to Rte. 5 and then 301, which will get you back to I-95 just before you hit Richmond. Yes, you'll have lights on stretches of 5 and 301, but it's far better than what will happen to you on the DC Beltway, esp. around Springfield, and then south to Fredericksburg.

Thanks for a lot of good advice.

I would not have thought in a million years about Rte 9 from the Tappan Zee to Ft Lee and then on to the Turnpike, but it makes perfect sense.

We drive to Richmond a lot (granddaughter there), and have a number of preferred routes.

In the Baltimore-Washington area, we prefer the Harbor Tunnel and the Balto-Washington Parkway for less traffic, though the construction near the bridge on 95 can be a real pain.

Depending on the weather, I will probably take 301 from just after the Delaware Memorial Bridge to Annapolis, then 50 to the Beltway, then south on 495/95.

I do not like 301 between Annapolis and the Virginia line because it is like one continuous strip mall with stop and go traffic, though it is a good alternative if the beltway is blocked on a Sunday morning.

When we lived in Boston, we would definitely have done the 84-87 route and might have gone west on 78 and 81 to Charlottesville and then down on 64. Longer, but lots less traffic.

You could take the Tappan Zee onto I87 (NY thruway--north ),bypass the Garden State exit and continue to the next exit, # 15. This is Interstate 287 south. It will take you past Morristown and Sommerville and end up at I 95, NJ Turnpike ,just past New Brunswick. This is a good end around to all the other crowded areas.

We live in Morristown and use this regularly to avoid worst traffic.It's far less crowded than rt 9.

This just gets better and better!

Thanks, everyone!

Ackislander..
1- I get whiney if we get stuck in traffic
2- it was always nice to drive past the small towns/communities along 9W..I always wanted to live in a 200 year old house in Palisades NY :)