I was wondering if any of you NOVA/Maryland folks can give me some intel. We are leaving central NJ at noon tomorrow and are driving to Williamsburg VA. I am sick and tired of 20 plus years of hitting DC at rush hour on Friday every time we are heading south for vacation and suffering through 30 miles of pure hell on 95 south of the beltway. I cannot imagine how the locals do it every week. I was thinking of trying getting on 97 coming out of the harbor tunnel in Baltimore to 3 south to 301 south through Maryland and into VA reconnecting with 95 betwen Fredricksburg and Richmond to bypass DC. Garmin says its ony 20 min longer than going through DC to 95, but i know DC will cost me at least an hour tht Garmin is not accounting for.
Can any of you fine folks give me any intel on whether this route tends to be a good move or a complete disaster?
I also have done the route down through Delaware over the Bay bridge and back up 64, but the extra distance winds up being a wash with the time lost in DC.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated......
Comments
Go down the Eastern shore anyway. Nicer drive, less stress.
My wife and I often use different map apps on trips and compare. Waze usually wins, and we use it regularly. That said, of the many times I have made all or part of this drive, taking the ferry from Cape May and taking the Bay Bridge Tunnel was the only time I enjoyed the drive. Great recommendation.
Exactly. You shouldn't have any issues this time of year traveling south from Lewes to the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Quite a few more lights, but a simple drive. (And don't go over 64-66 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, south of Pocomoke. The State Police like to sit in the little burgs down there and pick off out of state plates.)
For a minute I thought you were talking about interstates 64 and 66, and then I realized you meant mph lol. This is definitely good advice. just set that cruise control, remember it's better than being stuck in traffic, and enjoy the ride.
Go down 113 in Del into Maryland, and stop at Burley Oak for some growler fills, crowlers, and fresh Lost.
Thats part of yearly camping trip to cape henlopen next month. We do many many breweries that week
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I live just east of Salisbury (15 from Evolution and 15 from Burley) and work in Cambridge (RAR).
Mispillion has been really strong lately too...
You can do it. I have done it. But 301 is not a fun road up that way. You may move, and traffic tomorrow in NOVA is gonna be awful, buy that usually means other routes slow down too. Not sure how live traffic on garmin is, but Google maps tends to be incredibly accurate. And will re route you too. May want to try that and see what happens. There is also the express lane now that stops just before Fredericksburg, so if you have easy pass and don't mind spending the money, it helps quite a bit.
Yeah, ive done the express for 25 bucks and still sat in 10 to 15 milrs of bullshit when it merges back in. Not a fan.
Yeah, didn't say it was great but it does save time. My brother lives up there now and there is no wonder why I don't visit him.
301 to 17 is also an option.
Use Waze to tell you the best route. When it tells you the route to take, that is pretty much going to be the best way to take. You can tell it to avoid the major highways if you want and if you click the routes button it will give you 3 different routes to take and how long each will take. I would recommend using it just so you can find out where all of the cops are sitting.
Just be careful, Waze will route you through the bad parts of town if its quicker. Or in other words, know where the route is going to take you so you don't end up in an area that you are not comfortable in.
Also make you take a half dozen turns just to save 2 minutes.
Might be worth staying on 301 to 295, instead of trying to cut back to 95 in Caroline.
I've done that 301 route quite a few times, in both directions, on my drives between Baltimore and Newport News.
My advice: if you're going toward Williamsburg, take 301 to 17 South in Tappahannock, then from 17 you can decide whether you want to drive through Gloucester to head toward Williamsburg or go through West Point via 33.
+1. My parents used to live in Yorktown and we took 17 and 301 to get to Hopkins and some Os games. I also used 17 to avoid the beach exodus and the nightmarish thanksgiving traffic when I lived in NOVA.
Depending on where in Williamsburg you are going you could take the Colonial pkwy just after you cross the York River. And since your going south on 17 there is no toll when cross the bridge over the York.
I eventually got to the point where once I saw that 95 in VA was backed up, I avoided the whole thing.
301 to 17 south, at Glenns take 33 west through West Point, after crossing over the second bridge, look for RT. 30, turn left, take it to get on I-64 or keep going on 30 to Rt. 60 and take 60 east to Williamsburg.
Watch out for State Troopers on Rt 17, they will be out North and South of Tappahannock.
True story about the state troopers.
Yep, they like to tuck up into that john deere dealership right where the speed drops.
That's on Rt. 360.
I go to Wilmington NC from D.C. Usually 6-7 times a year. There is no good way. I use Waze... most accurate and does redirect for accidents etc. saved me 2 hours one time when 495 had 2 lanes shut down.
I'm gonna jump on the 301 train here. Used to take it up to Maryland when I lived in Richmond. It's not exactly glamorous, but at least you're moving and you're somewhat parallel to 95. IIRC you just need to pay attention to speed traps.
Thanks for the input guys...i think we are gonna try that route and maybe the route 17 suggestion that papilgee gave. Will let u know how it works out. Will get there one way or another. And plenty of breweries to hit during the week once we are there.
Central NJ Hokie here as well (Old Bridge!) I usually use US-301 heading back and forth to the Richmond area. You can use it through Delaware/Maryland and cross over at Annapolis and then again in Dahlgren... or do what I normally do and take I-95 to the Balt-Wash Pkwy on the other side of Baltimore to I-495, then MD-5 to US-301, cross over in Dahlgren.
How far south of I-78 are you? I live in NY, and this adds less than an hour before factoring in DC traffic:
- I-78 to I-81
- I-81 to US-15, via I-83 and some other roads in Harrisburg
- US-15 to US-17, south of I-66
- US-17 to I-95 in Fredericksburg
Much less traffic, much more scenic of a trip, and the only toll is $4 when crossing the Delaware on I-78 West (and you can avoid it by taking US-22 and only adding 5-10 minutes). There is no toll on the return trip.
If significantly south of I-78, I-76 will substitute in a pinch. It's a toll road though. Almost never have to worry about cops and flow is usually 75-80 mph, unlike 78 where you definitely need to watch that stretch near Bethlehem where speed limit is something ridiculous like a 50 or 55.
I have looked for alternatives through that corridor. The eastern shore is nice, but once over the bay bridge the tidewater traffic can be as bad as DC. 301 going through Waldorf is torture. No real good alternative IMO- although Macraw83 is probably onto something above.
I am resigned to the fact that best way to do it is to hit the beltway at the lightest times. Like the middle of the night.
Waldorf area is like pulling teeth until I remember my alternative was sitting in park on 95.
I remember Waldorf. For the longest time, the KFC there was the only one within several hours that still sold honey barbecue wings.
My wife was thrilled about that. I, however, could not have cared less.
Here's how you avoid the Tidewater traffic to cross the bridges up to the peninsula.
Once south of the Bay Bridge, continue on RT 13 until you get to Rt 64. Take 64 towards Chesapeake, away from Newport News.
Follow that around to Chesapeake where it changes names to Rt 664. Continue now as if you are going over the bridge west of Norfolk.
Before you do, however, take the exit for Rt 17 west, in Suffolk.
Take this west and stay on it, cross to the Peninsula over the Rt 17 bridge.
From there you have a choice of whether to stay on Rt 17 up through Williamsburg, change to a different small road or get on Rt 64 west to Williamsburg.
I lived in Chesapeake for 10 years, from before the Rt 664 bridge was built.
Depending on the time of day, though, I-64 will back up for quite a few miles just beyond the Jefferson Avenue (VA 143) exit due to the freeway dropping lanes (and construction to build new lanes).
Your alternate route is (probably) not a terrible one. That's how I usually travel that route. I grew up along the 301 corridor in Maryland and have family in PA and NJ, so I've made that drive quite a few times. The stretch of 301 from Bowie through Waldorf in Maryland can be horrendous, or it could be tolerable. It will certainly be at least somewhat congested. Once you get south of Waldorf, it should be pretty smooth sailing (with one possible exception...more on that in a moment) all the way to I-95. I would definitely advise checking the status of the Harry Nice bridge (where 301 crosses the Potomac into Virginia). It can be a tremendous chokepoint. It's only one lane in each direction, with no shoulders. It's also a terror for folks who have any sort of bridge phobias, with its narrowness and steepness. The toll ($6, but you only have to pay heading southbound...return passage is free) really slows down the traffic and if there's construction, as there frequently is, the backups can go for miles.
Thanks for all the advice folks......got here with out too much hassle. 301 was rough in a few stretches but worth avoiding the 95 mess south of DC. Also made a pit stop at Calvert brewery. Their DIPA was pretty good.
Correction, DC is not the problem. You aren't going through it. It's VA and Maryland that's the issue.
I'd take 301. It's nuts to butts on 95 until Fredericksburg.