Driving from Richmond to DE/MD beaches?

Mapquest is telling me to go all the way up to DC or all the way down to Norfolk, Va to get to the eastern shore beaches in DE and MD from Richmond/Williamsburg area. Is there any shorter way across the water, I think the Chesapeake Bay?

sammy said:

Mapquest is telling me to go all the way up to DC or all the way down to Norfolk, Va to get to the eastern shore beaches in DE and MD from Richmond/Williamsburg area. Is there any shorter way across the water, I think the Chesapeake Bay?

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The trip via Norfolk is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. If you go up to DC and over via RT 50, that is the only other way that I'm aware of.

Us 301

You can also catch US301 north of Richmond and cross the bay there on a bridge. It will meet up with Rt 50 at Bowie MD which is east of Annapolis.

Nancy

Nancy said:

You can also catch US301 north of Richmond and cross the bay there on a bridge. It will meet up with Rt 50 at Bowie MD which is east of Annapolis.

Nancy

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Nancy is correct.

That is certainly the best, and most scenic, route from Richmond.

Try to time your trip, so that you go right after rush hour, to avoid the traffic congestion in Waldorf, (the town of a zillion traffic lights!)

Have fun!

Mapquest seems to disregard ferries. Although they might not be the fastest way to get somewhere, they are the most fun way to get there. I am only mentioning them to give you other options. My 2 year old atlas shows several ferries to the lower Eastern Shore.
Take Rt. 360 all the way to the Reedville/Smith Point area at the mouth of the Potomac. The Reedville ferry take you to Tangier Island. From there, another ferry takes you to Onancock, VA, near Rt. 13N. T he Smith Point ferry takes you to Smith Island (?) where another ferry takes you to Crisfield, MD. Take Rt. 413 to 13N.
If you want to travel through MD before you get to the ferry (way longer), you can take I-95 to exit 104, Rt 207 to Bowling green. From Bowling Green, take 310 across the Potomac to the Rt. 234 junction . Go down to Rt. 5 and take that to Point Lookout. The ferry from there goes to Smith Island(?) and Crisfield. I have put (?) after Smith Island because the atlas only names one of the 3-4 islands in the group.
I have no schedule for these ferries, so I don't know when they run, or how often. Personally, if I was going to the MD beaches, I would take the southern route though Norfolk and the northern route for the DE beaches; forget about the ferries

Absolutely the best route. It's actually the Potomac River, not the bay that you cross. The bridge is the Potomac River Bridge.

Nancy said:

You can also catch US301 north of Richmond and cross the bay there on a bridge. It will meet up with Rt 50 at Bowie MD which is east of Annapolis.

Nancy

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Don said:

Mapquest seems to disregard ferries. Although they might not be the fastest way to get somewhere, they are the most fun way to get there. I am only mentioning them to give you other options. My 2 year old atlas shows several ferries to the lower Eastern Shore.
Take Rt. 360 all the way to the Reedville/Smith Point area at the mouth of the Potomac. The Reedville ferry take you to Tangier Island... Personally, if I was going to the MD beaches, I would take the southern route though Norfolk and the northern route for the DE beaches; forget about the ferries

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Unless I'm mistaken, the three Reedville ferries that go to Tangier are passenger only. I agree though- the northern route for DE beaches and the southern route for MD beaches on the Eastern shore.

Depending on where you are starting from, you can get to 301 outside of Fredericksburg, VA I believe. I think it is Rt 3 that connects out there in King George County with 301. Taking 301 through the countryside of VA can be pretty, it may be quicker to get on I95 to F-Burg and then over. I don't know . . . you'd need to look closely at a map and take into account the traffic and speed limits of both routes.

I didn't even consider that route, even though I lived in F-Burg for over 10 years, because I was focused on the Chesapeake Bay crossing point.

If you are already down as far east as Williamsburg, is there some reason you don't want to do the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the Norfolk area? I seem to recall doing it when my mom was in Williamsburg and enjoying the trip. Maybe it isn't the most direct or fastest??

Nancy said:

You can also catch US301 north of Richmond and cross the bay there on a bridge. It will meet up with Rt 50 at Bowie MD which is east of Annapolis. Nancy

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Also, Bowie is west of Annapolis, and not "on the way" from the 301 to 50 route to the shore.

The auto ferries Don talks about are discontinued for automobiles.

When you drive S on Rt 13 through the VA section of Demarva, you can still see a few signs indicating where to turn off US 13 S to get to Richmond (short cut) much faster (than the ferries) that WERE located between the S tip of Delmarva and the VB/Norfolk areas. (Now the Bay Bridge Tunnel).

The internet indicates there are still rail ferries, perhaps the last in the USA connecting to the VA mainland...but no private autos or passengers are allowed. Study ended in 2005 show how bring those car & truck ferries back would give more help to the communites (From a MD city to a VA mainland city).

It would be more milage to go from Williamsburg S to the Bay Bridge Tunnel, but according to when you are leaving, (day & time wise) IMO...you might have a lot less traffic.

I 64 to Bay Bridge Tunnel (Rt 13 N) to Rt 113 N at Pocomoke, via Snow Hill & Berlin, then rt 50 into Ocean City (if OC MD is destination, OR stay on Rt 113 a bit furthur N to Delawares beaches.

Rt 50 and Del Rt one will be busy in season. But you will only be on rt 50 a very short time if from Rt 113 N from S Delmarva.

Bowie

Sorry Bowie is West of Annapolis and it is where 301 meets route 50!

Nancy

Thank you all!

I guess thru Norfolk and via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is the way to go. I needed to ask the experts to be sure. It just seems there should be a more direct route. Even thou it is called I64East, it is really South and takes you almost directly south for 50 miles in order to head back north that same 50 miles. A car ferry at Reedville as mentioned would cut the drive by nearly 100 miles! Oh well, either south then north, or north then south! Either way, I guess the key is timing to try and avoid the DC or the beach traffic!

Thanks again.

I think your best bet from the Richmond area would be to go north first and then cross over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (called the Bay Bridge) near Annapolis and head up to the Eastern Shore using route 13. It's the way I'd go from F'burg and you're just 50-60 miles south of me if you're in the Richmond area. If you go on off-peak hours, I-95 ain't that bad, or, to avoid I-95, as others have said, take Route 3 to Route 234 to US 301 to Route 50; there's a bridge from Virginia to MD on 301 -- it's known as the 301 Bridge, and it has a $3 toll -- the official name is the Nice Memorial Bridge, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_Harry_W._Nice_Memorial_Bridge).

Driving south from Richmond to Norfolk and then taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and heading back north to the Eastern Shore makes no sense to me. The traffic congestion on I-64 on your way to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel to the Bay Bridge Tunnel is pretty bad too -- it's almost as bad as I-95 traffic in Northern Virginia. However, if you're very close to Williamsburg, going this route might not be a bad idea.

I am much closer to Williamsburg, so I think mileage-wise, thru Norfolk is the shortest, but with traffic considerations on a Friday night I am not sure which would offer the chance of less traffic. Perhaps neither!

Sammy,

I think you'll see everyone has a differing opinion. There are basically 5 options:

1. Drive to Norfolk and take the Cheaspeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. (I've done this once and think it is worth it to do it once.) It takes you much close to the OC and Delaware Beaches and you miss the DC area totally.

2. I-95 to US 50. This is probably the quickest way IF you don't get into DC traffic. This would depend on time of day and whether there is any construction on Woodrow Wilson Bridge (across the Potomac).

3. I-95 to US 301 north of Richmond. Mileage-wise this may be closest, but as someone stated, 301 around Waldorf can be messy and 301 is a very busy road.

4. US 17 from Yorktown to US 301. This misses the Richmond area, but you still have 301 problems around Waldorf.

5. US 17 to Fredericksburg then I-95 to US50. You bypass Richmond, but not DC!

Maybe if you told us day and time of day, we could give you a better answer. Get out a map and look and also see what Mapquest or AAA tells you.

Nancy

I plan to leave 6pm tonight from Toano (5 miles out of Williamsburg). Thanks.

Sammy-

Which beach are you going to? That might help narrow down a route. Of course my advice would be to skip DE/MD and come on down to OBX

Oops -- heading to Bethany Beach, DE. Mapquest said via Norfolk hands down.

If you take the northern routes and you leave Williamsburg at 6pm, you should hit the F'burg area at 7:30. (I-95 going South from DC into Virginia down to F'burg is horrendous on Fridays, but going North is much better in Virginia and you should avoid the congestion heading North into Maryland.) I'm not sure about the traffic around Richmond but I've not run into any jams heading on the Richmond beltway (I-295) to I-95 on my trips from Virginia Beach or Williamsburg.

From F'burg, I'd take the short-cut through DC -- I wouldn't take the Woodrow Wilson Bridge -- to get to the Bay Bridge. Take I-95 to I-395 to DC 295/MD295 (via Annacostia Parkway to Route 50 to Annapolis then over the Bay Bridge. The short cut should save around 30 minutes and you'll avoid the Wilson Bridge/Beltway traffic. And Annapolis traffic should be pretty good at this time.

Just giving you some more information.

I think route 50 out of DC & Baltimore will really be backed up on a Friday PM heading toward the beaches.

And you will be stuck in traffic well before the Annapolis bridge and entirely after it going on Rt 50 toward Bethany.

We did the oppisite last year from the Cape MAy ferry to DC. Every road (all one laners) toward Rehobeth were backed up for no end.

Once you get onto Delmarva N area, remember, they are heading toward the bbeaches from Philly....using US Rt 13, 113, and Del Rt one....and that combines with all the traffic coming in off US Rt 50.

But fewer would be using US rt 13 N into Delmarva...I would think they would be just as happy with VB, or even the OBX.

Once you get on Rt 113 N, I think your traffic will begin right when you cross over rt 50. By then, you will ALMOST be there.

Lord my head's spinning . . . I'm glad I don't live there any more

Is there any shorter way across the water, I think the Chesapeake Bay?

I live on the Eastern Shore and from Richmond the *BEST* way is through Virginia Beach and across the Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Timeshare Von said:

Lord my head's spinning . . .

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Ditto!

Thanks for all the advise!

Well, its almost midnite.......and we all hope Sammy got to his destination a few hours ago, and with very little tie ups.

(He said he was leaving Fri nite, right?)

sammy said:

Oops -- heading to Bethany Beach, DE. Mapquest said via Norfolk hands down.

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I travel regularly from Williamsburg to Connecticut, and have gone through all the options on heading north - it's just not easy on a Friday in the summer.

This may be too late for Sammy, but let me advise anyone about the Norfolk option ....

I would definitely avoid the HRBT on Friday evenings in the summer. Even getting East (really South) on I-64 towards the HRBT is going to be slow, thru the Williamsburg and Newport News area, before getting to the HRBT. And the HRBT is a guaranteed backup. And then heading over to the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is no fun, because I-64 in the Norfolk/Virginia beach area is a constant bottleneck on weekends.

Once on 301 north thru the Eastern Shore, there are several traffic lights (although not as numerous as the section thru Waldorf). So it will be slow, but not any backups generally.

Jim

PS - By the way, this past Friday night, East bound I-64 was shutdown in Newport News for about two hours due to a serious traffic accident about 5 PM. I hope Sammy got through that before hand.