Allentown, PA to Richmond, VA (end of June)

[gorevs9]

I've made the trip down to the Williamsburg area several times and each time there is new obstacles.

Other than the usual tie-ups around DC and in the area south of DC where the I-95S express and local lanes merge is there anything new to worry about? I've read where there is I-295 construction around the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

Coming from the Allentown area, Google sends me to Philly then down through Baltimore, DC, and Richmond.

Would it be better to go I-83 to Baltimore and then down I-95? I'm actually going to be more in the Suffolk, VA area and the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel would be an option, but it would probably add an hour to my travel time.

I'll be pulling a trailer so I'd have to avoid "Cars Only" roads, though I don't think there are any in that area.

Thanks

[HuskyJim]

For the part of the trip from DC to Suffolk, I can say that there is no new construction in the NoVA area, such as Springfield and the HOV lanes merging.

I would suggest that if you are going to Suffolk, you might want to avoid I64 from Richmond to Norfolk, and take I95 farther south to Petersburg, and then 460 east to Suffolk.

Depending on the time day that you are traveling, I64 can be very heavy and slow in Newport News, Williamsburg and Hampton. And slow at the two tunnels - Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (very bad generally in summer and weekends especially) or the Monitor Merrimac (a little better, but still can have tie-ups).

Jim

[pedro47]

Traveling 460 Richmond to Suffolk please observe the speed limits in the small towns.

[Sea Six]

When we drove from Allentown to Williamsburg the first time we decided to take the scenic route through Delaware and over the Chesapeake Bay bridge/tunnel. A little longer, but much more relaxed, and way more interesting. It's an area I may never get to see again and I'm glad we did it that way.

[mrfred]

take I78 West, which joins I81 South to Harrisburg. go around the (Harrisburg) Capital Beltway around the east side (I83 South and PA581 West), and then pickup US 15 South, which becomes I270 S to DC.

about the same distance as taking I83 to Baltimore and I95 South to DC, but less traffic and no tolls.

since you're going further south, in Frederick MD, stay on US 15, into Virginia. US 15 S will join with US 29 in Gainesville, VA. US 17 joins in as well in Warrenton, VA. When US 17 splits off, take it, and you'll get to I 95 around Frederickburg, VA. and you've bypass DC completely.

[zazz]

I just made that drive from Montgomery County.

I think the suggestion to bypass DC is sound advice. You could his shore traffic on 476 so that's not good. I hit a few snags on the approach to the Harbor tunnel and then got pummeled once we hit Manassas. Slow all the way to Fredricksburg.

[gorevs9]

Originally Posted by HuskyJim

For the part of the trip from DC to Suffolk, I can say that there is no new construction in the NoVA area, such as Springfield and the HOV lanes merging.

Jim,
Refresh my memory...where is the merging of the HOV lanes?

[gorevs9]

Originally Posted by mrfred

since you're going further south, in Frederick MD, stay on US 15, into Virginia. US 15 S will join with US 29 in Gainesville, VA. US 17 joins in as well in Warrenton, VA. When US 17 splits off, take it, and you'll get to I 95 around Frederickburg, VA. and you've bypass DC completely.

That's an interesting route. I like the idea of by-passing tolls, especially when pulling a trailer.

A few years ago I remember taking Rt 15 to Gettysburg (from the south) and I remember hitting bunches of traffic through the cities. I guess in this part of the country traffic is a given.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.
Mike

[HuskyJim]

Originally Posted by gorevs9

Jim,
Refresh my memory...where is the merging of the HOV lanes?

There are HOV/Express lanes in Northern Va on I95 from Dumfries (MP 151) north through to Springfield (MP 169), where the HOV lanes continue north (where they change names and are called I-395) into DC, at the 14th street bridge.

When they are switched to Southbound (usually from 2 or 3 PM in the afternoon to late evening), the merge at the southern terminus (in Dumfries) can be backed up, in both the regular lanes and the HOV/Express lanes.

And on Friday afternoons in the summer, forget it, don't go near Southbound 95 is you can help it.

Hope this helps in avoidance of traffic and headaches .

Jim

[HuskyJim]

Originally Posted by gorevs9

I've made the trip down to the Williamsburg area several times and each time there is new obstacles.

Other than the usual tie-ups around DC and in the area south of DC where the I-95S express and local lanes merge is there anything new to worry about? I've read where there is I-295 construction around the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

Coming from the Allentown area, Google sends me to Philly then down through Baltimore, DC, and Richmond.

Thanks

Another option for avoiding DC is to take I-95 to Baltimore, and then take I-97 to Route 3 and then get onto US 301. 301 will connect to I-95 south of Fredericksburg, near Bowling Green. Although this route takes you through La Plata and Waldorf, where there are many, many traffic lights. But many parts of 301 are 4-lane divided hwy, 55 MPH speed limit.

If you have to travel on a Friday, this is the better option than I-95.

[chap7]

Hi Jim, any advice for me? I'm checking in to Williamsburg Plantation on July 4th coming from Long Island. I'm about an hour outside NYC. My initial thought was to leave Friday morning and get South of DC. I would then check in to a hotel with a pool and leave Saturday morning for Williamsburg.

Any suggestions on how exactly to best work this? Best time to leave, best route to take and best place to stop for the night? My kids don't do so well in the car so I've got to make this as painless as possible. I appreciate any advice you can offer.

[gorevs9]

Originally Posted by chap7

Hi Jim, any advice for me? I'm checking in to Williamsburg Plantation on July 4th coming from Long Island. I'm about an hour outside NYC. My initial thought was to leave Friday morning and get South of DC. I would then check in to a hotel with a pool and leave Saturday morning for Williamsburg.

FYI, the check-in time at Williamsburg Plantation is not until 4 pm. When I was there last year, it was a crap-shoot as to whether or not they would let a person check in early. We were there early and ended up using the time prior to check-in to do grocery shopping.

[HuskyJim]

Originally Posted by chap7

Hi Jim, any advice for me? I'm checking in to Williamsburg Plantation on July 4th coming from Long Island. I'm about an hour outside NYC. My initial thought was to leave Friday morning and get South of DC. I would then check in to a hotel with a pool and leave Saturday morning for Williamsburg.

Any suggestions on how exactly to best work this? Best time to leave, best route to take and best place to stop for the night? My kids don't do so well in the car so I've got to make this as painless as possible. I appreciate any advice you can offer.

Maverick,
Travelling on the east coast on a Friday in the summer is not for the weak-hearted. And there is no “best” way, because there are two many variables – time of day, weather, special events (or theme parks to avoid – i.e., like Six Flags in NJ, exit 7A on the NJ Turnpike on a Saturday).

If you leave LI early enough on Friday, headed down I-95, you would most likely miss the majority of the weekend traffic until you get to Baltimore about midday. With luck and good traffic, it’s possible to get past DC by early afternoon, but if you don’t get to southbound I-95 in Springfield, VA by about 1 PM on Friday, don’t try it, it will be slow.

From Baltimore, I would take the I-97 to US301. Look for something along that route for a place to stay, such as in Waldorf, La Plata. You could even get a place at one of the airport hotels near BWI (just south of Baltimore), as they usually have good rates on Fridays/Saturdays, since they cater mostly to business travelers.

Depending where you stay Friday night, I would still want to avoid southbound I-95 in Northern VA on Saturday, because it will be almost as bad as a Friday afternoon. So I would continue on the US301 route to I-95 just north of Richmond.

If you are adventurous, and want to see a different part of VA, you could take US301 and then US17, which heads towards Newport News/Hampton VA. This goes through the Northern Neck area, and is mostly rural. You’d have to come back west a bit to get to Williamsburg, but you would not get stuck in any traffic. Even eastbound I-64, from Richmond to Williamsburg, can be heavy and slow, especially on Friday afternoons and Saturday.

If you need any Williamsburg info, let me know (although TUGgers have provide a wealth of threads on what’s there).

Jim

[chap7]

Thanks Jim, your advice is so appreciated! I keep thinking of the expression, " You can't get there from here!"

Following your advice my plan looks like this: Leave home at 6:00 AM Friday. Using HOV lane get off Long Island as early as possible. Then head down I95 towards Baltimore/DC. When I get bogged down with the morning rush hour traffic, pull over for breakfast. Then proceed past DC once the morning commute has subsided.

I'd like to get as far south on Friday as I can.

As far as Colonial Williamsburg goes, as of now I have a reservation for 16 at Shields Tavern at 5:00 on July 7th. Beyond that we are very flexible.

Thanks again, Jim!

[HuskyJim]

Originally Posted by chap7

Following your advice my plan looks like this: Leave home at 6:00 AM Friday. Using HOV lane get off Long Island as early as possible. Then head down I95 towards Baltimore/DC. When I get bogged down with the morning rush hour traffic, pull over for breakfast. Then proceed past DC once the morning commute has subsided.

I'd like to get as far south on Friday as I can.

Maverick,
Since you're leaving so early, you could make it past DC and into VA before early afternoon, so you should be able to avoid the heavy I95 traffic.

Something I forgot - Friday, July 3, is a Federal holiday, so traffic that day will not be the normal mix of commuters and vacationers. It may be lighter traffic. If that's the case, I'd stay with 95 all the way.

For traffic around the DC area, there is an FM station that gives great traffic reports (from Bob Marbourg) around the clock, every 10 minutes ("on the eights!"). It's all-news WTOP (was on 1500 AM), now it's at 103.5 FM. If you have a Blackberry, or similar web-enabled device, they have a website (www.wtop.com) that will give realtime updates as well.

Have a good trip,
Jim

[chap7]

Jim, you're the best. I didn't even realize that July 3rd was a Federal Holiday. I'm feeling a little better about the drive now. Plus that radio station will definitely prove useful.