Fastest route from Miami to Manhattan?
Driving a car, no rv. Taking I-95 out of Miami and Florida. No scenic route this trip. Looking to get there and avoid the traffic around the Washington and Baltimore area. Can I go around that to Manhattan?
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7 Replies
Thom02099 wrote:
precioustime wrote:
Driving a car, no rv. Taking I-95 out of Miami and Florida. No scenic route this trip. Looking to get there and avoid the traffic around the Washington and Baltimore area. Can I go around that to Manhattan?
I-95 north to Richmond, VA
US 301 north from Richmond VA through Annapolis MD, across the Chesapeake Bay to Delaware and continue on north on US 301 to the Wilmington area.
Take the Delaware Memorial Bridge/I-95, to I-295 in NJ and continue north on I-295 paralleling the NJ Turnpike, north to Trenton NJ. Outside of Trenton, get on I-195 east to the NJ Turnpike and take the NJTP north to wherever you want to cross into Manhattan.
The US 301 cutoff will save you from the congestion of the DC/Baltimore area. I-295 in NJ will save you tolls and is just as quick as taking the NJTP.
I used to drive that route frequently, back in the day when I was an East Coaster. While it's been a lot of years since I've driven it, anecdotally I've read that it's still a good way to beat the congestion of the DC/Baltimore area.
x2- +3 on Thom02099 - follow those instructions exactly, and you'll be fine, as fine as you can get when driving in the great northeast. There's no need to go anywhere near DC and Baltimore.
- As a big FYI, the NJ Turnpike construction is about 99% complete, and will be wrapped up this work season before winter.
If you time getting through DC right, say at night after 8pm, it should be an easier shot. If taking 301, which I've done frequently, make sure to stay heading north on MD Route 3 to I-97 to the Harbor Tunnel (by car - no RV's allowed!) to pick up 95 again north of Baltimore. Mr-MrsPete wrote:
What Thom02099 said! Plus the NJTP has a lot of construction going on.
We are based on the Chesapeake Eastern Shore & frequently use that 301 route to avoid the Baltimore Washington mayhem.- What Thom02099 said! Plus the NJTP has a lot of construction going on.
precioustime wrote:
Driving a car, no rv. Taking I-95 out of Miami and Florida. No scenic route this trip. Looking to get there and avoid the traffic around the Washington and Baltimore area. Can I go around that to Manhattan?
I-95 north to Richmond, VA
US 301 north from Richmond VA through Annapolis MD, across the Chesapeake Bay to Delaware and continue on north on US 301 to the Wilmington area.
Take the Delaware Memorial Bridge/I-95, to I-295 in NJ and continue north on I-295 paralleling the NJ Turnpike, north to Trenton NJ. Outside of Trenton, get on I-195 east to the NJ Turnpike and take the NJTP north to wherever you want to cross into Manhattan.
The US 301 cutoff will save you from the congestion of the DC/Baltimore area. I-295 in NJ will save you tolls and is just as quick as taking the NJTP.
I used to drive that route frequently, back in the day when I was an East Coaster. While it's been a lot of years since I've driven it, anecdotally I've read that it's still a good way to beat the congestion of the DC/Baltimore area.- If you're stopping for nights along the way, you may want to consider the Amtrak auto train. It basically cuts a night out of the trip, at least by my figuring (and for my traveling). You don't avoid the DC/Baltimore area, of course, since that's basically the northern terminus. It's also not a money-saving option.
I've sometimes taken I-26, I-77, and I-81 (presumably cutting across I-76 to get to NYC) in preference to I-95 when heading to or from Florida. That does avoid a lot of the worst of the cities and is, at least in areas, a fairly scenic route. I don't know if it's actually faster or not, but it seems nicer to me.
