Washington DC alternative routes?
We are looking at 2 routes around DC to avoid the beltline and 75 as much as possible. We will be arriving at Cherry Hill from Williamsburg, VA. Would it work if we took 3/33 to 17 to 301/3 to 50/...
Forum Discussion
To get from Northern VA into DC you need to take one of a few bridges. I would avoid I495/Capital Beltway between 6am to 10am, then again from about 2pm to 7pm. For that matter, I would avoid I95 in northern Virginia during those times too. Any other time of day and I95 to I495 is your best bet.
If you want to avoid that, I would suggest I395 to I295. That is an older and smaller road, a 2 lane highway north, 2 lanes south.
Taking 301 is a long narrow bridge then a lot of surface streets through Southern Maryland. Any time of day that is a looooooong route. You will likely have less traffic but a ridiculous amount of traffic lights slugging through that area.
Driving through DC is crappy. There is no great way around it... other than avoiding it completely and going up through Western Maryland then across. I would encourage you to just take I95 to I495. Try to time it to miss those heavy traffic hours. If you find yourself approaching the area during bad traffic times, stop and grab a leisurely meal or hit some stores to kill time. Enjoy!
If you want to avoid that, I would suggest I395 to I295. That is an older and smaller road, a 2 lane highway north, 2 lanes south.
Taking 301 is a long narrow bridge then a lot of surface streets through Southern Maryland. Any time of day that is a looooooong route. You will likely have less traffic but a ridiculous amount of traffic lights slugging through that area.
Driving through DC is crappy. There is no great way around it... other than avoiding it completely and going up through Western Maryland then across. I would encourage you to just take I95 to I495. Try to time it to miss those heavy traffic hours. If you find yourself approaching the area during bad traffic times, stop and grab a leisurely meal or hit some stores to kill time. Enjoy!
