Traveling Rt. 95 South - Beltways

[Paul127]

Hello,

I'm traveling in a 40ft. motorhome with a cargo trailer in tow, which direction am I better off taking around the two beltways?

Baltimore & Washington

[JamesBr]

Bumpy, it has improved but not by much. But even last January heading southbound the transitions from the blacktop to the concreter overpasses are pretty harsh and the pot holes and washboarding are pretty bad too. After you add in the local city drivers, 295 is a no brainer for me.

[Bumpyroad]

Drbolasky wrote:

dahkota wrote:
You may hit traffic in Northern VA after the beltway 'reconnects' to 95S between Springfield and Quantico.

You WILL hit traffic below the DC beltway. IMHO the only time that's good for getting around Baltimore & DC is between 2 & 4 am. (no that's not a typo). You didn't say where you were coming from but I would work out an alternate route.

actually many years ago when I transferred to the DC area, on my house hunting trip I stayed at a hotel in Wheaton, GA ave. IIRC. I woke up at about that 2 - 4 am time and looked out the window at roads full of vehicles. I almost said no thanks when I saw that.
bumpy

[Drbolasky]

dahkota wrote:
You may hit traffic in Northern VA after the beltway 'reconnects' to 95S between Springfield and Quantico.

You WILL hit traffic below the DC beltway. IMHO the only time that's good for getting around Baltimore & DC is between 2 & 4 am. (no that's not a typo). You didn't say where you were coming from but I would work out an alternate route.

[Bumpyroad]

I used to take I-295 around Richmond but they improved the speed limits on 95 and now I just get in the middle lane and go on thru downtown. if continuing on 95 south 295 is OK, but if cutting off on 85 it is easier to go thru town.
haven't noticed any dreadful sections of road lately.
bumpy

[JamesBr]

Baltimore and DC beltway through the mixing bowl and south of quantico has and always will be about timing. Hit any one section on the wrong day and time and it can be holy hell. Run that route at other times and its either free going to managable traffic loads. I live in the area and deal with the east side of the beltway and mixing bowl to 95S all the time. Weeknights are really really bad, weekend afternoons usually clog up near the outlet mall in woodbridge right now, but overall not bad. But in the AM or late evening they are pretty clear sailing overall. Avoid I95 southbound south of DC on EVERY Friday, that is usually when it is the worst.

When we head south and due to our departure location in the Chantilly area, we actually take VA234 to I95 and avoid the beltway, it takes about the same amount of driving time and less to deal with on the road.

Also, I would also consider I295 around the east side of richmond. Taking I95 though Richmond is usually not bad traffic wise it is the potholes, overpass transitions and a few twisty sections I can't stand when compared to I295 and I dont notice any loss of travel time.

[ependydad]

JimFromJersey wrote:

bucky wrote:
I think that story is from the guy with the 18 MPG towing Dodge. You hit DC at 4:30 PM on a weekday and you don't "fly right on by". The new express lanes formerly known as HOV lanes but now with a price still have to merge back into the regular lanes. And there you sit.

All I can do is report back. He was in Gainesville at 7am the next day, and that I can back up via caller id from the people he's staying with. But, then again, he is a brother-in-law, so that has to get factored into the equation. 🙂

I can almost vouch for this- we went through a little earlier in the day. We left 1/2 way between Baltimore and Washington at 2:30 on Tuesday. We had smooth sailing down past DC and in fact, it was one of the best drives to Orlando that we've ever had.

[JimFromJersey]

bucky wrote:
I think that story is from the guy with the 18 MPG towing Dodge. You hit DC at 4:30 PM on a weekday and you don't "fly right on by". The new express lanes formerly known as HOV lanes but now with a price still have to merge back into the regular lanes. And there you sit.

All I can do is report back. He was in Gainesville at 7am the next day, and that I can back up via caller id from the people he's staying with. But, then again, he is a brother-in-law, so that has to get factored into the equation. 🙂

[bucky]

I think that story is from the guy with the 18 MPG towing Dodge. You hit DC at 4:30 PM on a weekday and you don't "fly right on by". The new express lanes formerly known as HOV lanes but now with a price still have to merge back into the regular lanes. And there you sit.

[Bumpyroad]

Balt/Wash at 3:30/4:30 on a work day and traffic was good?
as stated, I hope he bought a lottery ticket.
bumpy

[JimFromJersey]

Bumpyroad wrote:

JimFromJersey wrote:
My BIL just drove south from here to Florida, reported that the "express lanes" or whatever, on I-95 between Balto and Wash DC are "open", and that he "flew right on by". He made it from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to Roanoke Rapids, NC in less than 6 hours, which is really flying when you consider the route. Take that for what it's worth... 🙂

what time and what day did he hit Balt&DC?
bumpy

He left here about 2 pm on Tuesday. So he would have hit Balto about 3 - 3:30, and Washington an hour or so later - but he said the traffic was not all that bad.

[bucky]

I guess my question would be where are you going? We can better direct you thru or around the 100 mile long DC nightmare once we have that info. Baltimore is nothing in comparison.

[Atlee]

He probably should have bought a lottery ticket that day, also.

JimFromJersey wrote:
My BIL just drove south from here to Florida, reported that the "express lanes" or whatever, on I-95 between Balto and Wash DC are "open", and that he "flew right on by". He made it from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to Roanoke Rapids, NC in less than 6 hours, which is really flying when you consider the route. Take that for what it's worth... 🙂

[Bumpyroad]

JimFromJersey wrote:
My BIL just drove south from here to Florida, reported that the "express lanes" or whatever, on I-95 between Balto and Wash DC are "open", and that he "flew right on by". He made it from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to Roanoke Rapids, NC in less than 6 hours, which is really flying when you consider the route. Take that for what it's worth... 🙂

what time and what day did he hit Balt&DC?
bumpy

[JimFromJersey]

My BIL just drove south from here to Florida, reported that the "express lanes" or whatever, on I-95 between Balto and Wash DC are "open", and that he "flew right on by". He made it from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to Roanoke Rapids, NC in less than 6 hours, which is really flying when you consider the route. Take that for what it's worth... 🙂