Anyone from the Maryland/DC area? Need travel traffic information ;)
 

We are heading to Maryland to pick up a MCI Coach we just purchased, and we need some input on getting out of Maryland/DC area with the least amount of hassles. What times are best to travel to avoid heavy traffic?

We plan on leaving around 9AM to get across the Chesapeake bay bridge in hopes that will put us going around DC about noon or 1PM in order to make it to junction of I-95 & 207 (between Fredricksburg & Richmond) late afternoon & then top off fuel for the long trip to the west coast.

Thanks for the tips!

Avoid 7:00-9am and 5-7pm

ANd I don't even fucking live there :thumbsup

Bump for anyone in that area.....;)

I live around that area, honestly it's really hard to give an estimate on it because traffic can be all over the place in this area...morning is obviously worse but can usually clear up around 10:30am, 1:30pm+ is when traffic usually starts to build up around D.C. & Baltimore with it getting pretty bad after 3PM.

I usually don't have a problem traveling from 95 to and from Baltimore but 495 and 66 can be a real bitch.

Don't live there anymore but spent too many years there.

Avoid the bay bridge in the morning and evening rush hours... the hours Harmon said even though he doesn't live there.

Avoid 495 during those same hours except 495 starts to become a bitch around 3 PM. It also sucks around lunch time. It really just sucks.

Really consider taking 301. Yeah it is longer time (about same mileage) but bad traffic on 50, 495, 95, the mixing bowl or anywhere else will really fuck with your time.

If 70 is an option for getting West from the Bay Bridge take 50W to 97N to 695W to 70W. Just avoid during usual rush hours but Baltimore is nowhere near as bad as DC.

You basically have to pray to the traffic gods....because everytime I though I would be okay and there would hardly be any traffic, I would get fucked and everything would slow to a crawl...and don't even get me started on 495...I HATE 495!!

Infact, they should just blow up 495

Thanks so much for the information. I have been sitting here staring at the map and it resembles a plate of spaghetti from olive garden....looks like a busy mess.

Taking 70 would be an option and might be a smarter route. Even if it's longer mileage, we come out better VS if we are sitting in stop and go traffic our mileage will plummet to about 2-4 miles per gallon. If we are rolling at speed limit, then we will be getting 7-9 miles per gallon.

I have read horror stories of people waiting for hours in some spots or it takes you hours to move a small distance. This is something I definitely need to avoid.

From the looks of it, I should start praying now. We may even change our departure time around 1-2 am, maybe that would be less of a hassle and less traffic ;)

Thanks for pointing out 495, we will stay away from it.

We want to drive the east coast back as we have allowed 3 weeks for the trip to stop and see some sights ;)

70 in rush hour can be a HUGE pain, but on a brighter note, it's usually 65mph over most others 55mph here in MD.

Thanks Lace, I appreciate the information.....:thumbsup

Take 301 south. It is an alternate route. Go to google maps and get directions from Deale MD to Fredericksburg VA. You will get two routes. Choose the second to see the route I am talking about and you'll figure out how to tailor it to your trip. That is the way we took when driving down to FL. It's mostly two lanes in both directions but its not too many lights and moves quickly.

I always found 70w in the morning to be a breeze. Maybe two to three minute delays around 29 and five to 10 in Frederick around 270 but otherwise easy.

I tried google maps, but only got one route and not two......what am I missing?

Thanks again for the help :thumbsup