DE-MD-DC traffic

[DownNeckBoy]

We have decided to drive down to WDW from NJ over Labor Day weekend. What times are best to avoid for that weekend? I am leaving 8-30-02. Thanks for your help/advice!

 

[alvernon90]

The only answer to this is DON'T LEAVE ON FRIDAY! You can easily add three hours to your trip in just the stretch between the DE bridge and Richmond.

If you must leave Friday, do it early. "Rush hour" traffic in DC over Labor Day weekend starts around 2:00 p.m. You don't say where in NJ you are, but try to plan it so you get to the end of the turnpike and cross the bridge no later than 10:00, earlier if you can.

If that is not an option, just plan to be delayed and prepare the family. It's frustrating to roll along the freeway at 20 mph, but you may have to do that if you hit the Baltimore/DC area in the late afternoon.

Hope this helps!

 

[OKW91]

Hi we live in Southern NJ and drive down twice a year. We have made it a point to leave around 4 AM, this gets us past the DC area just before the rush hour! Some people say that we are crazy for leaving at that hour of the morning, but in all are trips, we have never hit rush hour traffic in DC, so it' worth the early rise time.

 

[aero99]

Hi,

I live in Virginia but am from Connecticut. I travel home a lot (my car just hit 36k and I bought it 10/00!) All I can say is Labor Day weekend is going to be a disaster. I have started driving late at night. My parents when they come to visit leave in the EARLY morning. There will be accidents (I can promise you that). And even if they are on the other section, you will get stuck. I sat for a hour this past weekend because a snapple truck had an accident going the other way (south, I was heading north). All there was to see is a couple of snapple bottles in the median but we took an hour to go a couple of miles.

You have a couple of choices for by passing that area. One is to go through PA. My parents do that a lot. The other option is going down the east coast of Maryland, and Virignia and take the Cheseapeake bay bridge. Since you are going to WDW, I would recommend going through PA. If you decided to go through MD, DC, make sure to take the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. It saves a lot of time if there is heavy traffic. Finally, the HOV require 3 people around DC and the area where they join back up with the main traffic will get severly backed up.

If you have any questions feel free to email me


Melissa

 

[phowdershell]

Any time after 2PM on a Friday is guaranteed to have heavy traffic. If you can get to Richmond by 2 my guess it will be OK, not great, but OK.