Traffic on I-95 Washington, DC - what's the best time to avoid that area?

[TupperMom7]

Last time we went to VA Beach we took I-95 home. Big mistake. It took us twice as long to get home because of the heavy
traffic. What are the worst times of day on I-95 especially around
Washington, DC? We will be traveling from NY to GA in one day, staying overnight in GA, and then arriving in FL the next day. I want to plan on what time to leave to avoid that dreadful traffic again.
Thanks.

 

[LegoMom3]

The only "good" time to be on that road, if there really is one!, is late at night and/or on the weekend. Even with that, Sunday is best. We used to travel from NH to NC frequently, so have had the misfortune of taking I-95 and the infamous Beltway more times than I care to remember. If you have to take it on a weekday, try to do it mid-day or late at night. Morning and late afternoon commuter traffic is an absolute nightmare. Depending on what part of NY you're in, and where in GA you're heading, you might consider I-81 in eastern PA and down through VA. We did that on our last trip to FL and dropped down onto I-77 in western VA, into NC/SC, then a quick jog on I-26 brings you back out on I-95 just above GA. When routing it on a map, we discovered it was only an extra 25 miles than taking I-95 all the way; WELL worth it to us to avoid the DC area!!
Best of luck on your trip!

 

[fallingwithstyle]

You'll want to avoid the Beltway and I-95 anytime between 7:00AM and 10:00AM as well as between 3:00PM and 7:00PM. I travel between DC and PA very often and always try to be in the DC area around 1:30. It's usually smooth sailing for me at that time.

Good luck with your plans.

Sarah

 

[LaraK]

I live in the mid-atlantic area (Annapolis, Maryland). Unfortunately, there really is no good time to drivethe DC beltway. There are back ups 7 days a week and the back ups can happen at almost any time. There are ways to avoid the beltway (such as 301), but they will take out of your way. If you have plenty of time and want to take the "scenic route" you can also cut down the delmarva penninsula (Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland to the Chesapeake bay bridge/tunnel in Virginia). However, if you want the most direct root down 95, try to hit us mid day (lunch time) during the week and early on a weekend.

 

[fallingwithstyle]

The only "good" time to be on that road, if there really is one!, is late at night and/or on the weekend. Even with that, Sunday is best.

My experience is to avoid weekends anytime!! I live in the DC area and weekends on the Beltway are horrendous!!!!!! My parents recently came down to visit from PA on a Saturday morning and the traffic on I-95 and the Beltway was a nightmare for them. It took them 45 minutes to drive 5 miles.

Just to help you out a bit, the drive from DC to the Philadelphia area is about 2 hrs 45 min with light traffic. If you know how long it will take you to get from your home to Philadelphia, you can easily plan on a good time to leave.

Again, I suggest weekdays between 1:30 and 3:00 if at all possible. If not, drive at night on the weekend.

 

[hobogary]

Lego moms route is a good one, take I 88 or I 84 to I 81, then use her route, or you can take US 17 in Winchester Va over to I 95 (gets you below DC and avoids some hills). Most of the routes down do not vary much for milage.Depending on time of day, take I 295 around Richmond and Jacksonville to avoid traffic.

 

[Toadman99]

Your basic "avoid rush hour" on weekedays guidelines above are good ones. If you are heading out of NY on a Saturday or Sunday morning and head out dark and early, you would probably be okay if you hit DC at, say, 9:00 or 10:00 on a weekend morning.

Of course, if there is any kind of accident at the time you are travelling, that can cause significant delays. That would be true on any road, but I think the volume around DC makes it worse. Plus - serious delays on one side of the beltway can impact traffic on the other side (for better or for worse).

One thing is for certain - tune your radio to WTOP news (1500 AM, 107.7 FM) as you approach. You should be able to start picking it up in Baltimore (maybe earlier on the FM station). They have traffic reports every 10 minutes ("on the 8's") so you can at least know what you are headed into and try an alternate route if you know of one.

 

[YesI'mObsessed]

Sarah hit it right with the times, however if it's on a Saturday, there will be no good time. It seems that 95 is almost always a mess on Saturdays ALL DAY LONG . So avoid traveling through there on Sat's, Sundays are pretty good, except during beach weather!

 

[cocowum]

We live about 20 mins north of Albany and we leave about 6:00 pm. And never hit a bit of traffic.

 

[Schmeck]

The only time we didn't hit traffic was when we drove down the day after the snipers were captured...

I wasn't sure that they had apprehended the right people, so I told my kids no stopping in the DC area, even for a bathroom! Of course that made them have to go even more, and we did stop, LOL!