Anyone drive 95 recently?

[melk]

We are driving from Boston to Hilton Head soon. I went to AAA to get maps and the woman advised me against taking 95. She said that the traffic in Richmond has been tremendous and we should avoid it at all costs. She gave me two alternate routes, one taking the inland route (81?) and the other one going 95 but then going through Delaware and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, hooking back up with 95 near the NC border.

Any opinions on these routes?

Thank you for any tips/advice!!

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Not in my current car, but I also can't drive 55, either.

(Sorry, had to throw that out there!).

Don't worry; you'll get lots of actual answers soon.

[Maximus]

Did she say why? Is is construction? We drive from NH 2xs a year and Richmond has never been an issue area except for maybe rush hour. Personally I would take the inland route being that it is summer and all the summer beach traffic.

[jedwards]

Originally Posted by Maximus

Did she say why? Is is construction? We drive from NH 2xs a year and Richmond has never been an issue area except for maybe rush hour. Personally I would take the inland route being that it is summer and all the summer beach traffic.

We drive 95 from Vermont and it has not been an issue especially around Richmond. If I were you I would NOT go 81, it makes your drive so much longer.

[NYDVC]

We drove down in early June......no issues for us. 95 was busy but I don't remember it was slowing us down. And we do speed limit plus

[I'mNoPrince]

Well having to drive both Beltways in the area most days I say avoid this area if at all possible, the Richmond backup happen from the HOV lanes switching and ending in that area seems people just get confused and hit the brakes this has an effect where it's always slow in that area well before richmond but it takes that long to get back up to speed. it could also be because of the bypass .

When we drive down that way we almost always take 301 in MD 17 to 360 and come out into the bypass of Richmond. We have also taken 17 all the way into NC it's some back roads but a great drive with out just the trees you see on 95 lol

If you going to cut through DEl I would pick up 13 there and just ride the coast all the way down. There is a big Difference between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel the 1st will run you on 50 and back into DC , the 2nd runs south into VA this is the one you want

Also they are doing a lot of Work on 895 (just south of the Tunnels)right now so if you are coming through stick with 95 Tunnel .

[TW1]

There's an easy solution.

Yes, take 95, but as you approach Richmond, take the loop to the east, 295. It swings you out a bit, adds some miles, but it rarely slows down.

We do the drive 2 or 3 times a year and we'll go through Richmond on off hours, but during a rush hour, we'll take the 295 loop.

[mouser2]

don't take the chesapeake bay bridge and the bay bridge tunnel because it involves beach traffic the entire way. you will also probably have to deal with outer banks traffic which is even more of a night mare!!!!! exactly what time of day, and what day will you be driving through richmond. there are better alternatives than both of these routes. i worked in richmond and drove 95 in that area extensively from baltimore to richmond on a regular basis. usually 301 is a good alternative, but it depends on the timing.

[carolina_yankee]

We've driven the I-95 route from NJ to GA/FL 4 times in the last year, most recently in June/July.

It really helps if you have a smartphone with a map app that shows traffic (such as maps on the iPhone or iPad) or a GPS with a traffic feature. Otherwise, learn the channels for traffic coverage on the radio or satellite system for the areas you'll be passing through.

Skip Philadelphia unless it is well outside of rush hour - take NJ Turnpike instead. Coming from Boston, that's probably what you would do anyway.

In Baltimore, pay attention to traffic to determine if you will take I-95 through the city or I-895 around the city. One is the Harbor Tunnel, one is the Ft McHenry Tunnel, can't remember which. We usually take I-895.

We take the Baltimore-Washing Parkway (295) between Baltimore and DC. Traffic can slow there, but it's rarely been bad. If our map apps or traffic reports support it, we stay on 295 all the way to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Otherwise, we get off onto I-495 (beltway) around the Southeastern edge of DC to the WW bridge.

We do time our trips to avoid peak rush hour in DC, but I've had good experience at 7:30 am and 10:00 am. We never hit it later heading South.

As for Richmond, we just take the I-295 bypass that takes you on the Eastern side of Richmond. Have never had a glitch. We have gone striaght through Richmond a couple of times, when traffic was light, but there are a lot of trucks and the interstate can get curvy, which slows things down.

I will say that during the summer months, traffic can be very thick between Baltimore and Richmond, but we've usually kept close to speed limit, and we usually go 10 mph above speed limit elsewhere.

Timings for us if traffic averages close to speed limit using the above routes:

Trenton (Turnpike Exit 7A for you) to Maryland House rest area: 2 hours

Maryland House to 1st rest area on I-95 after DC: 2 hours

Through Richmond, another 60-90 minutes.

Dirk

[mkhurley]

Originally Posted by TW1

There's an easy solution.

Yes, take 95, but as you approach Richmond, take the loop to the east, 295. It swings you out a bit, adds some miles, but it rarely slows down.

We do the drive 2 or 3 times a year and we'll go through Richmond on off hours, but during a rush hour, we'll take the 295 loop.

This ^^^ I use to go 95 thru Richmond but 295 around isn't bad at all and less regular traffic to deal with, so we just take 295 anymore. Was thru there 2 weeks ago and saw nothing that would cause delays.