I have to drive to Landsdown Virginia, off Route 7, arriving next Monday night, and will be driving south on 95 from the Philly area. I can leave at a flexible time, but wonder what is the best time, if any, to hit the beltway.
I figure about 3-3.5 hours total. If I leave around 4 I would hit the DC area/beltway around 6ish. Is that good timing, or should I leave later?
Looking at Google maps, it doesn’t appear there is a good alternative route, but I am open to suggestions from DC-savvy dopers.
In my experience, the DC beltway is a 6-lane parking lot from 6:30 til around 10 am, then again from around 4:00 until 7 pm. I try to avoid it during those times. Usually (and this isn’t an option for you) I will drive to Greenbelt and take the Metro whenever I need to go into DC.
Tomorrow may be a special case, as many people (including me) may be taking the day off from work.
With that said, on general principles do your best to reach the Beltway before 3 PM. In fact, my preference when I lived in Philly and came to DC in late December was Amtrak.
Thanks. To clarify, this is next Monday night, and I can’t take the Metro to my destination. I flew through Dulles last time, but it was to much of a hassle with the delays and weather.
I’m definitely driving, and can plan my trip to hit the Beltway pretty much any time. For now, I plan to leave around 4:00 and fight my way past Baltimore between 5 and 6, putting me on the Beltway by 7ish. If I leave Philly area at 5, I deal with Philly rush hour traffic.
I could leave at 6, if that will give me the best chance of missing the DC traffic.
4 is probably one of the worst times you could leave. If you leave at 4, you are going to hit the worst of the Baltimore traffic and you are going to run into the tail end of DC traffic as well. If your choices are 4 and 6, I would leave at 6. You’ll hit the tail end of Baltimore traffic which shouldn’t be too bad and DC traffic should also be cleared out fairly good by the time you get there.
I don’t know how familiar you are with Baltimore, but check on the radio for conditions there. You can go 95 or 895. If one is backed up due to an accident, take the other.
This is good advice, here’s an added bonus from a native: If neither is backed up, 895 is faster. If you like cityscapes tho (personally, I do), 95 is the way to go.
Take 295 (the Baltimore Washington Parkway) if you don’t take 895. If you do take 895 pick up 295 from 495 (Capital Beltway) at exit 22B. Take 295 all the way thru to pick up 495 in Indian Head (295 ends and feeds everyone onto 495). You will not being going thru a nice part of DC, but this will save both time and milage.
Except he’ll be on the wrong side of town. To get to Landsdown he needs to go north when he hits 495, over the American Legion Bridge, then out Route 7.