I really didn’t start this thread with this in mind, but it has dawned on me that those who fled the Gulf Coast to get away from Katrina and other such storms, or who have had to evacuate other coastal areas because of dangerous weather, ought to be able to give firsthand accounts of the traffic and its associated stress.
Being way inland as I am, I’ve not had that experience yet. But I am always amazed when traveling toward the coast (usually Atlantic even though the Gulf is closer) to see those “evacuation route” signs hundreds of miles from the water.
Anybody who’s lived through those hard times want to talk about it/them?
I could get to the 405 in about 7 minutes during rush hour. Of course, I’d then have to shoot myself in the head, because I’m on the 405 during rush hour.
If it was an emergency-evacuation scenario, I honestly believe that Los Angeles would be the most monumentally screwed city in the U.S.
I’m about 3 miles from I-96, can generally get on in about 5-6 minutes from home. I go through one major stoplight on the way so if I pull up just as it turns red it might be more like 10 minutes.
Five minutes to I880 if the lights are against me. I even sometimes walk over it when I bring my car in when no one is around. About 20 minutes to I680.
Five minutes or less to the 8, 15, or 805. Heavy traffic is pretty much nonexistant. Maybe 8 minutes to the 8 or 15 in as heavy as the traffic gets on that road.
Yes. Friars Road gets me pretty much anywhere worth going in Mission Valley nicely, including the fabled Qualcomm Stadium. I can also take Mission Center Rd into Mission Valley and it’s actually fairly scenic, considering.
For that scenario: the 15 gets you to another large metro area (LA) fastest, but is full of bottlenecks because it goes from five lanes to two lanes back to five then to three back to five etc. for no apparent reason. The 5 will get you to the general area of LA in about the same distance, more straightforwardly and more scenically, but getting out of San Diego on the 5 is a nightmare when there isn’t a gigantic explosion. I would definitely take the 8. The next city of any size is pissant El Centro, and there’s lots of twisty mountain roads, but it’d seem like a little less of a traffic nightmare. Plus I could take my pick of any city roughly on my longitude from Tucson to Florida. (Probably Tucson.)
I somehow missed the bonus question the first time:
Yes, I would take the Dulles Toll Road/Greenway (VA 267) west to I-70, then would head into Maryland. In an emergency I imagine those roads would probably be pretty busy, too, but hopefully better than the Beltway and/or I-95!
Really all depends. I can get on a local highway, 421, in about 3 minutes. From there, another 5 minutes later I can get to I-85 (I-95 for you Northern dopers). I-40 is just a few minutes more.
And there are probably 10 ways to get anywhere, where I live.
About 15 minutes. It’s 3-4 miles, depending on which route I’d take there, but it’s local driving any way, with hills, slow curves, and stoplights at many corners.
I must live close to the OP, because I can be on I-40, I-65 or I-24 in less than 20 minutes. I-40 is the closest, which would take about 10, 15 tops. If the notice to evacuate comes while I’m at the office it would be more like 2 minutes. In fact I can see the I-40 traffic from where I’m sitting right now.
I’m about three miles from I-25, and can get there in eight minutes most days. In the event of a mass evacuation, I would avoid the Interstate and probably head east toward the barely inhabited Eastern plains of Colorado.
About 30 seconds if it’s the middle of the night. All right turns. Used to be 1 min but I moved further down the street
And yes my old house was one of those houses you see that lies adjacent to the freeway but you did have to go around the block and down the street aways to get to the enterance. Actually the enterance was what went through the backyard.
