Driving from SE MA/RI border

[Mdoyle07]

Hi,

I'm beginning to plan our trip for July and it looks like we'll be driving for the first time. Has anyone driven from the Providence area, but left on a Sunday @3pm?

I'm planning on driving for about 8-9 hours the first day, then the rest the second, which would put our overnight near Harrisonburg, VA (going the inland route) or about Ashland, VA (going I95).

Any thoughts about which route might be better on a Sunday night?

 

[sseem76]

I would have to say that 95 is better cause 81 takes longer. You should have no problems with traffic on a sunday night in the major cities. I am a truck driver and have driven in east coast big cities. good luck...

 

[jsrj21]

I live in CT right on I-95 in Norwalk [close to the NY border. As long as you are out of this are by Monday rush hour, you should be ok. 8-9 hours puts you in a good place to start. I am not familiar with anything south of where you'll be in VA. I drove to Richmond for a baseball tournament back in July and I know for sure the traffic is bad in NY, NJ, Baltimore, and D.C.

My mother just left yesterday [from Norwalk, CT.] driving to Orlando and she left at 4:00am and drove straight [with stops for food, bathroom, and gas] through to Georgia. She stayed overnight and left this morning at 7:00am and was in Orlando at 12:00pm. She said that the fresh start was awesome.

Sunday night though, you should be OK.

Best of luck.

Jose
Norwalk, CT.

 

[Mdoyle07]

Thanks! I'm leaning toward going down I95, as I'm more familiar with it up to Richmond. I was thinking that traffic through the major cities wouldn't be too bad on a Sunday night. I appreciate your help!

 

[GranddadTom]

No question - you do not want to be on Rt 81 in Virginia on a Sunday evening. It's the most dangerous highway in Virginia. It's one-third heavy trucks and only two lanes wide so trucks can be in the left hand lane. And it's hilly so the trucks go 50 mph up the hills and 80 mph down the hills. Rt 95 around Washington going south should be pretty clear on a Sunday (on Sunday the traffic is heavier going back into Washington). Nine hours of driving should get you to Ashland - the only down side to stopping there is that you have to go through Richmond the first thing the next day but it won't be bad at all.

 

[nancycg56]

Ashland is a good place to stop ~ plenty of gas stations, restaurants and hotels plus Walmart if you need one. My DD went to college in Ashland so we are very familiar