"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (Part V)

[java]

The 95 vs 81 debate has begun. Last few trips we have gone 81 (Longer mileage wise officially but generally no traffic so we find it's shorter time wise)
Thinking of changing it up this time. Any recent 95 trips? I see the above one from CT and it gives me hope. I would leave around 3am trying to get through D.C./VA border before rush hour. But even typing that gives me hives.
Opinions?

 

[toolmanjan]

The 95 vs 81 debate has begun. Last few trips we have gone 81 (Longer mileage wise officially but generally no traffic so we find it's shorter time wise)
Thinking of changing it up this time. Any recent 95 trips? I see the above one from CT and it gives me hope. I would leave around 3am trying to get through D.C./VA border before rush hour. But even typing that gives me hives.
Opinions?

I'm thinking you need to leave earlier than 3am. I live in Toms River NJ and prefer to leave no later than midnight. I've hit slow areas in northern NC leaving any later. Ideally hitting the SC border as the sun comes up.

 

[java]

I'm thinking you need to leave earlier than 3am. I live in Toms River NJ and prefer to leave no later than midnight. I've hit slow areas in northern NC leaving any later. Ideally hitting the SC border as the sun comes up.

ugh that's not happening. I need some sleep as I will be the only driver. Maybe I should stick with I 81

 

[Goofygirl17]

The 95 vs 81 debate has begun. Last few trips we have gone 81 (Longer mileage wise officially but generally no traffic so we find it's shorter time wise)
Thinking of changing it up this time. Any recent 95 trips? I see the above one from CT and it gives me hope. I would leave around 3am trying to get through D.C./VA border before rush hour. But even typing that gives me hives.
Opinions?

We're leaving Thursday morning at 3 and taking the inland route. We live in shoreline CT. It's so much less stressful even when there is traffic. I don't think I would take 95 ever again.

 

[Antaniasmom]

Just returned from Disney on 7/3...sad to come home. We left at 1215 am from Central CT on 6/24 and took 95 all the way down. We got really lucky because besides a relentless UPS trucker we had no issues at all....we did not come across any accidents and there were no significant slowdowns. We made it to Richmond Hill GA in 14.5 hours which is my personal best. I would not go to FL any other way. Coming home, however, we did take 81 because i dont care how long it takes me to come back to this crummy state!! But going TO FL I would never take 81 down cuz I want to cut time getting there.

 

[amcnj]

The 95 vs 81 debate has begun. Last few trips we have gone 81 (Longer mileage wise officially but generally no traffic so we find it's shorter time wise)
Thinking of changing it up this time. Any recent 95 trips? I see the above one from CT and it gives me hope. I would leave around 3am trying to get through D.C./VA border before rush hour. But even typing that gives me hives.
Opinions?

Since you are talking about rush hours I guess you are heading down on a weekday. I am an hour and 10 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge and leave around 2:30 AM and am cruising past DC at 5:30 AM, and have been fine each time. In general I have heard the DC morning rush is 6-10 AM, but am not sure if it is equally bad throughout that 4 hour window. Hopefully someone else has some real world experience with that!

 

[ForeverDisney6793]

Since you are talking about rush hours I guess you are heading down on a weekday. I am an hour and 10 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge and leave around 2:30 AM and am cruising past DC at 5:30 AM, and have been fine each time. In general I have heard the DC morning rush is 6-10 AM, but am not sure if it is equally bad throughout that 4 hour window. Hopefully someone else has some real world experience with that!

I have just returned on July 4th from a last minute drive trip. We left on Friday night at 7PM and arrived at our hotel by 10:30 AM. I always make sure I leave when I won't hit DC rush hour. I live in South Jersey so as long as I am past there by 5:30 AM it is normally easy going.

 

[BC1836]

10 days!!!

Goofygirl17 should be on the road!

All the best!

 

[capegirl]

We hit the road from SE MA this morning. Passed through some wild weather and traffic in DC. We are staying in the great state of Virginia tonight. Hoping for less drama on the road tomorrow.

 

[capegirl]

Sorry double post. Wonky WiFi at Hampton Inn!

 

[BC1836]

Get ready for some BIG changes at WDW, as reported at D23. There are even some new internal transportation plans. And get ready for the last Great Movie Ride next month.

All the best!

 

[Goofygirl17]

Goofygirl17 should be on the road!

All the best!

We had to cancel our trip because of a family crisis I don't think we'll have a chance to go again until next summer. Very bummed that we missed riding the great movie ride one more time.

 

[kerry34]

Looking for a bit of advice for our upcoming trip in a few weeks. We are leaving central MA on a Wednesday morning around 8am. Stopping for the night in Virginia. Planning on the inland route because I am worried about hitting traffic, especially due to the time we have to leave. In the past we have gone 84 through Scranton and down 81. I am considering taking 84/15/95/287/Tappan Zee/78 to 81 this time and I am wondering what the traffic looks like on 78 in PA during the day. I have never driven this way, but according to google maps it would shave 45 minutes off as compared to the 84-81 route. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I am considering taking 84/15/95/287/Tappan Zee/78 to 81 this time

I can't comment on 78 through PA but I have made the 287/Tappen Zee/GSP/80/287 then the 78 segment through NJ many times and have always found it to be very busy with occasional clogs. Especially the 287 segments across the Tappen Zee and between 80 and 78.

Take a couple of days and check google traffic for the times you expect to be traveling various segments and see how bad the traffic is. My suspicion is that you won't save as much time as predicted.

Wishing you safe travels!

 

[kerry34]

I can't comment on 78 through PA but I have made the 287/Tappen Zee/GSP/80/287 then the 78 segment through NJ many times and have always found it to be very busy with occasional clogs. Especially the 287 segments across the Tappen Zee and between 80 and 78.

Take a couple of days and check google traffic for the times you expect to be traveling various segments and see how bad the traffic is. My suspicion is that you won't save as much time as predicted.

Wishing you safe travels!

Thank you very much for your input. I will definitely check out the traffic for our timeframe, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[The Prophet]

I learned a new term today -- Shunpiking (The act of deliberately avoiding roads that require payment of a fee or toll to travel on them, usually by traveling on alternate "free" roads which bypass the toll road)

My next trip down is in a day or two from Long Island, NY and plan on paying only one toll (Port Authority NJ --> NY) during my trip
Unfortunately, its not worth it to drive 300 miles out of the way to avoid this one toll

 

[kazfloyd]

Getting ready to travel 95 south early Friday morning from Philly, any night road work going on? Any issues lately? Plan on leaving by 3 am.

For those asking, best to hit DC by 5:30 am to avoid the rush. Closer to 6 am gets dicey.

Thanks in advance!

 

[shafke]

I learned a new term today -- Shunpiking (The act of deliberately avoiding roads that require payment of a fee or toll to travel on them, usually by traveling on alternate "free" roads which bypass the toll road)

My next trip down is in a day or two from Long Island, NY and plan on paying only one toll (Port Authority NJ --> NY) during my trip
Unfortunately, its not worth it to drive 300 miles out of the way to avoid this one toll

Port Authority tolls are for Hudson River crossings. The only way that I am aware of to get off LI w/o paying any kind of toll is to take one of the East River bridges into Manhattan which is not worth it. Next, if you are on any kind of highway there is a toll entering PA... I80, I78, I95 all have tolls crossing into PA. There may be ways around this but is it worth the extra travel time.

The cheapest I can figure for tolls is to take Throgs Neck bridge out and cross the GWB and then take I80-I287-I78-... etc to the inland route. Once in PA there are no more tolls.

Coming home you can go the same was except go from I81-I78-I287 south to Outerbridge crossing and then Verazzano Bridge where there is no toll incoming.

Leaving from LI you will have a minimum of 2 tolls each way unless you want to go crazy on travel time.

 

[chepic]

We had to cancel our trip because of a family crisis I don't think we'll have a chance to go again until next summer. Very bummed that we missed riding the great movie ride one more time.

So sorry. Hope all is ok, and my prayers are with you.

 

[The Prophet]

Port Authority tolls are for Hudson River crossings. The only way that I am aware of to get off LI w/o paying any kind of toll is to take one of the East River bridges into Manhattan which is not worth it. Next, if you are on any kind of highway there is a toll entering PA... I80, I78, I95 all have tolls crossing into PA. There may be ways around this but is it worth the extra travel time.

The cheapest I can figure for tolls is to take Throgs Neck bridge out and cross the GWB and then take I80-I287-I78-... etc to the inland route. Once in PA there are no more tolls.

Coming home you can go the same was except go from I81-I78-I287 south to Outerbridge crossing and then Verazzano Bridge where there is no toll incoming.

Leaving from LI you will have a minimum of 2 tolls each way unless you want to go crazy on travel time.

Take the LIE to the 59th (Koch) bridge (free)
Go crosstown to the Lincoln tunnel (free)
Instead of the NJ Turnpike, take RT 1 South (free)
Take RT 1 to the real I 95 (I 95 is not contiguous from Florida to Maine - There is a gap in NJ)
Cross into PA from NJ on I 95 (free)
Save $4.00 in Delaware by using the bypass (free)
Save $4.00 by taking the 695 Beltway around Baltimore

Northbound there is that pesky $8.00 toll to cross the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, but that can be avoided as well
This leaves the only toll for the Port Authority crossing from NJ to NY

Cost savings is about $60.00, which is about a tank and a half of gas for my mini van