HOT or not ?

[GrumpyInPhilly]

First time driving to WDW. Taking I-95 S and going thru VA after lunchtime on Thanksgiving Day. Are there highway signs informing you how long the drive will be if you take the HOT lanes or don't take them? Any guess as to how crowded the VA stretch of I-95 will be that afternoon? Thanks.

 

[katallo]

I can comment on HOV lanes but I would think you will just have the "Thanksgiving" travelers. At that time, maybe most will be at their destinations. It will be a different story on Black Friday!

 

[PlutoPony]

No there really aren't signs that tell you that. You can get an idea of the traffic level by the pricing. It's dynamic and goes up as the traffic increases so if you see a fare close to $1/mile you know traffic is heavy. Lowest you will see I believe is $.20/mile. Btw, the real backup going south is where the HOT lanes merge into the normal I-95 lanes around Stafford. Mile + backups in the HOT lanes are not uncommon during busy times, there are complaints on a regular basis about spending the $ for HOT but then getting stuck in traffic at the end.

I'd be surprised if you need the HOT lanes on Thanksgiving Day. Before you hit the Beltway, you might check Googlemaps with the traffic filter turned on to see if there's any yellow or red.

Have a safe trip!

 

[rwdavis2]

If you are using google maps as a GPS unit it will tell you which way may be quicker. We ignored its recommendation to use the HOT lane in March and cost us at least 30 minutes driving time on an early Friday afternoon. But Thanksgiving should be much less traffic.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

Thank you all for your insights.

 

[MillauFr]

Not sure how the HOT lanes work in Virginia but in the Puget Sound HOT lanes are free if you have 3 or more in your car. You need one of the new transponders though that you can slide the switch and declare you are a 3+ carpool.