I81 vs. 95

[java]

A friend is trying to convince me to drive along I 81 instead of 95From NJ to Orlando.

Basically on mapquest it's a little under an hour longer- but friend says much better traffic wise.

We leave at 3AM. So really traffic isn't an issue until we get to DC. This would take us away from basically everything.

We would take I81 to I77 to 26 to I 95 near Charleston.
Any opinions?

Is this a nicer ride? Through the blue ridge mountains? What do you think?

 

[thumbalyna]

i live in nepa and we take 81 to 66 to 15/29/17 to 95 to 295 to 95 and to 495 to 95 to 4 - basically when we go around the major cities we use the 295/495 interchanges - this is the way AAA sends us

 

[skiingfast]

I would take 81 just because you hit DC right at rush hour. But I would put the driving time difference at close to 2 hours Still DC at 8am is about the worst case senario of the drive. If you can drive a little faster and leave at 2:45 I might try the 95 and put DC in the rearview while the traffic is headed in.

 

[HeatherC]

Java: when are you traveling? We are heading out in a few weeks from Mass. and will take 81. Our reasoning for this is because we are traveling during the busy summer months. If we were going during the school year, we'd probably stick with 95.

Right now we are leaving on either a Friday or Sat. morning around 3am from Mass. We figure if we leave on Friday, we will hit rush hour around NYC. If we leave Saturday, we will hit all the summer beach traffic from NJ to the outer banks of NC. So with that in mind we are going 81.

For us, google maps lists it as only 47 minutes longer. Since it is supposed to be a calmer, prettier ride, we figured we'd give it a shot this time. Plus it is something new for us and we're thinking we may stop in Gettysburg or Hershey on the way home. Planning to stop around Charlotte, NC on the way down.

Whatever you decide....have a great trip!!!

 

[madrow12]

I have driven twice from WNY and no matter how I plan it we come to a halt in DC when taking 95, once during the peak of rush hour and the other at about 715 pm. Coming back we took 81 and it was much better.

 

[amcnj]

Hi. I am in Southern NJ, a little over an hour from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. We leave between 2:30 and 3 AM and are through DC between 5:30 and 6 am. We have never hit traffic at this time. Though most trips do start on a weekend day. Maybe a DC area resident can advise the best times to hit the DC area on weekdays and weekends to help ensure a traffic congestion free trip.

 

[java]

We are in Hunterdon County NJ(so basically on the border of PA/NJ) We plan on leaving THIS!! Friday at 4 AM (we'll try for 3 but I am realistic and assume it'll be closer to 4)
Nothing like waiting until the last minute to decide! Does I 81 have rest stops? We have 4 kids so bathroom breaks are important.

 

[amtag]

My biggest concern with taking 81 is the rest areas. Apparently you go for some pretty long stretches without any rest stops. Can anyone confirm this? I was thinking that 95 would definitely be smarter from Northern NJ, but reading some of these threads has me thinking that 81 may be a less stressful drive??

 

[Tanooki]

My biggest concern with taking 81 is the rest areas. Apparently you go for some pretty long stretches without any rest stops. Can anyone confirm this? I was thinking that 95 would definitely be smarter from Northern NJ, but reading some of these threads has me thinking that 81 may be a less stressful drive??

We went down I95 last spring because we were traveling during the weekend but we came back by the 77-81 route since we were coming home during the week and I can say that it was a very smart move. We never encountered any traffic jams or construction problems on the 81. On the I95, it was bumper-to-bumper for a short distance when we got around DC, and that was late afternoon on a Saturday!
I don't remember about rest stops on 81, but it wasn't a big issue. We found places to stop along the way. I recommend the book "The Next Exit" which was a BIG help to decide where and when to stop.

Have a nice trip!

 

[basknj]

We are in Hunterdon County NJ(so basically on the border of PA/NJ) We plan on leaving THIS!! Friday at 4 AM (we'll try for 3 but I am realistic and assume it'll be closer to 4)
Nothing like waiting until the last minute to decide! Does I 81 have rest stops? We have 4 kids so bathroom breaks are important.

Hi Java:

We're from Warren County NJ (practically neighbors) and debated the same question before our first road trip to WDW on Thu, 6/17 -- just got back on Sunday. We decided on I78/81/77/26/95/4 and were extremely happy with our choice. Really, we couldn't have been more pleased with our experience. The roads were in surprisingly good shape, no construction until minor work on I95 and traffic was not bad at all. You may encounter a little early rush hour delay in Charlotte but there is an HOV lane (you certainly qualify ) that helps. Even still, the traffic is nothing like you may be used to on I78 and I287. Rest stops and welcome centers were spaced a little inconsistently but probably averaged about 45 miles apart and they were more modern and clean than we expected. In between the rest stops were fairly frequent exits mostly served by national chain restaurants and gas stations. The scenery was generally pleasant with some especially nice views on the VA/NC border.

I'm sure individual preference and just plain luck (we heard there were major delays on I95 in Philly the day we left) play a part in the decision but we so enjoyed our trip that I don't think we'd consider I95 again.

Hope you have a great trip and please let us know if you have any other questions!

 

[francie57]

We took the I81 route to Charolette from CT and it was the best drive we have had. There are rest areas along the way and even if you need to make a stop before you hit a rest area, there are plenty of exits along the way and since there are no tolls you won't have to worry about paying extra. The ride is really a pretty ride. We have drive the 95 route in the past and we avoid 95 at all costs.

 

[Erin12303]

My husband and I just drove from Upstate NY to Hilton Head Island SC 6/18 and returned this past weekend. It was our first experience with I95. The way down wasn't terrible but the return trip wasn't so good. We were stuck in traffic that delayed our trip over 2 hours. Next year we are going 81.

 

[java]

Ok so I think we are biting the bullet and going I 81-- I'll try to post some live travel updates to let you know about the drive. Of course that's assuming there is not pure chaos inside the minivan with 4 kids!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Ok so I think we are biting the bullet and going I 81-- I'll try to post some live travel updates to let you know about the drive. Of course that's assuming there is not pure chaos inside the minivan with 4 kids!

We just drove the 78-81-77-26-95 route 2 weeks ago for the 1st time and would drive it again in a heartbeat!
We have 3 kids ages 11, 7 and just turned 3. Our little guy has to use the potty every 2-2 1/2 hours and we never had a problem finding a rest stop or fast food place to stop at during the entire drive.
The mountains through Virginia are so beautiful. We didn't hit any traffic snarls or issues. Hope it goes well for you!

 

[jasko5990]

Java,
I've found the trick to avoiding traffic along the entire I-95 route is to get past DC and into Virgina before 5-6am. With the exception of taking Amtrak's Auto Train in 2008, we have driven from the Philadelphia, PA area every trip since 2002. We left at 3am once and got caught in slow (not stopped) traffic for about 30 minutes around 6am when we were approaching DC, then again for about an hour on I-95 approaching I-4 in the mid to late afternoon, and I-4 for about 30 minutes in Orlando around dinner time. My current strategy is to wake up around 6am the day we are leaving, then go back to bed around 4-5pm and sleep until about 11pm. We leave around midnight and drive straight through on I-95. My wife & kids stay awake that day until we leave, then they sleep in the Avalanche and don't wake up until we are in North Carolina where we stop for gas and a Cracker Barrel breakfast around 7am. We then hit the road again, only stopping for one more gas stop and when bathroom breaks are needed. The trip lasts 16 hours, + or - 1/2 hour. By leaving when we do we miss all of the morning traffic in the northern section of I-95 (especially around the DC area), and when we stop for breakfast we avoid a lot of the traffic during the morning rush. I have tried other departure times and routes (including going further west around DC) and have found this current strategy to be the best. Now the only times we hit volume traffic is around 4pm on I-4 in Orlando on a weekday, and it's usually less than five minutes from the WDW exits.

 

[LidoDeck]

Just a couple days ago, I MapQuest-ed the route from Orlando to Maine, comparing I-95 to I-81. We've driven it many times, including once via I-81. It was a much more pleasant route and avoided many tolls. According to MapQuest, our preferred route (avoiding DC, NYC and all of NJ) is less than 3 hours extra. So we're gonna try it, planning an overnight in Staunton VA.