Driving I-84, I-81, etc. this time of year
 

I am flying to Boston Dec 17 and leaving there Dec 20 to return to The Villages by car. I have driven the I-95 South route several times and getting around NYC and Wash DC, as others have noted, can be a real bear.

I am contemplating the I-84/I-81 route through PA and VA before connecting back up to 95 in either NC or SC. I know it goes through the Blue Ridge Mountains so I am wondering about driving conditions mid-Dec. I know the risk of snow and ice is a roll of dice but wondered if anyone had any other comments to add.

Thanks in advance.

I think I remember seeing this addressed in another thread within the last couple of weeks. You might want to try a search.

Takes a little bit longer. But no white knuckle driveing through the DC ect. areas.

I-84-i-81
 

Have driven these roads a number of times. You would take I-84 to I-81 and as a result go up the mountains in the Poconos. This can have some serious snow and a lot of deer.
The other way is i-84 to 209 and go down to Stroudsberg and then I-80 to
I-81. Better route although 209 is only 2 ways but trucks are prohibited from using it. Both ways will get you to Harrisburg and then on down. It will take
more time (would guess 2-2 1/2 more hours) and although there is a lot less
traffic it is still longer and you do hit some serious mountains.
If you want to avoid the terrible Washington/Baltimore area there is always
the route going down through Delaware (get off at the end of the NJ Turnpike) and cross the Chessapeak Bridge and then back to I-95. Would be better than the Harrisburg route.
I also found that going through DC on i-95/or 295 ?? is faster and better than the beltway. It comes out on the beltway just before the bridge on I-95.
Just some ideas.
Another option to avoid the NY City traffic is to stay on I-84, cross the Newburg bridge, take 9W south to the Palisades Parkway and take that to
Fort Lee NJ and pick up the NJ Turnpike to Wilminton, Del. and then take the route to the Chessapeake Bridge?? (You pick up the Palisades Parkway at the Bear Mountain Bridge). :wave:

You should be good. Just be aware of freezing fog or black ice on the bridges and over passes. Not saying you will get that kind of weather but would be aware of it. Enjoy your trip.:wave:

Amtrak Auto train is GREAT

Great advice... I would do the same during the Winter months in order to avoid unexpected foul weather. Your longest drive would then be from MA to VA where you pick up the Amtrak Auto Train.

Lorton, VA (Washington, DC) drop you off at
Sanford, FL (Orlando)
That how we came down and that how we well go back .

Do the I 84 to I 81 and then take I 64 back to I 95 at Richmond VA. From Richmond South, I 95 is fine. The second option would be I 81 all the way to NC then over and pick up I 75 all the way to FL, but then you have Atlanta to contend with. I would map my trip based on when I would hit those choke points and adjust the route that way. NY, DC, or Atlanta are all bad during rush hour, but all are OK other times.

When I lived in NY and frequently traveled south, we used to take RT. 301 from the Jersey Turnpike (Delaware Memorial Bridge) south to Richmond and then pick up I95. It's a little longer and slower, but is much more scenic and interesting and avoids Baltimore and D.C.

Driving !-84 / I-81 / I-26 / I-95
 

Have taken that route often from CT and MA . . . From the Sturbridge toll it would take about 2 hours to reach NY border on I-84. Then 2 1/2 hrs to go thru NY and PA to reach I-81 in Scranton. 3 hrs to get thru PA on 81. 1/2 to get thru Maryland and WV. Then about 4 hrs thru VA till you get to I-77.
From I-81 split taking I-77 to Charlotte, NC around 3 hrs. from Charlotte to I-26 in SC about an 1 hr. another 1 hr. across I-26 to I-95 . . . 1 1/2 hrs from where you get on I-95 to the GA border. 2 hrs thru GA to FL line and 2 1/2 to 3 hrs to get to The Villages - there are many debated routes of which to take. . . . going the inland route is about 150 miles longer than taking a straight shot down 95, but you'll usually have less traffic, far less tolls, especially when going northbound, great scenery, and personally I like the gas stops and hotels along the route. Under normal conditions it should not
take you longer than 23 hours driving time.

If you can get on I-95 around Richmond, you will be better off than taking I-81. 81 has LOTS of mountains and tons of trucks south to Wytheville, where some of them take 77 We used to live in Roanoke, VA and I do believe that I heard somewhere that the stretch of 81 between Wytheville and Staunton is one of the worst for accidents, and I believe it. If you stick closer to the coast (I-95) instead of going inland (I-81) you might avoid some of the bad weather that can hit that time of year too. If you do take 81 and then 77 south, be extremely cautious coming down Fancy Gap Mountain. It has fog and bad weather when there isn't any anywhere else. It seems that areas along the coast don't have as bad weather as more inland. Have a safe trip!

First of all.. safe travels ! We drive to the Villages at least once a year, sometimes twice from Oxford Ma. We have always taken 95 all the way, never with any troubles. Planning is key. We usually traven early Sunday and have never ran into any severe traffic in the metro areas.

JUST READ THIS............One man was killed and at least 18 others were injured after four crashes involving 55 cars on Thursday morning near Hendersonville, Tenn., according to NewsChannel5.com.

Police believe dense fog and icy patches contributed to the crash, according to MSNBC.com.

More than 130 were stuck on the roadway because of the other wrecks and at least one person was killed after a car slammed into the back of a U.S. mail truck.:oops:

Hubby is a retired professional truck driver who, over the years made many trips down I 95 through the Bronx, across the GW bridge, etc. So many times travelling southbound he saw cars that had broken down and were abandoned. When he returned northbound, a few hours later, the vehicles were stripped of tires and anything else that could be removed and many had been burned out. In some areas along this route there is almost no place to pull over if you DO break down. It's a good thing that a lot of folks like the I 95 route. That helps to keep I 84 to I 81 pretty stress free.

I avoid the 10 mile back-ups on I-95 conn and cross Bronx whenever and however possible. I have even sat on the GW Bridge @ midnight for hours, even on weekends due to construction and or bombscares.
If you get lucky you can get From Boston to Jersey in 4.5 hrs on a weekday morning if you leave boston @ around 6:am. Ideal time to slip thru the Cross Bronx is around 10:am. BUT that is nonstop and then you still have to deal with Delaware ,Maryland and the pm DC traffic nightmare.
I personally go around at all cost and am driving thru Penn,West Vrginia,Smokies durring the daylight hours. More cruise control than brakes for sure.

Thanks...
 

...for the input on which route to take. I think I will stick to 84, Saw Mill River Parkway, across the Tappan Zee Bridge, onto Garden State, NJ Turnpike, etc.
The PA and VA route looks like a good pick for warmer weather.

We usually get to Fredericksburg, VA, on the first day, Savannah, GA, the second, then from there into The Villages going through the Ocala National Forest.

stripped
 

Villageflorida. You remind me of one of the funny experiences I saw in NY City when I worked there for a number of years. First by the WT Towers and then up on Third Avenue.
On the lower side by the towers we had the need to call in some Price Waterhouse Accountants to perform some audits. One drove his VW Bug from Texas and the first day parked it on the street outside the building. When he returned at the end of the day his radio and hifi were gone. He came in the next day and said it was OK as they got what they wanted. We had warned him to use one of the garages near by. When he went out the next day they had taken his tires, his fendors and some other parts they could sell. They completely stripped his car. It was a shame.
We use to tell visitors to follow 3 rules in the City. (a) If you see something going down just keep walking, (b) if the street does not look right it probably isn't and to take another street and (c) avoid eye to eye contact as some consider that threatening. If they follow those rules they will never get in trouble. :popcorn:

A question.....regardless of the chosen route, is it to be every bit of a three-day trip?? Any idea of the "typical" driving hours for the main choices? I'm Quincy, MA-to-TV in mid Jan (I hope!) for a 1/27 closing. Clue free on what the weather will be, of course, but will carjack Santa's sleigh if need be....

A second question...marennorge....re: Clinton, MA....at Ridgefield '85-'98...you??

Safe travels!

I've driven it in 20 hrs from RI with getting stuck in NY and DC traffic. I did really drive overly fast either just went with the flow of traffic. I didn't stop except for gas and bathroom breaks though while on the road.

It can be as many days as you want! Our rule of thumb is that we don't travel more than 600 miles per day. Our trip to Maine is 1500 miles so the first day, northbound we stay in Smithfield, NC...good exit, fairly new Sleep Inn that we like. Day 2 is around 500 miles on up to the Scranton, Pa. area. It's 400 miles from there to our destination in Me. On the southbound trip we stop night 1 in the Chambersburg, Pa. area, night 2 somewhere around Florence, SC. We eat the continental breakfast in the motels, stop every 2 hours and walk up and down the rest areas, stretch and bend, stop for lunch and supper. Too much sitting can cause problems with blood clots. We do NOT check in and then go out for supper......older relatives of ours did that in a Hampton Inn in Fayetteville, NC. The place had extrerior doors and apparently someone saw them leave. When they returned from their meal they had been robbed...suitcases taken, etc. So, once we check in we are in for the night. If you are going to be traveling around the middle of January, keeping an eye on the weather forecast is a must. Leave early if it means beating a storm. You could run into bad driving conditions all the way to Georgia. Congratulations on the new home! You are going to love it here!

For BostonCelt....
 

We are usually on the road by 6:30 or 7 at the latest. The goal is to get by NYC by mid-morning and Washington DC in early afternoon. Day 1 and 2 are about 10 hours including rest stops and lunch. Day 3 is about 5 to 6 hours so we picnic lunch in the Ocala Natl Forest and arrive in TV around 2 to 2:30. The drive through the national forest is lovely and a nice change from the interstates.

After selling my 3-family house in Attleboro, I lived in Clinton in an apartment on Oak Ridge Drive from 1996 to 2000, when I finally bought a house in Shrewsbury. I actually considered the Ridgefield condos but did not like their pet policy. (Getting permission from your immediate neighbors before acquiring a pet.)