Driving advice - MA on the 23rd
 

Hello,

I’m driving down from the RI border on the 23rd and I am thinking of hopping on the road at 5PM so I should hit NY around 8PM and DC I’m guessing around 11PM. Last time I drove and hit DC at 11pm it was a 2 hour delay due to them do construction at night. Should I try and avoid DC if so is there an alternative route around?

Merry Christmas

Check aaa trip tick online . Or just use waze during your trip. Hopefully construction paused for holidays

Just down from CT, left 7pm and breezed through DC and on. Surprised at all the projects that had been completed and great road surface through to SC.
Just watch out for the crazed wannabe racers darting in and out.
Also despite the talk of supply line issues, I have never seen as many trucks on the way.
Good luck and keep watching your mirrors. (Gas is slightly cheaper once you get out of New England)

I have heard that some people catch Route 301 after Baltimore and follow it until it joins I-95 south of Fredericksburg.

On the other hand, if you are planning to take the Beltway around D.C., you may want to avoid crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge during the morning rush hour. We lived in Virginia and I worked in Maryland and I would cross that bridge in the morning, and it was usually no problem. However, the people living in Maryland had a much harder time driving into Virginia in the morning. This was 20 years ago, so maybe things are different now.

We leave from Western MA and never risk going anywhere near NYC, NJ, Delaware, Baltimore, or Washington DC. Not worth it, drive an extra 100 miles and avoid all potential big city traffic issues. I would much rather drive the hour and a half to knock off the extra 100 miles than risk dealing with hours of high stress stop and go traffic. Plus, you avoid a bunch of tolls. Take 84 west to Scranton and then take 81 south through Pensilvania, a small slice of both Maryland and West Virginia, then once you get into Virginia there are a couple of good options to cut back east to I95 south below the beltway. The first option is to take Rt. 66 (about 12 miles south of Winchester, VA) to Rt. 17 to I 95 south in Fredericksburg, VA. The second option is to continue on 81 south past Roanoke, VA and then take I77 toward Charlotte, NC and then pick up RT. 26 around Columbia to I 95 south about an hours drive north of the Georgia state line. Both ways are almost the exact same distance. Gas is the cheapest in Virginia and South Carolina, so tank up before leaving those states. Have a safe and traffic free drive and a Merry Christmas.

We are ex-New Yorkers. I tend to think in about that numbers but the drive from NY to Florida is roughly 24 hours straight drive. My wife does not drive so I drove all of it.

On the 23rd, you will hit Holiday Traffic. Between the tolls, gas, wear and tear on your car and wear and tear on the driver, flying may well be cheaper. Reminder at least one hotel stop, meals etc. You can likely get one of the thrifty car rentals while you are here.

DC traffic? If, you decide to drive, an ex-New Yorker says, New York traffic at 8am is at least as bad as DC at 11 am.

We did basically the same route from Central Mass. If you go west on I-10 from Jacksonville, and take the much improved 301 south, you will wind up right at the Western edge of the villages.

I don’t get the late hour leaving but everyone has there own preference, I always left coming or going on a Saturday morning around 5am , usually stopped in rocky mount or close by and then hit Boston or Villages on Sunday afternoon , finally stopped the driving because I never used car much in Boston anyway

Even better - take A1A /200 off of Rt 95 in Georgia thru Callahan; connects to Rt 301 south. There are newer bypasses similar to the Stark bypass. :a040:

But flying isn’t an option if you have a mid sized dog and/or you don’t want to risk Covid exposure and long flight delays or cancellations that frequently occur these days. Also, if you are coming down for the entire winter, what do you do with your vehicle at the airport? Driving is much easier, you can bring lots of stuff from Costco with you, and you have your car/truck while at the Villages.

Better yet, take exit #373 north of Jacksonville off of 95 toward Callahan, FL. You will go a very short distance on Rt 200 before it turns into 301. Then cut over from 301 to 75 just north of Ocala to avoid lots of traffic in Ocala. After getting south of Ocala you can cut back over to 301 if you live in the northern part of the Villages, or stay on 75 if you are heading to the southern sections.

You have a good travel plan. I make that drive 3 times a year, never have a problem. Then again, I love driving. I always stay on 95 all the way down. I am in NY now and staying here until after New Year.

FYI - I filled up my tank yesterday (12/11) - EXXON regular is now $3.29 a gallon, down from $3.99 a couple of weeks ago.

You may have another problem.
Drove home from DC Sat after Thanksgiving.
N and S Carolina on I 95 were nightmares to go thru. Waze kept giving incorrect info on traffic.

We drive from MA, about 22 hours with the dog. We follow the gps and it usually takes us just south of DC and then we use the express lane if open. Once it took us 301 which was easy. We use to leave at about 5PM and drive through but after a few trips the 2AM-5AM time got tough. We starting staying over night in Virginia. The last couple times we left at 5AM and drove straight through and got here about 1-2AM.

Good luck and safe travels.

This is our route from The Villages to Chepachet RI. From 84 we take 384 to Route 6 into RI. It may be about 100 miles more than your quickest route but other than possibly Hartford and Charlotte it’s a low pressure drive. Also no tolls on the way down, one in NY after the bridge on the way back.