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Travel to NY for Thanksgiving
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Anonymous
| I used to drive up all the time to visit my parents. Being ON 95N by 10am on Wed makes a big difference. For what's usually a 3.5-4 hour drive, my best time to North Jersey (farther west, but the same amount north as NYC) going up has been 6 hours. Average is 7-8, and 10-12 is not unheard of (worst time ever was 14 hours). Definitely leave either Sat morning or Monday. Unless you have the patience of a saint, don't bother leaving Sunday. |
Anonymous
| PP here - to clarify - be on 95N above DC by 10am (i.e., between dc and baltimore). |
Anonymous
| When you get to NY, avoid the Cross Bronx at all costs. It's always packed. We use the Hudson River Parkway. |
Anonymous
| Leave at 5:00 a.m. I'm NOT kidding. You will be so much happier. |
Anonymous
| Family in northern NJ. They leave about 6:00am on Thanksgiving Day - never a problem - get here about 11:30am. Also they leave on Saturday morning about 7:30am. They have also take the I-81 route once or twice when they have varied the schedule a bit. While it might be a bit longer, they did not encounter any traffic issues so they considered it a wash. |
Anonymous
| We were planning to go up to NYU on Tuesday and bring our child home for Thanksgiving. The problem is that his last class is at 4:30pm on Wednesday. Should we wait until midnight Wednesday to start driving back to Leesburg? Will the traffic still be crazy at that time? |
Anonymous
|
You are okay driving too and from DC/NYC as long as you do not START the trip (in either direction) between the hours of 9 am and 8 pm on Wednesday or later than 7 am Thursday.
I am taking the train (Acela). It's expensive but I am so looking forward to NOT BEING IN A FRICKEN TRAFFIC JAM BEFORE THE DELAWARE TOLL BOOTHS! |
Anonymous
|
Delays expected at the Delaware Memorial Bridge due to construction.
http://www.deldot.gov/public.ejs?command=PublicNewsDisplay&id=3857 |
Anonymous
Delaware sucks. Always. |
Anonymous
Small wonder my ass.... Last time we drove to NYC it took longer to get through DE than NJ |
Anonymous
| So agree PP. For a small state it is amazing how difficult it can be to drive through it!!! |
Anonymous
|
You can go around the DE toll plaza fairly easily. Heading north, get off at exit 109 for Elkton, MD, heading north on Route 279/Elkton Road. Cross into DE, and make a right onto Route 4/DE 896 heading towards the University of Delaware. At the next intersection, make a right onto DE 896 and head back to I-95. This route may take you a few miles out of the way, but saves a TON of time. We very rarely pay the tolls these days. Google Map Newark, DE to see the workaround.
And in Newark, you pass several places to eat, including a McDonalds, a Friendly's and a Dunkin Donuts, if you need to stretch. |
Anonymous
| How will the traffic be (in both directions) on Friday and Saturday? A little bit better, I hope? |
Anonymous
|
PP - i don't think so. See below from the news release from Delaware
"Due to the on-going I-95 Newark Toll Plaza Reconstruction, reduced toll lane access and altered traffic patterns will greatly impact Thanksgiving Holiday travelers. These factors, combined with the anticipated increase of holiday traffic, will result in serious backups and travel delays, starting as early as Tuesday morning, November 23 and lasting through Monday evening, November 29. Travelers should consider using alternative routes, using alternative modes of travel or traveling during hours with lower traffic volumes." |
Anonymous
|
Traffic on Friday and Saturday can be terrible, too.
The Delaware Memorial Bridge construction is making a bad situation awful. |