Driving to Florida/Alternate Routes

[Anonymous]

We are driving to Jacksonville during Christmas break. In the past, getting from Northern VA past Richmond on I-95South is awful. I would like to explore some alternate routes and would appreciate ideas. Unfortunately, we are leaving Friday, December 23rd around 3 pm (I have to work that day and spending a night in North Carolina (either Fayetteville or Lumberton) and heading to Jacksonville on Saturday, December 24th.

[Anonymous]

there's no great alternate for that. look at a map. I suppose you could go out to 81, but that's going to be a lot farther, because you have to come back east at some point.

suck it up, buttercup.

[Anonymous]

You can go west on 66 and then cut south, but it will be longer. Not sure how 66 will be at that time either. I would just use WAZE to check the fastest way and be prepared to sit in traffic.

[Anonymous]

A slightly more scenic route might be to take I66 to route 234 (I think it is exit 44?) near Manassas, VA.
Follow route 234 a few miles until route 28.
Follow route 28 until route 17 in Bealeton
Take route 17 into Fredericksburg where you will get on I95.

I'm not sure that will necessarily save you any time/miles (probably depends on exactly where you are coming from)
But you are driving through some pretty farm land for much of that so at least it is scenic.

I live close to where 234/28 meet so that's how I always go.

[Anonymous]

Use the waze app. The end.

[Anonymous]

Whatever you do, don't use the Express Lanes. When there is a large volume of traffic, you'll get stuck in a huge traffic jam when the Express Lanes ends. And there is no way out. Which really sucks if you have to go to the bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, you're pretty much screwed leaving on that day at that time. Not much you can do. My iPhone (google maps, which uses Waze info too) will sometimes route on and off the highway, and it's usually pretty accurate time-wise. (like for part of Maryland 301 parallels 95, and sometimes it's moving better.) So just use the phone, load up on books on CD or podcasts or good music, stock up on good snacks, and be prepared for a long trip.

You're going with someone? Have that person pick you up at work at 3 and leave directly and immediately from work. Every minute is going to count on Friday afternoon. Good luck!

Hey remember the floods in lumberton? I'd call ahead and see if there are hotels available, too. I have no idea if it affected the interstate but it was bad there for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, you're pretty much screwed leaving on that day at that time. Not much you can do. My iPhone (google maps, which uses Waze info too) will sometimes route on and off the highway, and it's usually pretty accurate time-wise. (like for part of Maryland 301 parallels 95, and sometimes it's moving better.) So just use the phone, load up on books on CD or podcasts or good music, stock up on good snacks, and be prepared for a long trip.

You're going with someone? Have that person pick you up at work at 3 and leave directly and immediately from work. Every minute is going to count on Friday afternoon. Good luck!

Hey remember the floods in lumberton? I'd call ahead and see if there are hotels available, too. I have no idea if it affected the interstate but it was bad there for a while.

I would also add that many of the hotels in Fayetteville are quite a bit off the highway - they can add another 20 minutes to your drive. We have stayed in Wilson, NC and it was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A slightly more scenic route might be to take I66 to route 234 (I think it is exit 44?) near Manassas, VA.
Follow route 234 a few miles until route 28.
Follow route 28 until route 17 in Bealeton
Take route 17 into Fredericksburg where you will get on I95.

I'm not sure that will necessarily save you any time/miles (probably depends on exactly where you are coming from)
But you are driving through some pretty farm land for much of that so at least it is scenic.

I live close to where 234/28 meet so that's how I always go.

We used to do this, but be advised that there can be a lot of traffic this way, too. Also, we used to go out to Highway 29 from 66 at Gainesville--but there is a lot more traffic than back in the day. Then picked up 17 from 29.

This may not cut off a lot of time, but you also don't run the risk of being in a back up forever. When there were problems on 95, we also picked up a rural road south from Fredericksburg. Again, it may not save time, but it is less stressful. I can't remember if it was 301 or 17.