Afternoon Commute -- Reston to Potomac

[Anonymous]

Hi -- Im considering a job where I would have to commute home in the afternoon from Reston to Potomac 3 days a week. Can anyone who does this or a similar commute share if I'm crazy to be considering it. Assume I'd be leaving Reston at 4. Actually, Reston to the Beltway is not the issue so even if you commute from Tysons to Potomac around 4pm, I'd love to hear what your average experience is like (knowing it could be much worse on a given day given weather and accidents). Thanks.

[Anonymous]

It’s miserable at that time. I thought everyone knew this?

[Anonymous]

Figure 1 hour.

[Anonymous]

If 1 hour is the average that’s doable. If it’s typically closer to 2 hours then I’d have to strongly consider. And yes, I know it’s miserable but I’ve never done it so I’m trying to determine how miserable.

[Anonymous]

The ramp from the toll road onto the beltway gets horribly backed up, sometimes before 3pm. So for that section, Reston to the beltway actually is an issue.

I’d say 60-90 minutes would cover most commutes at 4 pm.

[Anonymous]

I don’t do this commute regularly, but once or twice a month I go to our satellite office in Reston. I live in Rockville. At 4 pm, it can (and does) take 45 minutes just to go the 0.2 miles from the toll plaza to merge onto the beltway. I would figure 1.5 hours on average. I would not do that commute on a regular basis, in fact I turned down what would’ve been a professionally great job offer in Tyson’s mainly because of the commute.

[Anonymous]

20 minutes, tops.

[Anonymous]

You will hate your life. Getting across the bridge in the afternoon is always wretched.

[Anonymous]

A car with start-stop automatic cruise control might make it more tolerable. You still have to pay attention, but you'd save wear-and-tear on your foot.

[Anonymous]

Anywhere from 1-2 hours. Even if you are, in theory, ok with the time it takes, it will be miserable because you just inch along surrounded by angry drivers and it’s totally maddening.

[Anonymous]

Two hours.

[Anonymous]

I commute from Potomac (home) to Tysons (work). At 4:00, it usually takes me 45-55 minutes to get home (I get on the EZ Pass at Jones Branch and exit on Clara Barton). It’s easily well over an hour if there’s any rain or snow.