Driving south tomorrow - strategies for dealing with I95?

[Anonymous]

So we have to join half of the DC metro area residents, and drive south tomorrow. We usually take I-95, which I expect will be a parking lot.

I tried Highway 1 a couple times and it was as bad or worse. Any tips for side roads towards Richmond? Or ideas about what time would be best to head out? We can leave pretty much any time after 10am.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Where are you headed exactly? My only other tip would have been to leave before 8am....

[Anonymous]

Leave at 10 am then or soon after. My parents live west of Richmond so we go the 95 route pretty frequently.

We will be making the same drive tomorrow! But will probably be leaving around 8 pm unless weather does something weird.

Just go and get it done. The longer you wait the worse it will be. Route 301 is an alternate route - you may consider that, but we usually just suffer through 95.

[Anonymous]

I would personally leave really early like 5 or 6am.

[Anonymous]

We're going towards the coast near the VA border, so we get past Richmond, then take a state road southeast. It's really just the section from DC to about Fredricksburg that's nighmarish. After that, it usually clears out. But I can't for the life of me figure out a route other than 95 or 1.

Re: leaving at 8am... I was thinking we'd avoid the morning traffic. Do you think it will be better at 8 than at 10? There's also the 9pm possibility, so the kids will sleep through it, but I've sat in late-night traffic on 95 before, so no guarantee there...

[Anonymous]

Haven't had to do the southern route, but we travel north and west to visit family for the holidays. If we are out of the driveway by 5am, or earlier if possible, we seem to do well.

You won't have rush hour since you're heading south, the rush will be more a matter of when "most" people decide to hit the road.