Archive: Getaway
Planning Holiday Travels
What is your getaway day? This year, the Christmas holiday will create a four-day weekend for many -- sort of a Thanksgiving weekend in reverse, with the holiday at the end of the four days. Our region is likely to see its worst traffic congestion on Friday afternoon and evening. But John Townsend of AAA Mid-Atlantic says an AAA survey suggests there will be several difficult travel days, starting with today: "Wednesday, December 19, is the third biggest travel day in the period," he said in an e-mail. In the AAA survey 16.4 percent of travelers indicate they will be leaving today, and plan to spend the longest time away from home, averaging nine nights. Who's able to get this early jump? People without children, of course. "In fact," Townsend said, "our research shows that nearly half of the overall traveling population this holiday will not be traveling with kids."...
By Robert Thomson | December 19, 2007; 06:28 AM ET | Comments (13)
Easier Return After Thanksgiving
Post reporters Bill Brubaker and Ian Shapira talked to travelers and travel experts on Sunday who described the return traffic from Thanksgiving as surprisingly light for what is often the worst day of the year for long distance riders. My own experience with the Wednesday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, plus advice from readers and transportation experts, has led me avoid the roads on those days. We've certainly seen people spread out their departure days and times over the past few years. But the return trips still were squeezed into a much narrower window, as most people still lingered with family and friends until Sunday. This year, I left Washington for Cape Cod on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and returned the Saturday after. On the return trip, we encountered 11 miles of heavy traffic getting through New Haven, Conn., and I thought it would remain so for the next...
By Robert Thomson | November 26, 2007; 07:44 AM ET | Comments (8)
Metro Adding Holiday Service
The transit authority plans to add service to and from the region's three main airports during Thanksgiving week. The final details still were being worked out, so check Metro's Web site for updates, but here's the basic idea. For the peak of the holiday rush on Wednesday and the weekend, buses will be added to the B30 line between Greenbelt and BWI Airport. As you walk out of the Greenbelt Metro station, turn left and look for the shelter with the B30 marking. The fare is $3. For travelers heading to and from Dulles Airport, there will be extra service during the peak period on the 5A line, which originates at L'Enfant Plaza Station. The fare also is $3 for the express service. For Reagan National Airport travelers: Metro plans to add two more trains on the Yellow Line on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to make the...
By Robert Thomson | November 19, 2007; 05:52 AM ET | Comments (10)
Planning Holiday Travel
Maybe it's the warmth of this autumn that makes Thanksgiving seem so remote. But it's less than three weeks away, and now is a good time to plan for the most difficult holiday traveling of the year. I'm again looking for your advice on holiday getaway routes and travel times. What did you learn from last year's experiences? The key things I learned from surveying readers is that travelers should be aware of alternative routes and have a plan to use them, but there are no undiscovered shortcuts to the places most people are heading. Good timing on the departure counts more than anything else. Here's a letter that many readers said they found helpful last fall. Dear Dr. Gridock: The I-95/New Jersey Turnpike/Garden State Parkway route to northern New Jersey or north of there now has round-trip tolls of over $27. Toll increases have been brutal and punishing. On...
By Robert Thomson | November 5, 2007; 08:26 AM ET | Comments (34)
Reaching the Beach By Rail?
Thinking about the beach as summer winds down has got me in a mood to share a rebuttal letter in response to a Dr. Gridlock column in which I downplayed the potential for rail service between the Washington area and Ocean City as a way of easing traffic congestion. The writer invites us to "think innovatively but practically" about transportation options. Dear Dr. Gridlock: I think you were wrong to dismiss a rail line from Love Point [on Kent Island] to Ocean City. You were rignt that it is a lower priority than the Purple Line or the Corridor Cities light rail line but you are wrong to thinik of it as a small pie with only so many pieces to cut out and distribute. Transprtation is part of our distribution system. It is an economic issue as well as an engineering issue. If the rail line less costly than...
By Robert Thomson | August 21, 2007; 05:40 AM ET | Comments (407)
In Search of Vacation Routes
Are we there yet? Is it wishful thinking, or are some of our commuter routes starting to show the effects of summer vacation? With the long-distance travel season in mind, I'm looking for suggestions escape routes from Washington to the region's favorite destinations -- north, south, east and west. We'll display some of them on the Post Metro section's Commuter page this Sunday, July 1. The idea will be to give summer travelers an alternative to the typical routes. They don't have to be shortcuts, as in time or mileage savers. They might just be more pleasant routes than the interstates and major highways that most vacationers are used to taking. I just got back from a weekend trip to northern New Jersey. Delaware continues to be the bane of East Coast travelers. The jams on I-95 are not as bad as they were last year, when the western side...
By Robert Thomson | June 25, 2007; 07:20 AM ET | Comments (30)
Holiday Weekend Travel Tips
The Virginia and Maryland highway departments are suspending road work for the holiday weekend. In Virginia, all of those temporary closures that so annoy you at places like the Springfield Interchange and the approaches to the Wilson Bridge will be clear from noon Friday to noon on Tuesday. But watch out for areas throughout the state where the work zones are longterm. Similar deal in Maryland: There won't be any orange barrels temporarily closing lanes on roadways like Route 29 or I-95 or I-270 until 9 p.m. Tuesday, but concrete barriers and rough pavement will still be where you last saw them. (That means traffic may still be slow on the Capital Beltway's inner loop at the Legion Bridge and on the northbound George Washington Parkway, because of the bridge repainting project.) The transportation agencies give the same simple holiday travel advice that you readers give to me when we...
By Robert Thomson | May 25, 2007; 05:10 AM ET | Comments (12)
Driving Around and Driving Away
Need your help with a couple of sets of directions, with very different goals. The first letter comes from a commuter looking for a bailout route when a major highway is jammed. Every commuting motorist needs at least one bailout route. I've learned that some of you stick to your ways while some of you experiment frequently, looking to shave minutes, or to be ready with plans C, D and E, just in case you need them. Here's that commuter's letter. Dr. Gridlock: The "sink hole" repair near the Wilson Bridge on the Virginia side (South 95) created a 2 1/2 hour drive home on the inner loop of the Beltway for me. The radio suggested a "bail out" on Exit 4 to take the Sousa Bridge to get to Virginia but did not give enough details. I tried to figure out this route on the map but have not...
By Robert Thomson | May 1, 2007; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (8)
Last-Minute Advice on Getaway
Got a last-minute update for people driving north for the holidays: Dear Dr. Gridlock: Had a quick tweak to one of the recommendations you published a couple of times recently concerning route to NJ. Recently the PA Route 33 link was completed down to I-78. So now it's advisable to stay on I-78 until the exit for Route 33 (I think it's Exit 68 or so). You can only go northbound from there. The rest of the route is fine. US 22 though Limited Access can be quite heavy traffic-wise during much of the day and evening. Happy Holidays! Jim South Arlington...
By Robert Thomson | December 22, 2006; 06:31 AM ET | Comments (3)
Thanksgiving Travel Advisory
Many of you have told me that you loathe the Delaware portion of I-95, particularly during the highway bridge rebuilding that has narrowed it from four lanes to two. Delaware's Department of Transportation doesn't like it any better than the rest of us, and its crews are working to finish that project by next Wednesday morning. If they make their deadline -- and they're paying very close attention to it -- I-95 would be restored to four travel lanes just in time for the biggest part of the Thanksgiving getaway. Of course, this news may complicate travel planning for some of you who are heading north for the holiday. Leave before Wednesday and drive through the restricted highway or wait till Wednesday, or later, and have four lanes? Here are some interesting traffic statistics from the Delaware DOT that you might consider in planning your passage through that state. These...
By Robert Thomson | November 15, 2006; 08:19 AM ET | Comments (14)
Advice on a Southern Getaway
Here's a question from a reader concerning our discussion of long distance driving. She's asking about how to get past Richmond. I've always gone straight through the city on I-95, rather than use I-295 to get around Richmond and Petersburg. The traffic congestion on the direct route never seemed bad enough to merit the diversion. Am I wrong about that? And I haven't driven through Georgia and Florida in 30 years, not since a friend and I decided it would be a swell idea to drive straight from New York to Fort Lauderdale without stopping. You don't have to tell me that was a bad idea. I knew that after the first 18 hours. But can anyone help our letter-writer with the southern part of this long trip? Here's the letter: Dear Dr. Gridlock: Every time you have a discussion on alternative routes north, I hope for the same going...
By Robert Thomson | November 14, 2006; 08:30 AM ET | Comments (23)
How Long to OC?
I got a question from a reader in Falls Church, and I thought I'd turn to you travelers for some guidance: "I have not driven to Ocean City , Md. , during the summer months in about 10 years. However, we will be going there on Saturday, Aug. 26. What's the traffic like these days heading toward the Bay Bridge and ultimately going to OC? How early will we need to leave? Thanks." First thing I asked was if she had an E-ZPass for the bridge, and she does. I know that motorists can call 1-877-BAYSPAN for up to date information on traffic at the bridge. I know there's plenty of traffic information on Maryland's CHART Web site and that you can check the traffic cameras before you go at TrafficLand.com, and that includes a view of the bridge toll plaza. But I haven't heard much about getaway traffic to...
By Robert Thomson | August 16, 2006; 05:06 AM ET | Comments (9)
Bay Bridge Traffic
So I went to see my parents last weekend, which means I cross the Bay Bridge to get to the Eastern Shore. I've been doing this drive for the 12 years I've lived in the Washington area and I don't think I've ever had an easier time on a beautiful summer weekend than I did this past weekend. I left work at 15th and L NW at 5:45 Friday afternoon (here's hoping my bosses don't read this blog), hit a little traffic in the District and then sailed right across the bridge and on to home. Yesterday, I left Onancock (on Virginia's Eastern Shore) at 4:45 p.m. and again hit zero traffic, even when I crossed the bridge around 7. Not only was I shocked not to hit any backups, but also, Route 50 wasn't even that crowded. I don't think I screamed at a single slow left-laner the whole...
By Steven Ginsberg | July 10, 2006; 02:43 PM ET | Comments (6)
Lots of Cars, Not Too Many Delays
At 5:30 p.m., there are lots of people out there but not too many killer backups. The worst of then are where they've been all day: on I-95 where the regular lanes and HOV lanes merge and on I-66 in the western part of the region. Many other spots look about like they do on a regular day and some actually look better. There's no backup whatsoever at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and there hasn't been one for a couple hours. Amazingly, there have been no accidents to cause major delays, even as a pretty heavy rain storm has moved through the region. Let's hope it stays that way. And here's hoping you get where you want to go and have a good time once you do ......
By Steven Ginsberg | May 26, 2006; 05:29 PM ET | Comments (1)
Here Comes the Rain
Rain has hit in a hard way south of the city, causing some problems on I-95. Traffic still isn't much worse than many regular work days, but it's something to keep an eye on. I-66 is heavy in Manassas and beyond, but clears up after Gainesville. I-270 is heavy, but clears up after it goes down to two lanes, BUT drivers taking I-70 west should watch out for heavy traffic between Frederick and Hagerstown. And down in Hampton Roads, the bridge tunnel backup is several miles. Stop off and get some dinner and wait for that one to clear up if you're headed out that way. Check out Memorial Day parade closings here and Rolling Thunder closings here. Info on both parades can also be found here and here....
By Steven Ginsberg | May 26, 2006; 04:37 PM ET | Comments (2)
Not So Bad
It's 4 o'clock and there's hardly a wait at the Bay Bridge. The worst traffic in the region is on I-95 south, where the usual jam has formed where the HOV lanes hit the regular lanes in Dumfries. I-66 is getting heavy, but is still moving. They're always bad, but this looks a little worse. Everything else seems more or less normal. Things aren't too terribly bad at the airports either, says Dulles and Reagan National spokeswoman Tara Hamilton. Hamilton said yesterday was busier than today at National. Lines have been manageable and there are still parking spots to be had, which is rather remarkable. It's a lot busier over at Dulles, but, says Hamilton "at Dulles it's always busy. It looks like a typical Friday afternoon, which is very busy." Looks to me like everyone's already gone, or they're waiting until tomorrow morning like me. Let's hope it's not...
By Steven Ginsberg | May 26, 2006; 03:58 PM ET | Email a Comment
Traffic Gets Worse
The cars are lining up at the Bay Bridge, on I-95 south and the Beltway in Maryland. Rather surprisingly, the roads continue to be pretty clear around the rest of the region, including on I-66. This surprises us here at Get There, so we want to know what's going on. Please send me all your thoughts and experiences about driving today. Even if it's just to say you plan to leave later, I'm interested to know what people are thinking. So send in the comments already, will ya? And if you're looking for the latest real time video reports of traffic check here....
By Steven Ginsberg | May 26, 2006; 02:13 PM ET | Email a Comment
Getaway Day
It's Friday, it's spring and it's beautiful, which means we're all trying to get out of town and traffic will probably be a nightmare. The question is: When will it be a nightmare? Used to be that you could count on traffic being really bad sometime around 3 or 4 in the afternoon until sometime around 7 or 8. But it got so bad at those times that lots of folks started leaving earlier in the day or at odd times. So now you don't know when you're going to hit the bad stuff. I was stuck in just awful traffic between Washington and Fredericksburg on the morning and early afternoon of Good Friday, but I sailed right out of the city at 5 o'clock that evening with no trouble at all. Ditto for my ride to Chantilly, through Leesburg and on up to Pittsburgh. And that's been the case...
By Steven Ginsberg | May 12, 2006; 10:07 AM ET | Comments (12)
