D.C. to Beantown

I am riding up Friday morning from DC for the Lynah East and Dartmouth games with a friend.
That should take about 8 hours right? What is the best way to go? Straight shot up I-95?

cya in boston!! LGR!
-ben

[Q]Ben Rocky 04 Wrote:

I am riding up Friday morning from DC for the Lynah East and Dartmouth games with a friend.
That should take about 8 hours right? What is the best way to go? Straight shot up I-95?

cya in boston!! LGR!
-ben[/q]

I'd probably go 684-84-90 from NYC instead of 95. Others may disagree.

Do NOT take 95 through NYC or you're asking for trouble - depends on the time of day, but not a good bet.


New York City:
I would switch from the Jersey Turnpike to the Garden State to avoid NYC, Go up to 287-E and take that across the Tappan Zee bridge. Stay on 287 (don't get onto 87 South, an easy mistake if you're not paying attention )


Connecticut:
Do not take 95 through New England either cause it follows the coast and is definitely out of the way. Although I suppose if you insist on avoiding the Mass Pike tolls, it's an option

Instead, from287, you could go to 684 to 84 to the Mass Pike (I-90). Or, my preferred route is to take Route 15 (the Hutchinson River Parkway in NY, the Merrit and Wilbur Cross Parkways in Ct) - pluses: more direct, no trucks allowed, less likely to be trafficy. Minuses: curvy, 55 mph (although people go 70+ anyway). 15 then connects with 91 which you take up to Hartford and switch to 84 up to the Mass pike.


Listen to traffic:
I would have at least two routes picked out to get around NYC and through Ct and listen to the traffic when you're in Jersey. AM 880 of out NYC has traffic every 10 minutes on the 8s. Most of it will be in the city and Long Island, but just listen for Tappan Zee towards Westchester (if it's backed up, but the G.W. AND Cross Bronx aren't, you can stay on 95).

In Ct, listen for Merrit and "New England Throughway" (95).

If the Tappan Zee and the GW are BOTH major trouble, you can even consider taking 87 North to 84, but that's a last resort.


Approaching Boston:
Pretty straightforward. I'll just repeat the suggestion (from another thread) that when you get off the Mass Pike at exit 18 (which I assume is the plan), if you're anywhere near rush hour you will probably be well backed up if you follow the 'Cambridge' direction. Instead, take the Allston direction, and turn around at the first light (no U, just turn right, take a U on the side street and go left coming back). It'll save you time, or at least be even but more interesting than sitting on an exit ramp.


This is all from someone who knows these areas, so if you want the easiest route, I guess you can consider just staying on 95 until New Haven, then do 91 to 84 to the Mass Pike. But you could be asking for trouble, so leave plenty of time. 8 hours is your best result, not your worst.

Oh, in the weird roads category, I-95 is NOT a continuous road.

So follow the signs for the Jersey Turnpike in Delware, not I-95. I-95 will take you up through Phily and then just end. It magically reappears as the Jersey Turnpike to your east, but that won't help you if you don't have a magic wand

Don't take 95 through southern CT after noon. You'll be sitting in traffic for hours on a Friday afternoon.


From DC...95 through to DE. It will then split for 95/495 towards Philly and then 295 to the NJ Turnpike over the DE Memorial Bridge. And if you've got ez pass, stay to the left after the bridge as they have put in high speed lanes.

In the past, I've left DC at 5:30am , with a stop in NYC and made it to Providence by 3 in the afternoon.
And it USED to take 8 hours...I don't think I've managed to go below 10 anymore...which is why I now fly and otherwise refuse to drive

And be careful of the cops on 95 in MD. Everytime I've headed north this year, it seemed like quota day for the MD cops. If they're standing on the side of the road waving you down, DON'T STOP! They're waving you down to give you a ticket for speeding.

[Q]DeltaOne81 Wrote:
Connecticut:
Do not take 95 through New England either cause it follows the coast and is definitely out of the way. Although I suppose if you insist on avoiding the Mass Pike tolls, it's an option

Instead, from287, you could go to 684 to 84 to the Mass Pike (I-90). Or, my preferred route is to take Route 15 (the Hutchinson River Parkway in NY, the Merrit and Wilbur Cross Parkways in Ct) - pluses: more direct, no trucks allowed, less likely to be trafficy. Minuses: curvy, 55 mph (although people go 70+ anyway). 15 then connects with 91 which you take up to Hartford and switch to 84 up to the Mass pike.[/q]

95 is definitely the easiest (and cheapest) way through CT and Mass, if you're looking for minimal road changes. If you, like me, like to speed, 95 is good because of its wide curves (when they exist) and speedy traffic to hide in. But it is also definitely the longest route.

EDIT: Judy's right. CT is a traffic disaster on Friday afternoons. But, you SHOULD be passing through earlier, because you're on your way to John Harvard's pre-game, right?

(The Merritt is almost as speedy, but you can't pass as easily. If you go on the Merritt, take a look at all the bridges you go under. They're each different, dating back, IIRC, to the Depression and FDR's attempts to give people work.)

As you're going through Fairfield County (the first CT county you'll drive through), the Merritt and I-95 pretty much parallel each other, so if one is less trafficy (nice word, Fred) than the other, follow that one. You can cross over to the Merritt/Wilbur Cross on the connector around exit 38 (36?) of I-95.

[q]Listen to traffic:
I would have at least two routes picked out to get around NYC and through Ct and listen to the traffic when you're in Jersey. AM 880 of out NYC has traffic every 10 minutes on the 8s. Most of it will be in the city and Long Island, but just listen for Tappan Zee towards Westchester (if it's backed up, but the G.W. AND Cross Bronx aren't, you can stay on 95).

In Ct, listen for Merrit and "New England Throughway" (95).

If the Tappan Zee and the GW are BOTH major trouble, you can even consider taking 87 North to 84, but that's a last resort.
[/q]

If you end up on 95 through NYC - not always the best option but not the end of the world, either - pay careful attention to traffic reports and traffic signs. Many stations will refer to Rte 15 as "the Hutch." The signs get confusing as you get off the Cross-Bronx...in general, follow New England directions and have someone on the lookout for signs, especially as you're exiting toll booths. While you're trying not to get hit by a giant truck, you'll miss the exit for the road you want - on the opposite side of the toll plaza.

In CT, I'd say most stations refer to 95 as "95."

84 will get very crowded around rush hour, especially around Danbury, Waterbury and Hartford. Beware.

When you get close to Boston, listen to traffic reports on 1030 AM. In the NYC area, it's 1010 AM. Does anybody know good stations to listen for traffic in CT?

1080 AM out of Hartford will do traffic most of the time. But you may not get it until you get a decent ways into the state. Not sure if they do New Haven traffic, but I stand by my recommendation to avoid New Haven by taking the Merrit (or 684->84).

880 (or 1010) in NY will do the Merrit and New England Thruway/95, so that should about cover it.


P.S. Yes, never heard anyone in Ct call 95 anything but 95

P.P.S. Hopefully you won't need to worry about 84 traffic cause you should better be through Ct well before rush hour

P.P.P.S. I'm always entertained by those signs in NY pointing to "New England -->" Never seen a sign in Greenwich point to "Mid-Atlantic -->". Silly New Yorkers

You guys have it all wrong.

DC to Boston: the easiest and cheapest way:

I-270 W
US-15 N
I-81 N
I-78 E
I-287 E
I-87 E
I-684E
I-84E
I-90E

It is probably about an extra 20-30 miles out of the way and there are some portions which are not highway on US-15. But it will save you on tolls (Delaware rapes you) -- you'll only have to pay at the Tappan Zee and on the MassPike, and it is much quicker.

One other variation to consider:

As you cross the Tappan Zee Bridge, try to get traffic reports (880, 1010, or the special traffic station that they have posted). If there are issues on 287 or the lower part of 684, you can bail a couple miles past the bridge and get on the Saw Mill Parkway north, which will join 684 about 25 miles later. It's not ideal if the other roads are running freely, 'cause it is narrow and windy, but it offers an alternative if you need one. I actually used to go that way every day between CT and NJ and preferred it to the 287/684 option, just because it was more scenic and had no truck traffic.

[Q]Facetimer Wrote:

You guys have it all wrong.

DC to Boston: the easiest and cheapest way:

I-270 W
US-15 N
I-81 N
I-78 E
I-287 E
I-87 E
I-684E
I-84E
I-90E
[/q]

Is that better than just taking I-81 to I-84? I don't have a map in front of me, but I believe from Baltimore I used to take I-83 to I-81 to I-84 to I-87 to get to the Hudson Valley.

Hey, I only know NJ and north, if you say there's something better south of there, fine by me.

However, it seems I-270 takes you about 30 miles west, meaning 60 miles out of the way total. Definitely cheaper (no Delaware, no Jersey Tpke), probably easier (less dealing with the maze around NYC), but definitey longer, isn't it?


And I would still recommend:
I-287
Rt-15 (Hutch/Merrit/Wilbur Cross)
I-91
I-84
I-90

on the end

No extra tolls.

I have a tendancy to fall asleep while driving...from past experiences driving up to Ithaca, I tend to get sleepy on 15 just outside of Frederick, MD and swear at the never ending stretch of land otherwise known as the state of Pennsylvania.
The 95/NJ turnpike route will cost you about $30 roundtrip, but that plus the Starbucks at the rest areas are a small price to pay for my general health and ...well, staying alive.

81N to 84E...more emptiness in PA, where, if the roads aren't under constructions and there aren't a lot of big trucks, you can take those mountainous roads at 85-90...

81N->78->287 etc...you may still hit traffic by getting that close to NYC.

Really, so many ways of getting from DC to Boston...just depends on your personal preference.

If you need sugar to stay awake in PA, you can stop in Hershey, PA. It's just on the other side of Harrisburg, about 15 minutes off of 81 or that connector between 15 and 81. Get some yummy chocolate, or my favorite, the chocolate milkshake. And heck, you can even check to see if the Hershey Bears are playing a game on Sunday night on your way down.

[Q]judy Wrote:

If you need sugar to stay awake in PA, you can stop in Hershey, PA. It's just on the other side of Harrisburg, about 15 minutes off of 81 or that connector between 15 and 81. [/q]

Yep, right down route 322, also known as the ol' "Hershey Highway."

I apologize, but I'm legally obligated to make that joke.

Scary thing is, it actually is. I did campaign work in Harrisburg area during the 04 election, and everytime the locals would tell me to take the hershey highway, I'd crack up and they wouldn't know why......