Navigating the Terriple Trip to Washington, D.c.

 When people talk about Washington, D.C., the conversation inevitably turns to traffic. They complain that it’s terrible. They’re right.

 

We must have driven 10 to 15 times a year back and forth to South Boston (VA) when we were here part time. Now we hardly go to D.C. at all.

 

The only traffic jam we face now is when the train chugs through town.

 

When we do go to Washington, we feel likecountry bumpkins, forgetting our old routes and becoming thoroughly confused by new ones.

 

A recent study found that Washington was second only to New York in travel delays for commuters. Worse than San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

I’m told that downtown Washington has gotten easier to get through as more people work from home. But the beltway and outlying roads are still a mess.

 

Over time, I learned some coping mechanisms in traveling north and south across state. Interstate 95 is at its worst in the summer on Friday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. But backups at other times can be unpredictable. Once we were stuck for hours when a helicopter airlifted someone from an accident on the road.

 

Here are some alternatives:

 

U.S. 15: A favorite alternate route from South Boston D.C. was: Take U.S. 360 northeast until U.S. 15. at Keysville. Follow it all the way north to Culpeper. Then switch to U.S. 29 until we get to Interstate 66 at Gainesville. Follow that the rest of the way. The same route works in both directions. The GPS hates this route, wants to send you from Orange to Richmond.

 

The scenery is beautiful. There’s not a lot of traffic on this two-lane road, even on weekends. I don’t like driving it at night or in the rain, though. There isn’t much good food on the way, but the Mexican restaurant in Dillwyn isn’t bad. It takes maybe a half hour longer than I-95when I-95 is clear, but it can be shorter on summer weekends. (Oh, but don’t take on Columbus Day weekend—too many people are heading for the Blue Ridge Mountains to see the leaves.)

 

U.S. 29: Either from Danville or Lynchburg. Traffic is lighter than on I-95, but the stop lights in Charlottesville are maddening.

 

U.S.  1: It works from Ashland to Fredericksburg but is too slow north of there.

 

U.S. 301: Taking it from Richmond north isn’t a bad alternative if your residence or destination is east of Washington.

 

Interstate 81: Forget this. It’s too far out of the way and it gets back-ups too.

Biting the bullet and taking I-95: New express lanes near Fredericksburg may ease things somewhat, but it will cost you. In the past traffic has jammed up at the south end of these lanes. When that happens, the price goes up. We usually get to I-95 from South Boston by taking either U.S. 360 or Interstate 85 from South Hill, which is farther.

Amtrak: It’s a wonderful option if you don’t mind driving to Danville or Lynchburg and going without a car in Washington.

Bus: I suspect that the Virginia Breeze bus line would be a great option, but I haven’t tried it yet. There aren’t many stops.

 

Staying home: Of course, this is the easiest option.