I95 Express lanes open (bye bye free HOV for Hybrids)

I vaguely remember reading a bit on VA's solo access requirements .... couldn't you have a 19mpg (albeit a hybrid) SUV Caddy - and still go solo?
wow
.

 

is this the area i hit from the beltway to fredericksburg every winter? worst traffic between here and fl.

 

all these years i've been stuck in traffic in our hycam, not knowing we could have driven the hov. we've been going every winter since 2004, and the last few years have been the worst. seems like an awful lot of development.

 

Suburban Washington hasn't managed the snob zoning thing the way that the Greater Boston area has.

*And* a lot of money had flowed in that area for a long time.

I grew up in Wayland, MA

 

ya, we don't have that kind of multi housing development. roads are clogged enough around here.

 

i get it, thanks. i would do almost anything to skip that part of the drive, just when the traffic starts to peter out, that's where we get off of the first night.

 

I avoid High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, even when we've sufficient occupants: just too fast and cut-throat for me.

 

i can see what you mean, but 60 miles of stop and go is a killer at 6:00pm.

 

Bisco, when going through the area I would go down the east side of the Beltway at "commuting time". It's worst when you can see your destination but traffic isn't moving.

 

Going from our 'burb to downtown we're lucky to have options, either the TransCanada freeway, higher speed, HOV left lane, or the Barnet highway, a lower speed, 2 lane (each direction) sally along the ocean inlet. On the latter there's rush hour only HOV, and it's the right lane. My 2 cents, left lane HOV is a recipe for disaster. Anyway, we go the Barnet, haven't got on that freeway in quite a while. Takes a bit longer, but easier no the nerves, better mpg too.

The freeway's in blue, Barnet in grey:

 

that's for sure. are you saying the east side is faster, or you just can't see your destination?

 

When I go to visit my brother in South Hill, Va., I time it to go through there before the afternoon rush hour and avoid a lot of traffic.

 

that's the best way, but leaving here in the morning, our only options are to leave a few hours earlier (4 am, not gonna happen) or stay the night in maryland, before hitting dc, which spoils the next two days and you have to avoid the beltway the next morning.

 

My destination is the Hilton in Tyson's Corner so there really isn't an alternate route. I do my best to ensure I am past Silver Spring MD by 2:00 or 3:00 so that I'm off the Interstates before they really back up. When the timing isn't right I'm sitting on the Beltway looking at my destination. If only there was a service ramp into the hotel's parking lot.

Coming from Boston there are so many places rush hour needs to be avoided.

Bisco, the east side is faster because it cuts through the less populous side of DC although stadium traffic probably jams everything up. Springfield VA has a lot of hotels & is south of the Beltway.

 

We plan to go through there tomorrow. Nothing beats Christmas for avoiding I95 traffic.

 

I challenge the VA folks who planned this to come up with a sign which explains all this to a non native occasional traveler in a safe manner that can be read from a car traveling 60+ MPH in dense traffic. Sounds like the get on point could be really dangerous with last minute decision making.

My usual entry point is 123 at Woodbridge only because I am going to the 123/66 area in Oakton. And I'm coming in counter rush-hour and marvel at the huge backups going downstate.