Taking my third long road trip in May. This one from Tennessee to Boston. Not worried about charging but I could use a little help with traffic. On Friday May 9 we will leave Jamestown VA about noon and get a short charge at Woodbridge then on to the Newark DE SC. If Woodbridge is not open yet we will probably either use Glen Allen and Bethesda for an alternative. Either way I expect to hit DC about 3. Any advice on traffic or route would be appreciated
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DC and Baltimore traffic help
- Thread starter TNEVol
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- Mid-Atlantic USA
Ven Rala
Member
Unfortunately, DC around 3pm, around the 495 beltway, rush hour traffic is already starting. If you can get there even one hour earlier it would help. Very few options outside of 495 to get around DC.
I'd take Ven Rela's advice. Get in the dc area sooner. From 3pm-6pm 495 is terrible.
If you have a choice I'd go east on 495. The Fairfax to Rockville area is terrible and always red on google maps during rush hour. No matter what check the maps screen with traffic on to decide on the did of beltway to take.
If you have a choice I'd go east on 495. The Fairfax to Rockville area is terrible and always red on google maps during rush hour. No matter what check the maps screen with traffic on to decide on the did of beltway to take.
Thanks guys. Since we are playing tourist i may have problem getting out of jamestown early. i googled the 301 to I97, since we are tourists anyway how would that be? I dont mind 55-45 mph just dont like dead stop with ice fumes. I could top off at Glen Allen and bypass DC thanks
On second thought why not 301 all the way to the Newark DE SC?
On second thought why not 301 all the way to the Newark DE SC?
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paulkva
part of the supercharge.info dev team
+1 for route 301 to bypass DC entirely.
Might be a bit of a stretch charge-wise from Glen Allen to Newark, maybe 220 miles along that route, but PlugShare shows quite a few L2 places to top off between Richmond and Annapolis. Just try to verify a couple of them ahead of time.
Might be a bit of a stretch charge-wise from Glen Allen to Newark, maybe 220 miles along that route, but PlugShare shows quite a few L2 places to top off between Richmond and Annapolis. Just try to verify a couple of them ahead of time.
apvbguy
Banned
I've done Glenn Allen to Newark de and as long as you keep your speed below 65 and the weather is good you shouldnt have a problem the one issue you will encounter north of DC and Baltimore on a Friday evening is the tollbooths which can cause significant traffic backups, as others have noted altering the hours that you travel can make a huge difference.
Agree; with an 85kWh either route is easily within range. Did it Saturday afternoon driving 70mph on I-95 (with the normal backup from F'burg to Lorton) using 210 rated to go 200 miles. The backup cost me 45 minutes, though. I think I'll take 301 next time.
Yipes, depending on where you are, it can be more like 3-8 PM. The west side of the Beltway used to be okay at 7 but now frequently bites as late as 8.
I agree 100%; the east side always seems better, the few times I go that way. My way home is west side and it is generally horrendous.
We do the 495 east leg a lot since we are in Fort Belvoir and my in laws in Maryland. At that time you can expect stop and go coming through landover. It's not terrible by dc standards but not great either but WAY better than the westbound inner loop even with the express lanes. Don't fall for the 295 north "bypass". It sucks. The trip from the Fairfax County Pkwy exit to 43 on 95 takes us about 90 minutes. If there was no traffic it would take 60 min. Never tried 301. I'm about 8 miles off the Fort Belvoir exit of you get in a bind. 80 amp HPWC.
+100 to bypass DC and take 301. And it isn't unusual to hit traffic jams at 2:30, especially on a Friday. I go to my parents' house in Baltimore frequently and having the entire set of route options visible on that 17" screen is priceless.
There are several Model S Owners who are on PlugShare and they live north of the Washington DC Beltway (I-495). They are willing and glad to help out of you need a little more juice to get to Delaware Supercharger. Also on the West side of the I495 Beltway is Tysons Corner Mall where there is a Tesla store with 8 or so parking spaces and chargers. Plus the Bethesda Tesla store has chargers too. You have a lot of options - enjoy the trip!
Oh - and by the way - the Woodbridge VA (by Potomac Mills on I-95) should be open by the time you make your trip, and that will take all the charging issues out of the picture, leaving you only with suffering the DC area traffic and drivers!
Oh - and by the way - the Woodbridge VA (by Potomac Mills on I-95) should be open by the time you make your trip, and that will take all the charging issues out of the picture, leaving you only with suffering the DC area traffic and drivers!
As someone that has done a lot of trips from Richmond to DC and beyond, on Friday afternoon I would heartily recommend bypassing DC if at all possible and taking 301. Pick up a charge at Glen Allen. If you end up leaving late, plan on eating an early dinner somewhere in Waldorf, MD near any number of L2 charging locations like the Prime Street Grill or MOM's Organic Market.
Thanks a bunch. I have already done 243 mile at 32 degrees with 243 miles on my battery so I am not that concerned with charge. You have way more options than I am used to. i think that 301 will be more predictable with some delays but avoid rush hour traffic in DC and Baltimore. The nice thing is the lv2 backup charging along the way. Waldorf appears to be mentioned a lot as a delay i thought I might try to charge past Annapolis if required. Has anyone used the Lexus charger ? Frankly I would rather try 219 miles on a more rural route than 206 on an interstate anytime.
I have spent a good portion of my life commuting between Williamsburg and DC. Like all the other members have basically said, staying away from 95 on a Friday at said time is paramount. Since you mentioned that you are on vacation and I see you have "twins" I might suggest that you try the scenic Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on up the eastern shore on rt. 13. There is very nice fellow S owner with an HPWC on PlugShare approx 110 miles from Jamestown which should then carry you on up to DE. Feel free to pm me if you need some other possible charging options along this route that may not be listed on plugshare.
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