Anyone who is familiar with I-95 knows how awful it is from Richmond northward. “Awful” is being benign. I wonder if any of you have ever taken US 301 to bypass the D.C. area? I live in Va but I’m not familiar with it in that it isn’t convenient for us to utilize. But it sure would be for people coming from the south as a way to avoid the D.C. Metro area. Thanks for any input.
I’ve been on 301 many times. Try the eclairs at Walls Bakery in Waldorf, Maryland sometime!
I was actually just on 301 yesterday when we went to Hanover Tavern for lunch. We use 301 particularly when we know 95 is backed up. I prefer roads like 301 anyway to interstate.
Yes…whenever we take our child to Richmond we travel 301 and we just pick up 95 for the last part of the trip. Also…just FYI - train is another very good way to get to Richmond. Staples Mill Amtrak Station is not far from U of Richmond.
I’ve taken 301 many times-I hate 95 and live closer to 301 in MD anyway. However, timing can be key when traveling through the Waldorf area which can be pretty congested due to all the shopping centers and stoplights. When I travel further north (NY/NJ, etc), from where I live Waze will either route me to 95 or 301N/50East across the Bay Bridge. I almost always take 301 - not only is it more scenic, but it’s virtually deserted on the Eastern Shore up to the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
How far north are you going? I’m in northern New England and my husband lives and works in the DC area. He found an inland route that really works well for him. On his way up, he hooks to the west and picks up I-81 North as soon as he can. Heads north until I think Scranton – anyway, cuts east to cross the Hudson at Albany. He says it adds an hour or two to a 500-mile drive but removes untold stress.
@HouseChatte , yes I have wondered about a similar route a bit more southerly crossing the Hudson on the Tappan Zee (is the new bridge still called this?). Husband is always hellbent on getting on the road and taking no detours so I have yet to persuade him. Thanks! Oh, and we travel to southeast MA.
Most of us will call the Mario Cuomo Bridge the Tappan Zee anyway.
We have also taken 301. It’s a nicer ride, and usually far less traffic. 95…awful.
301 does have a lot of lights…
I used to take this route to go to VA beach from the DC area. Waldorf can be slow and crowded, especially on the weekends. Check to see if there’s any construction on the Henry Nice Bridge because once we hit “road sharing” there and it was a nightmare. Johnny Boy’s ribs, south of La Plata, is good.
The VA side is pretty peaceful.
I’ve also taken it from the Delaware border to the Baltimore beltway when 95 is a nightmare and it was fine. There are lights, but it’s more tolerable than a crawling I-95.
You can also take 301 north, rejoin 95 at the Delaware Memorial Bridge, but switch over to 295 when you cross into NJ. It’s not a toll road and gas is cheaper than on the turnpike. It’s a highway until you get to 195 near Trenton.
If you’re on 95, another good detour is from exit 109B (the last exit in MD) to exit 1B (the first exit in DE). You can make a U shape heading west and back to the highway, skipping a Delaware toll and getting cheap gas (on either side of the border) and there’s a Dunkin Donuts on your right side, either way you are heading.
@VaBluebird Still the Tappan Zee as far as I know, there are locals on here who can tell you much more and better than I. My husband is very much “Hey, cool, what’s down that road?” and temperamentally very well-suited to taking detours. I’m afraid I’m way more linear, but the I-95 corridor is so appalling that I’ve come to embrace his creativity.
I also second @CCJJE 's comment about rail. We love it as an option.
It’s not just north from Richmond that hurts, Heading south to Richmond can be ridiculous, too. We’ve been making the trip from Manassas south (from friend to family) for years and 95 in that corridor is as bad as ever.
301 is a great alternative. If you hit the lights right, you can breeze through. We don’t take the Tappan Zee, though it’s a beautiful crossing.
A little off topic, but the new Tappan Zee is open and is really an awesome new bridge. It has been renamed the Mario Cuomo Bridge…but come on…everyone is going to still call it the Tappan Zee!
Agree with @thumper1 - the new Tappan Zee bridge is handsome and it’s one of the one of the widest cable-stayed bridges in the world
No input other than we lived at Quantico for several years. I loathe 95, and anyone who has to regularly use it has my deepest sympathies.