<p>Drove up from Allentown to Boston this last Saturday (first time making this trip). Went over the Tappan Zee Bridge, but then it took me off of I-84, to I-691, to I-91, then back to I-84 on the other side of Hartford.</p>
<p>Why do maps and GPSs do that? Is there something I should know about not taking I-84 the whole way across Connecticut? The route I took Saturday was more miles than had I just stayed on I-84 the whole way. Am leaving around lunch time tomorrow, so I’ll check in before I leave; otherwise if you have any timely advice, please send a PM and I can get it on my phone. It just doesn’t make any sense to me… but what do I know?</p>
<p>everytime I have driven to boston from the tappan zee I have taken 84-684 the whole way across connecticut. It’s long and boring, but I don’t really see a reason to avoid it. Hartford can get bad around rush hour, but you are leaving early enough that it should be okay. I would be very wary of the tappan zee on the way back- 287 in westchester is under a decent amount of construction and if you leave at lunch time you should hit it just before rush hour. Also 287 right past the bridge is bad due to the uphill entrance to the thruway.</p>
<p>You can take 84 the whole way. There’s a tendency for backups in the city around rush hour or if there’s an accident or a concert. The 691 route tends to have less traffic. </p>
<p>That said …today <em>may</em> change over to freezing rain. </p>
<p>In that case, <em>I</em> would take the southern route … from 84, pick up 15, cross the river, take 91 south to Meriden, pick back up on 15 (do NOT take the Berlin Tpke section of 15 unless you want to shop big boxes or go to a run down hot sheets motel), and take 15 (Wilbur Cross, Merritt Parkway, Hutchinson River Parkway – it changes names) all the way to 287 which you will take through White Plains to the TappanZee. That’s what <em>I</em> would do, knowing how the temperature line can influence driving conditions.</p>
<p>It might be your GPS settings. Going down to NY from Boston, my Garmin often chooses a parkway route which I ignore - yes, it keeps yelling at me all the way. The Garmin has several settings such as truck mode that affect choices.</p>
<p>We do the TZ to Boston quite frequently. By doing 84, you’re actually doing two legs of a triangle, since Boston is so much further east. My suggestion is to take the TZ to 287 to 95 and take 95 North all the way. Rt. 95 is more like the hypotenuse of the triangle. Once you get closer to Boston, you’ll come to a fork on 95 (you’ll see an exit for Neponset Street first); stay to the right to get to Boston. Then once you pass Rt. 24, you’ll stay to the left to go to Boston on what is “lovingly” known as the Expressway. (You may also see signs for 93 or 128; it may indicate that you’re on 93 N or 128 S or some strange direction; ignore that!) </p>
<p>The Mass Pike is often easier to deal with than 95. We come from NH so it’s 495 to 295 through Worcester or just straight to the Pike, to 84 down to 95 and then into NYC. 95 can be really awful sometimes in CT too.</p>
<p>It’s a matter of timing. Ideally we leave early Sunday afternoons.</p>
<p>I’m hoping that MA gets rid of the tolls. There’s a proposal to get rid of them beyond Metrowest by the Governor and there are studies on getting rid of the altogether with a boost in the gasoline tax to make up for toll revenue. MA Authorities have been a place to stuff political friends for a long time and these things will not go away quietly.</p>
<p>ugh… I was told the nice thing about living in the northeast is that you have so many options when traveling around NYC, but everyone definitely seems to have their favorite way.</p>
<p>A week ago, when H drove from Boston to Allentown (we’re playing musical cars with our girls), he took I-95 to the GWB. He grew up in southwest CT and it’s what he was familiar with. He also hit a lot of traffic before the GWB. When I drove from Allentown to Boston last Saturday, I took a PA state road up to I-84, instead of doing the I-78 to to I-287 to I-87. I want to take the undriven route back, just for comparison, so I’m trying to figure out the best way from Boston to the Tappan Zee, via I-84. I am leaving in about an hour, so I should arrive before most rush hour traffic on the other end.</p>
<p>GPSs almost always take you GWB (which, again I’ve been told to avoid). But when I mapquested and google-mapped it, they both had me taking I-95. So I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a reason I should avoid I-84 the whole way. I don’t mind the tolls, my I-Pass from Illinois works in all the states out east. </p>
<p>With the prospect of freezing rain, I’m trying to head out sooner. Thanks everyone. Will keep checking my cell phone.</p>
<p>The latest weather news I saw had more problems in the Worcester area. It’s mid-30s in Middlesex County and no problems. The freezing rain stuff appears highly variable from northern NH down to CT. I’m basically sitting in my son’s apartment until tomorrow evening when everything should be cleared out.</p>
<p>We travel this route frequently from just S of Allentown to So NH, going up through Worcester.
I dunno about I-95 but why hassle with the GWB? Yuk
We always go Mass Pike or Rte 20 to I-84. Generally take I-84 to I684 and go over the Tappan Zee to 287 to I-78. Personally I would take the Mass Pike to I-84.</p>
<p>An alternate route if you want to avoid the Tappan Zee is to stay on I-84 to Newburgh and do down the thruway. It may be a little longer but not much slower and less traffic.</p>
<p>My GPS insists that I go down the Saw Mill River Pkwy - it is full of traffic lights - ugh.
I love my tom tom but always back it up with a map.<br>
My youngest just follows the gps blindly - it worries me! :eek:</p>
<p>Got your PM justamomof4; thanks! That’s what I’ll do. Am waiting for D1 to get back to the apartment (running once last errand while she has a car to use!) and am ready to go. Luckily I also have XM radio, so I can tune into the weather station to stay abreast of anything I need to know. Am also going to use it to catch up on the news - haven’t seen or heard any (except for the infamous Blago event in my home state which I read online) since D1 doesn’t have cable yet (coming today). </p>
<p>I also meant to ask, I know that in NY there’s a hands free law regarding cell phones, but is there one in MA?</p>
<p>Ice - yuk. stay on the interstate and if you get behind a salt truck, don’t pass. esp if he is driving backwards.</p>
<p>
it is rebuilt from Worcester to Sturbridge now and not bad esp in the summer when it takes forever to get ON the Mass Pike and go one exit.
My kids used to call it “death highway” - it was littered with white crosses before the rebuild. </p>
<p>Garmin has a truck mode? gotta check that out.</p>
<p>Why hassle with the GWB? Because the Tappan Zee can be even worse. They’ve put some asphalt on all the metal plates, so it’s moving a bit better these days, but a few weeks ago there were hour long backups on the TZ at rush hour. If you do use the GWB, avoid the Cross Bronx at all costs - it’s a nightmare most weekdays. </p>
<p>As to the original question when we go to Boston we just stay on 84 to the turnpike.</p>
<p>I’m happily settled into my hotel room. What a trip. Didn’t turn off my windshield wipers the whole time, and several times had to put them on the fastest speed. It definitely slowed things down. So I took I-95 (picked it up off of I-90 since I was really in Brighton, not Boston proper) all the way to NY state, then headed up I-287 to I-78. Although the weather was bad, I didn’t hit any real traffic until I got to the merge of I-287 and I-78, and then it was a disaster. It took me at least a half hour to get about a mile from the merge until I was on I-78. Sometimes I just sat there for five minutes and didn’t move. I-78 was fairly heavy (of course, it was rush hour traffic at this point - I had a small detour in NJ - will explain later). Once I got almost to Easton, it really opened up, but was still raining hard.</p>
<p>So my detour… my windshield wipers were leaving a lot to be desired, so I pulled off in New Jersey, around Riverdale to find a place to get new wipers. Also made a stop for some food. It took me a bit to find a place (I asked about three different people (Wendy’s, gas station, etc.) but had a hard time finding these places in the dark, with the rain. But once I got the new wipers, I was set and it was MUCH better! The auto shop said they’d had a ton of people stop by today with all the rain they were getting.</p>
<p>As I was leaving Boston (still on I-90, heading west), I was listening to the Boston XM traffic/weather station (for about an hour), and they kept repeating, freezing rain in Worcester, so I was glad I took this route, although I preferred the other route on the reverse drive last Saturday. It occured to me that I was in six states today! </p>
<p>Tomorrow is Allentown to Chicago… but I’ve made that trip several times and just have to check the weather along the northern option (I-80) and the southern option (a variety of interstate combinations). And tomorrow I will have D2 to keep me company and help drive!</p>