How difficult is the traffic in Washington, D.C.? Should I drive there or what?

Question

I'm not very familiar with driving in a large city. I am moving to Virgina and will be picking up relatives at an airport in D.C. I have been told that traffic will be extremely difficult for me and that my relatives should probably find an alternative means for travel in D.C. I would just like some opinions from people that have driven there before as my only way of determining how bad traffic is is from someone who has only riden in a taxi in D.C. once from the airport to the train station and hasn't actually driven there. ANY help would be appreciated.

Their plane is scheduled to arrive at 2:30 pm on a Tuesday. I checked on the metro and they won't allow pets. They will be traveling with a small dog. So, it looks as though I will be driving. All I need now is a good map!

We will be coming from Lynchburg, VA. The airport they will be arriving in is Dulles International Airport. I'm starting to think they should take a taxi until they get out of the city!

Answer 1

It all depends on where they're landing and where you're trying to go... I will say, though, if their plane is on time and their bags are not delayed (or they only do carry-ons) you have a pretty good chance of fetching them and getting back on the road before it gets truly ugly.

If they're flying into National, and you live in Arlington, Crystal City or Alexandria, pick them up. Ask one of your new neighbors for directions because if you know the "alternate routes" you'll be in and out in no time. If you live further out, they can take the Super Shuttle which you can book in advance at http://www.supershuttle.com/htm/cities/dca.htm or by calling their 800 number or just show up at the counter. It's a lot cheaper than a cab, especially during rush hour.

If they're coming into Dulles, I guess you have to decide just how much you like your relatives! Because Dulles has only the Washington Flyer taxi service; no other cabs can pick up passengers there, and Washington Flyer is extremely expensive. It cost me close to $80 to get to midtown DC from Dulles via Washington Flyer. So if it's your favorite aunt and uncle (or if they're rich and you may inherit, ha ha), you might want to show up in person.

The good news is you don't have to actually go into the city; there's no airport actually in DC so that should make your getting around a lot easier. The bad news is, it sounds like you are doing this during rush hour and the main roads that go to either of these airports are miserable during rush hour. If you do pick them up, you won't get lost once you can find your way to the Beltway; just take I-66 for Dulles or the GW Parkway for National and follow the signs. But leave extra early and bring all your patience with you.

By the way, I-66 is a HOV road during rush hour. This can be a problem depending on when you're going and what time of day. If you live closer to the city than Dulles and are going to the airport in evening rush hour OR if you live further out and are travelling during morning rush hour, you should be prepared to be pulled over for HOV violation; you can only use this road in those directions during rush hour if you have 2 or more people in the car. They do make an exception for people going to and from the airport but the cops won't know that's where you're heading. So at the minimum, know the airline and flight number--- if you can get them to email or fax you their itinerary, even better. The cops are either completely aggressive about HOV enforcement or don't pay attention at all, and it's the luck of the draw what they'll be doing on any particular day so be prepared. They won't hassle you too hard but it could get you very frazzled if you're already stressed about driving out there! You won't have to worry about it on the way back because there'll be three of you, and you probably won't have to worry about it on the way in because HOV restrictions don't start till 3:30 or so, but keep it in mind in case their plane runs late.

Answer 2

Depends on where you are coming from. If you are coming from the north, take the outer look of i495 towards Virginia, and make sure you keep an eye on the ramps to 270, which can be confusing. As soon as you cross the American Legion bridge start planning your move to the right lanes, because the exit to the toll road is going to be to your right. If you are going to the actual airport you should take the center lanes of the Dulles road, these are less busy and you will not have to pay a toll. Don't get intimidated by the aggressive drivers. The trick is to drive at the same speed as 85% of the people on the road. If most of the cars feel like they are going 65-70, that's your speed. Driving slower will make some idiot pick on you for no particular reason. Yes, even a Sunday afternoon. If you are coming from the south, then you are in trouble. The junction of i95 and i495 is extremely complicated and the new bridges make it look extremely intimidating. To make things worse, the off ramp from the inner loop of i495 to the Dulles access road is on the left lane, so you will have to drive much faster to justify sticking on that left lane.

Answer 3

I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and used to drive in D.C everyday for work. My best advice would be to stay away from the beltway between the hours of 6-11am. It's always so jam packed and you will stop and go the whole time on it. It's bad on the VA and MD sides. I would recommend your relatives to take the Metro to travel in the city. But that gets busy in the early morning hours and evening hours as well. Route 50 through the city does get backed up as well, and down through Maryland, and if you are planning on driving across the Bay Bridge for any recreational activities like going to the beach, be prepared to sit in traffic. Stay away at allcosts on t he weekend, or you will be sitting in traffic that is hours long. Fridays there is usually about a 3-4 stop and go traffic issue. Saturday AM's the same. Sunday it clears up until the Thursday night and it starts getting backed up again.

Answer 4

As long as you avoid rush hour, you should be fine. If your relatives plane lands during rush hour, just allow yourself at least an extra hour to pick them up. As an alternative, if they are landing at Reagan National Airport, the Blue and Yellow lines on the Metro (subway) system service Reagan National. Another alternative is a taxi. If you live in Arlington, a taxi from Reagan National does not cost that much money. In case you need it, attached is the address of the Metro System.

http://www.wmata.com/

Answer 5

Drive to Alexandria and take the metro to the airport. The metro actually has a stop directly at the airport. Alexandria is kinda big but not nearly as difficult to drive around in as d.c. is. The metro in my opinion would be the less stress solution, plus it would probably be a neat experience for out of town visitors

Answer 6

Don't worry. Dulles Airport is NOT in DC, it is in Virginia, about a 30 minute drive from DC. This area is not the city and traffic is not that bad unless it is rush hour. But you don't have to worry abou that because you will be on the Dulles Toll Road (rte 267), which has restricted lanes that go directly to the airport. Only people actually going to the airport (or people like me, getting out of paying a toll) are on those lanes. So even if traffic is snarling, you will be sailing along. But don't speed--the cops are always giving tickets in the airport lanes.

Answer 7

beltway (!-495) is heavily congested right around the time you'll be leaving from the airport with your folks. usually between 6-9 am and 3-6pm the beltway is MADDENING. idiots, complete idiots. and from DC you should either be taking 495 or 66 or 81 to wherever it is in VA you live at. expect lots of traffic from the airport out. I-66 usually has tons of congestion from exits 75 to 40. once you hit past 40, it dies off dramatically. INSIDE DC? well, it's dc. take a cab if you can. I live exactly 12 miles from my work. the quickest I've gotten to work was 1hr 30min; keep in mind that's 12 miles. longest it ever took me was 2 and a half hours; again only 12 miles.

Answer 8

My last trip through in 2002 was no problem. I was on the way from Tennessee to Rehoboth Beach, DE and took I-81 to I-66 to HWY. 50 which goes right through downtown DC and then on to Annapolis and the Bay Bridge. The traffic in downtown DC was no big deal. The traffic waiting to cross the Bay Bridge was awful. That's where you'll have a problem.

And if you don't want to drive, you can take a ride on the Virginia Railway which has stops all through Northern Virginia and will take you right to DC's main train station.

Enjoy your time in Virginia...best state in the Union.

Answer 9

Avoid rush hour. Even better avoid Friday at 5 pm. I'd say for rush hour travels definitely take the metro, any other time metro or car. I'm unsure of the parking situations, so maybe metro more than the car. But aviod Friday at 5 pm at all costs.

Answer 10

Driving from Lynchburg to Dulles is not difficult, especially since you're picking them up when it's not rush hour.
Use MapQuest to get driving directions from your house/ Good luck.