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Moving back to Charlotte and my work is located in South Charlotte near the 485/77 area. How bad is the commute coming from Harrisburg to that area in the mornings and afternoons? Any idea on what the average commute time would be for a typical 8-5 day?
Just wanted to add that I know that there are other housing options that are much closer to work but my wife is from the Concord/Harrisburg area so we were just wondering how bad the commute would be if we ended up buying in that area.
The most direct route would be going straight down 485 from the Hwy 49/University City Blvd Exit, but the problem is going to come once your reach Johnston Rd in south Charlotte. Traffic for the last part of your commute is going to lock up in that area.
Your other option is taking the getting on 485 and head to I-85 and take it south to I-77 until you reach your job near the 77/485 interchange in South Charlotte. Once you pass Uptown on 77 then you'll be on the reverse commute so traffic shouldn't be too bad there. The problem with this route though is that the 85/485 interchange in North Charlotte is kind of backed up in the mornings right now due to road construction and of course the I-85 to I-77 Southbound ramp is always backed up during rush hour.
Either way you're going to run into some bumper to bumper traffic at some point. I personally think the best route would just be to go straight down 485 and deal with the traffic around Johnston Rd.
For your afternoon commute heading back to Harrisburg, definitely take 485 directly back. I travel up 485 in the afternoons around 5pm from Matthews to the University Area and traffic is almost always smooth.
I commute from Southpark to the university each day so I travel 77 to 85 but would be going the opposite direction. Without traffic you are probably looking at 35-40 minutes depending on how close you live and your work is to the highways. However, during rush hour you will probably be closer to an hour.
You may be able to go 485 around the city which would be longer mileage wise but maybe faster since there is less traffic.
I have family in Harrisburg. When we visit them, we get on 485 at Stonecrest and head up to the Harrisburg Road exit. On the weekends, when there's absolutely no traffic, it's a 40 minute trip and a lot of gas. I would rather make that trip occasionally on the weekend to visit your wife's friends and family than do that every day.
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