Traveling from NC to Massachusetts

[Snafu]

it's the EASTERN route going around DC... (I don't know what I was thinking)... you want to avoid the whole area around Tyson's and I-270 if you can... there seems to be MUCH less traffic if you are heading north and take the EASTERN route of I-95 around DC - even though it is longer mileage-wise ... apologize for the incorrect info earlier.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by NY Annie

I meant and said the OUTER loop (sorry, RING) and again, I said what I meant, the WESTERN half of it. You pick a spot south of DC, both directions are NORTH - one heads east first, the other heads west first. GO WEST! That makes it the western half of the OUTER ring. There are two rings around DC - inner and outer. It seems like it's going to be a much longer trip but after comparing several different ways, we found that the outer ring WEST added miles to the trip but was so very much shorter, by HOURS.

OK...to clarify:

There is one road that loops in a ring around DC- the Beltway, interstate 495. The clockwise portion of it is called the "inner loop". The counter-clockwise portion of it is called the "outer loop". If you were on 95 north, then you went on to the Beltway going west, you were on the "inner loop".

You seem to be describing some 2nd highway that makes a ring that's further from DC. As a DC area resident, I can assure you that highway does not exist.

The only highway loop around DC is 495, and the western half of it can be a traffic nightmare at rush hour. I would generally advise that people avoid it and go on the eastern half, or avoid the DC area altogether.

[brittanyb915]

We are leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) around noon. If we went the other way (not 95), we wouldn't even go through DC, but if we took 95, we'd probably hit DC at prime traffic time. By the time we hit NYC it would be late at night. We do have a child, so flying wouldn't be cheaper (or easier).