Traveling from DC to Fredericksburg VA

[Hopkins Medicine]

I know the DC/Maryland area pretty well but I'm not real familiar with Virginia.

I will be flying in from California on a Friday afternoon to Reagan National around 2 PM. Right now my plan was to get a rental car and drive south to Fredericksburg (approx 50 miles south of Reagan).

However somebody told me that it would be a nightmare trip and would easily take 4 hours on I-95 south.

Is that true or an exaggeration? I know Metro doesn't go that far south, so if I used a train I guess it would involve multiple train changes? Anyways, won't the metro or trains be just as crowded? I'd rather enjoy some solitude in my car on a packed highway than be crammed with 100 other people in a train.

I'm not in a big rush so if it takes a couple of hours that's not too bad. But if it really takes 4 or 5 hours to drive 50 miles then I might reconsider.

 

[billanole]

Never took too much time when I have driven that route, granted only 3 or 4 times about 10 years ago...

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

I know the DC/Maryland area pretty well but I'm not real familiar with Virginia.

I will be flying in from California on a Friday afternoon to Reagan National around 2 PM. Right now my plan was to get a rental car and drive south to Fredericksburg (approx 50 miles south of Reagan).

However somebody told me that it would be a nightmare trip and would easily take 4 hours on I-95 south.

Is that true or an exaggeration? I know Metro doesn't go that far south, so if I used a train I guess it would involve multiple train changes? Anyways, won't the metro or trains be just as crowded? I'd rather enjoy some solitude in my car on a packed highway than be crammed with 100 other people in a train.

I'm not in a big rush so if it takes a couple of hours that's not too bad. But if it really takes 4 or 5 hours to drive 50 miles then I might reconsider.

I did that trip about a year ago and have no unpleasant memories of it. Seemed like ordinary interstate traffic to me. But I’m pretty tolerant of interstate driving, the only places I have intense hatred of is I-4 around Orlando thanks to the tourons who don’t normally drive, the interstates around Houston, the major drives around Atlanta and parts of LA traffic. The drive from D.C. to Fredericksburg is nothing like any of the nightmares I just described.

 

[RONole]

I was just there in October. Depends som on time of day. It can be bad and the worst part is there's no real alternate routes if it gets backed up. If you rent a car be sure it has the pass for the HOV lanes (or whatever they're called) if they are in use at the time.

 

[rassmon]

What time you coming in? 2 pm on a Friday????

Worse stretch of highway in the USA. Make that run everyday but in a van pool so use the expressway which is a cakewalk compared to the regular 95 lanes...

Friday you get all the commuters as well as beach traffic headed to VA beach and places beyond.

US-1 is stop and go as well, but with lights...

Takes about 1.5 to 2 hours using the expressway on a Friday with around a 330pm start.... 2pm is better if you get a quick getaway from the airport.

You could try the VRE (Virginia Railway Express) which goes to Fredericksburg all afternoon, just need to take the metro to a VRE stop. Doesn't run weekends though.... about a 1.5+hr trip from Union Station in DC. Airport is closer but need to metro one stop to the VRE...

 

[OrlandNole]

I'd rather enjoy some solitude in my car on a packed highway than be crammed with 100 other people in a train.

I would take sitting on a train over fighting a-holes on the interstate all day long. The Metro will probably be packed but I imagine you can get a seat on VRE and just chill.

 

[NoleMoreTears]

I know the DC/Maryland area pretty well but I'm not real familiar with Virginia.

I will be flying in from California on a Friday afternoon to Reagan National around 2 PM. Right now my plan was to get a rental car and drive south to Fredericksburg (approx 50 miles south of Reagan).

However somebody told me that it would be a nightmare trip and would easily take 4 hours on I-95 south.

Is that true or an exaggeration? I know Metro doesn't go that far south, so if I used a train I guess it would involve multiple train changes? Anyways, won't the metro or trains be just as crowded? I'd rather enjoy some solitude in my car on a packed highway than be crammed with 100 other people in a train.

I'm not in a big rush so if it takes a couple of hours that's not too bad. But if it really takes 4 or 5 hours to drive 50 miles then I might reconsider.

Shouldn't be 4 hours. It's only about 50 miles for heaven's sake. 95 does have issues but not 4 hours of them unless you hit some kind of 18 wheeler accident.

 

[NDallasRuss]

Exaggeration.

I think it's still way too early in the year to worry about beach traffic. You're getting in at 2pm, so you should be able to ride the front edge of rush hour traffic. 95 has "hot lanes" (reversible express lanes) that go most of the way to Fredricksburg. It'll cost money, but save a lot of time. If you take the hot lanes it shouldn't take much more than maybe 1:20.

 

[rassmon]

Remember the VRE doesn't run weekends, but rentals are usually are cheaper in Fredericksburg and you can drop it off back at Reagan. Just a thought...

 

[NolesOnTop]

4 hours is probably an exaggeration, but I have driven that section of I-95 on a Friday afternoon and it took me at least a couple of hours to get that far. It crawled at a snail's pace. You would swear there would have to be an accident to cause it to be so slow, but it is just too much traffic for the road to handle. The problem is that the hot lanes plus 5 regular lanes have to squeeze down to 3 lanes around Woodbridge. Unfortunately, there is not a good alternative route going that direction. Rte 1 runs more or less parallel to I-95, but it is a slow ride with lots of lights. Russ may be right that the traffic will not be quite as bad this time of year, but it is still likely to be frustrating on a Friday afternoon.

 

[tarheelinfl]

If you're going for the Civil War history, go to Gettysburg instead, or Antietam. Manasas or New Market are better than Fredricksburg.

 

[Gonolz]

I don't know specifics because I haven't lived in the area in a long time, but I think most highways in the area now have variable toll pricing where you can get into the fast lanes for a fee. Not sure how that works though, especially in a rental, Good Luck.