DC traffic is totally fine on the Friday before a 3-day holiday weekend when you're going to work and nobody else is

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
05/25/2018 at 09:41 • Filed to: None

Because of that famed traffic throughout the DC area, I always drive my commute with Google Maps to help avoid the worst of the traffic. Today I was greeted with a wonderful message: traffic along your route is lighter than usual!

I live and work in two parts of the DC suburbs that are known for their traffic: Rockville, MD and Tyson’s Corner, VA. Rockville’s reputation is mostly but not entirely due to I-270. But thanks to where my house is located, I can actually totally avoid 270 on my commute. The not-270 route is slightly longer distance but during rush hour is often the better choice.

Not today though! It’s the Friday before Memorial Day, and this is the first weekend where everyone wants to go to the beach, or to the Eastern shore of Maryland, and they take today off. But hey I’m new in my job, so I’m working today. 270 was clear as can be! The only traffic to speak of along my whole commute was a couple times where I had to slow down to 45 mph.

Getting home though, that’s another story. The commute home is always worse around here. I don’t know why but evening traffic is twice as bad in the morning. Tyson’s is a particularly traffic-choked area thanks to perpetual construction of more and more office buildings without the necessary roads to allow people to escape. I can usually make it to work in the morning in 35-45 minutes with some, but not a soul-crushing amount, of traffic. In the evening it’s an hour minimum and can easily become 90 minutes. But if this morning was any indication, I’m optimistic that my drive home might actually be under an hour. Which will be AMAZING.

Oh, and about those people heading to somewhere with water? They turn the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into a hellscape parking lot. And I’m going to be one of them! My parents invited my wife and I out to their vacation house near St. Michael’s, MD, on the Eastern shore. We’re only spending one night so as to not leave our cats alone too long, and because we can go any time. But hey at least there will be water and boats and tranquility.

DISCUSSION (18)

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 09:57

im so thankful my commute is pretty much alwasy 30 mile/35 minutes to and from work unless theres an accident or something

TorqueToYield > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 10:00

I commute 10 miles on a busy interstate that’s popular with local work commuters, interstate travelers, and is also a major trucking route.

My commute in this morning was beautiful, 10 minutes on the highway traffic free.

I’m dreading my drive home. It’ll probably be 40 minutes bumper to bumper.

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 10:03

I grew up in Norfolk. Even back in the 80s traffic was bollocks in that part of the world.

Chuckles > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 10:05

For 5 years I lived in Eastern NC but my family was still in Eastern PA. Navigating my way around DC was something I had to do pretty much every holiday weekend. Timing really is everything.

Textured Soy Protein > Chuckles
05/25/2018 at 10:14

At non-peak times, it’s right about 23 minutes between my home and office. Add another couple minutes since I park in the garage in my office and take an elevator to the 6th floor. But I don’t get to make the drive at non-peak times. I’m hoping once I’ve been in my job longer that I’ll be able to split my time between home and the office a couple days a week so I can avoid evening rush hour.

Textured Soy Protein > ttyymmnn
05/25/2018 at 10:18

It’s only gotten worse. Finding a way out of Tyson’s in the evening is a labyrinth. They made the express lanes on I-66 from the Beltway in to DC a dynamic toll system, the sign is a little north of my office. During the morning rush hour the toll for those express lanes can top $40, just to have a faster ride on 66!

That being said, even though I remark on the traffic, I don’t care, because even after just a few weeks I’m thrilled to be back in the DC area and I friggin LOVE living in Rockville.

Ash78, voting early and often > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 10:38

My parents are Baltimore escapees (brother is still there) and they finally got the DC/Balto traffic down to a science:

Drive between 2-3am and you’ll be fine.

Seriously, though, one “benefit” (as my dad put it) is that there are normally 3 roads going everywhere. The 1700s road, the 1800s road, and the Eisenhower road. If you know how to toggle between them, you’ll do better.

ttyymmnn > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 10:47

Those “dynamic toll lanes” are BS. They are not designed to relieve congestion, they are only meant to make money. They installed them on one of them main N/S routes here in Austin. While the highest toll I’ve seen is $6.50, it’s still a ridiculous amount to pay for the drive. It’s an escape route meant only for those who can afford it. They should have just added an extra lane and been done with it.

RacingShark > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 11:14

oh man, the MD-VA commute SUuuuuucks. I did it for a few months and then moved to VA and never looked back.
I’m also going to the beach this weekend.... Hopefully, starting late, I’ll miss the traffic. HA
At least they widened 404. So that helps.

Sovande > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 11:32

Took me 15 minutes to get into work this morning! And I am leaving in a 20 minutes. My new job is the best.

Textured Soy Protein > RacingShark
05/25/2018 at 11:36

Last night on 495 N, just south of the Georgetown Pike on-ramp, two dudes on Harleys were pulled over chilling on the shoulder smoking cigarettes. I’m pretty sure nothing was wrong with their bikes and they were just like, “fuck it, traffic’s not moving, let’s take a smoke break.”

Textured Soy Protein > ttyymmnn
05/25/2018 at 11:38

The officials in charge of those lanes here are a bit more transparent that they’re a paid traffic escape hatch. Supposedly they’re tweaking the algorithm to make the peak rush tolls less ridiculous but no timeframe on that yet. I don’t drive that route anyway so I just laugh at the ridiculous price on the sign. Today it was “only” 14 bucks or something like that.

Textured Soy Protein > Ash78, voting early and often
05/25/2018 at 11:40

I just roll will what Google Maps recommends with traffic, with certain tweaks where I know better because the traffic data isn’t completely instantaneous.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 13:52

You have no traffic BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL IN MY TOWN MAKING MY LIFE HELL

Textured Soy Protein > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
05/25/2018 at 14:26

Don’t you live somewhere in NJ? Everyone from DC is going to Ocean City, MD or the Delaware beaches, with a smaller amount headed to the Eastern shore of Maryland like where I’m headed. St. Michael’s will still be jammed with people relative to its small size.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Textured Soy Protein
05/25/2018 at 14:57

I’m on Martha’s Vineyard. We are inundated with folks from MD and VA all summer.

Textured Soy Protein > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
05/25/2018 at 15:49

Oh, yeah, I mean, there’s plenty of rich people from this area who go to farther flung vacation spots. But a huge amount of people just try to cross the Chesapeake for quick 3-day weekend getaways.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Ash78, voting early and often
05/30/2018 at 17:17

That sounds just like Los Angeles. Except they do ALL road construction in the middle of the night so there are often wild freeway closures resulting in it taking forever to find another way through a mountain pass or something else stupid. I have witnessed full stop traffic on the 101 at 2am. Was not cool.