WASHINGTON — The long Labor Day weekend does not have to mean a long time spent in traffic for vacationers.
This map of historical data from the Virginia Department of Transportation shows that the worst traffic on Northern Virginia interstates around Labor Day weekend over the last few years hits between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday and between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday.
WTOP Director of Traffic and Weather Operations Jim Battaliegse says traffic on stretches of Maryland highways is expected to peak at similar times.
“After 10 a.m., you’re really kind of rolling the dice, because you never know what’s going to happen after that,” he says.
If that is not possible, leaving after 6 p.m. Friday is another option.
“It’s really changed over the last few years,” Battagliese says. Previously, the letup didn’t happen until after 8 p.m., “but what we’ve seen over the last few years is as long as you leave after 6 o’clock on Friday, you should be OK,” he says.
Some of the changes are happening because more people leave on Wednesday or Thursday to extend the long weekend. Still, there’s plenty of backup on Saturday.
“If you’re going to leave Saturday morning, leave before 8 a.m. because after 8 a.m. we usually see everybody hitting the road … by 10 o’clock it’s usually a mess, especially on 95 in Virginia,” Battaliegse says.
The Bay Bridge in Maryland also tends to back up by 8 a.m. Saturday. With so many people trying to squeeze in one last weekend at the beach, Battaliegse suggests crossing the Bay Bridge by 8 a.m. Saturday or before 10 a.m. Thursday or Friday. At night, the best times to cross are after 10 p.m. Thursday or Friday or after 5 p.m. Saturday.
“If you’re heading north on 95, toward the Tydings Bridge up north of Baltimore [over the Susquehanna], that’s where you do see a lot of the backups, so have your alternates ready: Use Route 1 over the Conowingo Dam; use Route 40 to save some time,” Battagliese suggests.
The Maryland Transportation Authority expects more than 354,000 vehicle crossings of the Bay Bridge between Friday and Monday, with hundreds of thousands more using the Tydings and Harry Nice bridges.
Depending on exactly where trips are starting and ending, Route 301 over the Nice Bridge may be a good alternate to I-95.
To or from the other side of the region, Battaliegse suggests getting on or off 95 near Fredericksburg.
“My secret trick is to come down Route 29 to either Route 17 or Route 3 and then cut over through Fredericksburg to try to avoid 95. I avoid 95 on the weekends as much as I possibly can; it’s just horrible,” he says.
This is the first Labor Day weekend since the 95 Express Lanes opened. While they can provide a faster trip some of the way, they regularly jam up near the southern end. Battaliegse suggests being ready to jump back into the regular lanes for the last few miles to avoid the extra tolls and ease the trip.
The Express Lanes operator says the lanes will operate like a normal weekend, except for Monday.
On Friday, the Express Lanes are scheduled to open southbound around 1 p.m. On Saturday, the lanes will reverse to point northbound. The lanes will then remain open northbound all day Sunday and Monday.
Coming Home
Traffic can be a good excuse to squeeze in a few more hours at the beach at the end of the weekend.
“Coming back, usually after 9 p.m. on Monday is the best time, especially if it’s nice weather — stay down at the beach as long as you can,” Battaliegse says.
The MDTA says the best times to cross the Bay Bridge on Sunday or Monday are before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m.
Leaving early Tuesday morning is another option.
The VDOT map shows moderate interstate traffic on Sunday nights the last few Labor Day weekends, with the heaviest traffic beginning to have an impact around 10 a.m. Monday before picking up to its worst levels in the early afternoon and evening. The worst traffic tends to fade by about 9 p.m.
“If you are heading up to New Jersey, and you’re coming back, they’ve got a construction project on the southern end of the Delaware Memorial Bridge where they take you from pretty much 16 toll lanes down to two lanes, and it’s been a nightmare,” Battaliegse says.
Battaliegse says to try using the next bridge north, which is the Commodore Barry Bridge.
“That will get you around the entire mess until they get this project done, which is supposed to be done in October, unfortunately after the pope’s visit,” Battaliegse says.
All of these tips are predictions based on past years, and could change based on crashes on the roads or other factors, so Battaliegse says the best bet is to check in to see whether an alternate route will get you around traffic.
And, of course, tune in to WTOP or listen online.
