Some drivers in the D.C. area are choosing Friday as their time to get away for Memorial Day weekend, which is historically one of the busiest travel times of the year, but has morphed into a multiday getaway that hasn’t caused widespread traffic congestion in the D.C. region.
One traveler, Alexandria, Virginia, resident Jim Hardman, goes to Bethany Beach in Delaware every summer and knows how to avoid the worst traffic.
“I’m retired and I don’t travel when there’s traffic,” Hardman said.
He said it usually takes two-and-a-half hours to drive to Bethany Beach. But one time, it took Hardman 12 hours to drive back to Virginia because of a plane crash at a small airport.
“We had food in the car … we had groceries … the kids were eating cereal,” he said. “It was crazy.”
Barring a similar disaster, those kind of backups are largely a thing of the past, as the modern getaway is more staggered than ever before.
Expect for Route 50 in Annapolis, the worst of Friday’s traffic was the result of crashes on the Beltway and I-270, but not from loads of travelers. Traffic is no heavier than an average Friday on most roadways, according to the WTOP Traffic Center.
Most of those who’s plans involved long distance travel for this holiday got away a long time ago.
Marshall Boroshok was driving to Ocean City on Thursday morning to avoid the rush and advised those traveling far to leave early in the morning if possible. He previously recalled spending over three hours in traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
He provided the following tips to travelers: “Stock up, fill up, be patient. Simple as that.”
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Just like Friday, traffic congestion on the whole in the D.C. area Thursday wasn’t too different than an average weekday.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said more than 330,000 vehicles will cross the Bay Bridge between Thursday and the Tuesday after Memorial Day. The transportation authority said the best time to travel is before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26 will force travelers to take alternate routes, which could lead to heavier traffic in some spots.
To ease congestion in Maryland, State Highway Administration spokesperson Charlie Gischlar told WTOP they’re suspending all non-emergency lane closures beginning Friday and lasting until about 9 a.m. Tuesday.
According to AAA, 43.8 million people nationwide are expected to travel this weekend, which is a 4% increase from last year.
Of those, 3.5 million will be flying, including Lisa, who’s heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, via Reagan National Airport.
“I think it looks pretty good for a Thursday on a holiday weekend. Yeah, this airport’s been pretty easy to get through,” she said.
Waits at security lines at Reagan on Thursday afternoon were as short as five minutes.
WTOP’s Dave Dildine, Scott Gelman and Tadiwos Abedje contributed to this story.
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