How soul-destroying is driving Northern Virginia I-95 in a truck?

Is that old Opal STILL in business? Awesome.

I generally shoehorned my rig into either Doswell or in a tiny Sheetz store right off 66 and 15. They have always been very generous, tolerant and gracious at all hours when I squeeze onto their lot.

There is one off 301 by the scales but it's been so long now I dare not think they may still be still in business.

 

That mutha....effffinnnn....bridge...

I hated that hop going thru Richmond.

Cursed everytime I didn't take the bypass.


Virginia sucks.

Hate that state....no not thank you for my business....screw you scale sign how bout that!?

The women are all ugly smell bad and have annoying voices to!

 

You mean the one in Maryland on 301? Just above the bridge? I still have nightmares of that place. I was in there shortly after they caught Osama bin Laden. The dude running cash register had to be Osama's twin. He was very nice though.

 

Sez the twins. My first indication of trouble and culture change in truckstops was the Cherokee above Atlanta, I think just prior to Georgia. All of a sudden all arabs and gambling poker machines. I think the Carolina people outlawed those finally.

17 is a good road, you should try it from thence to Norfolk sometime, cross the James to get in by Matthews County.

301 is something of a mystery to most people. You don't realize that J W Booth was killed in the median there, there is a small memorial sign in the middle covered over by forests on the site of his death.

 

I read a post comparing DC traffic to other cities and felt the need to reply. At its heart DC traffic is as bad. The only thing though is it has been my experience that it takes longer to get through. I have sit in backups as far south as Fredricksburg all the way north to the PHT just out of Baltimore. And on a major holiday it is best to totally avoid the area. I learned to try to go up I 81 as much as I could and if I did have to use I 95 it was at night. Many years ago my father showed me some places I could park in the area and I used them to take my break. Then I got up early and got through. Oh these areas are no longer available either through construction or very restrictive situations for trucks.

As to a comment in another post the girl I have been seeing some is Hampton Roads born and raised and she sure smells nice.

 

DV Traffic is not just bad. It's aggressive. As in daring you to hit them and generating situations in which you probably WILL hit them. Ive taken out three cars in my time there in DC. Two of which cost me months when no one would hire me.

The worst is the Federal Government Convoys of Limos and SUV's that barrel through in the middle lane several times a week or more. Everyone got out parting like the red sea in front of them or simply got run over. But they do not try to run off the 18 wheelers thankfully. But they WILL force their way around you cutting into the block of cars that are not moving 4 lanes wide.

I just don't deal with it anymore and DC was not far from where I was raised so I don't know any better when going into other cities around the USA and thier aggressiveness did not match DC with the possible exception of Houston and it's 100 mph average dash down I45 in the morning.

 

DC to Boston is my most hated stretch of road. Especially NYC to Boston. But, if you spend enough time down there, you learn the patterns pretty quickly and how to allow for enough time to get where you want to go and good alternate routes, like others have suggested.

 

I lived in NoVa for more than 20 years and can't tell you the number of times I sat in 20 to 25 mile backups. I've driven (cars at least) in 43 states and the DC I-95 corridor has the worst traffic I have ever seen, including out in Commiefornia. There were several winter storms that had traffic backed up from DC down to Fredericksburg, which is a distance of about 50 miles.

I-95 is the major east coast artery and in addition to the overwhelming local traffic, it also has to carry every yuckapuck driving from NY to FL, and there are a lot of those. If you are being paid by the mile, I would make sure the rate takes your 10 MPH speed into consideration, or drive at night if you can. I still pass through there occasionally and always drive at night. I don't go anywhere near the Beltway until after 9 PM.

 

Did you live in the area when the tractor trailer hauling dynamite overturned going from I-95 north to 695 east? It took me 4 hours to go 2 miles to the next exit and take Route 1 back south. That's right at Malfunction Junction and they had I-95 and 395 shut down in both directions and 695 at least east bound.