Travel Tips and Anyone need items transported from MA to GA

I am heading to Savannah Ga from Southeastern MA at the end of February. I will be leaving on a Friday morning and I am trying to plan a route that avoids Southern CT/NYC and Washington DC traffic jams without having to leave at 2AM. My prefered route will be Tappen Zee into NJ. If I leave at 5 that puts me in CT/NY area around 9ish, will I be at the end of rush hour or in the thick of it? Using that time frame I should end up in DC area around 3 and I'm guessing that couldn't be much worse traffic wise. Is there a way to avoid the parking lot that DC is known for? Or am I destined to leave at oh my god thirty in the morning to miss the DC mess?

I will be hauling an empty 20' enclosed trailer down to Savannah via the I-95 corridor and would be willing to shuttle some hard to ship items south. Shoot me an email cntolley at gmail dot com and we can see if we can work something out. 

How far are you from I-84?  I've found taking 84 to the Thruway south into Jersey much easier than I-95 into 287.  

Yeah, you want to run across the Hudson on 84, not the Tappan Zee. The new bridge sucks just as much as the old one (even the pavement is already torn up, and that's after a few months) plus the traffic pattern is not ironed out, so there's a few little lane shifts that probably wouldn't be ideal for a trailer (I'm not saying it's impossible, just undesirable). Down the Thruway and into Jersey should be far smoother.

After many, many runs down to DC, I've only recently discovered my new favorite bypass. Just over the Delaware Memorial Bridge, get yourself headed south on Rt.301 in Delaware (there's a few ways to get there - choose your route based on the traffic). That will hit 50 across the Bay. From there you have a couple choices: either stay on 50 to the Beltway if the traffic's OK, or bang off south when 301 splits, then west on Rt.4 to the Beltway just before the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. It's a little longer than the straight shot down 95, but in avoiding both Baltimore and most of DC, it's a much more pleasant experience, and probably not much of a time suck, at least on average.

I would almost think 90 to 81 to 77 then 26 to 95 to Savanna may ba a viable alternative. . 

If you decide to do an end-run around DC on 301, you can actually stay on it all the way into Central VA. Head west on VA-207 and you'll end up back on 95 about 20 miles north of Richmond.

EDIT: Just remembered there is a bridge with a toll on this route crossing from Southern MD into VA, but I don't remember the toll being super brutal or anything like that.

Thanks for the alternate routes. Think I'll go for 84 down into NJ and then bypass Baltimore and DC. Seems fairly direct and I can leave here at a reasonable hour. Anyone need anything moved? Hate to waste an empty trailer.

I've got lots of RX-7 parts(mostly 79-83 stuff) if anyone wants anything in particular. Heck I might even be inclined to sell the whole 50k mile 89 2 owner(me being the 2nd) RX-7 TII I have. It has a rotted frame, but is complete otherwise, but not perfect. I live very close to imgon as well. Also anyone interested in a clean rear section of exhaust from a 04 era Tahoe/Yukon(might even fit a Suburban/Yukon XL). It's the pipe from behind the cat, muffler, and tailpipe. Free to whoever wants it. I'll get pics.

I may have someone who needs a UTV and/or possibly a car moved from eastern PA to NC around that time if that's something you'd consider doing.

When towing to the Challenge I normally take 84 to 81 then cut back over to 95 around Richmond VA. Its sounds kind of out of the way but I save a bunch on tolls and it normally ends up being faster because I'm not stuck in traffic around DC and NY city. 

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

That may be doable depending on where in PA and NC. Based on PseudoSport's idea I may go 84 to 81 to 64 to Richmond to avoid the top of the I-95 corridor. From Richmond south I'll stick to 95 to Savannah. Right now I am likely leaving MA on Thursday, 2/ 22 or Friday, 2/23  will know better next week of actual departure date.

If anyone is looking for RX7 parts, I have a never installed fiberglass hood for a 2nd gen I would love to pass onto someone who will use it.

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