Road Trip..95 South

[amazine]

Driving down to Florida for ten days of sun from NJ on 95south. I love road trips and haven't done this in awhile. Any areas I should be careful ex. speed traps, bad roads, construction,short cuts...etc, etc?
Last time I did this I was 20 driving a '74 Chevy Malibu. Now, 17 years later I'm driving a '05 Chevy Malibu Maxx.
Also, should I do anything special to the car before I go, change the oil....etc?

 

[brianl703]

I95 is perpetually messed up around the DC area. It frequently backs up south of DC out to Fredericksburg on weekends. I've heard US301 might be a good alternative route if you're passing through.

 

[cousincletus]

US 301 is a good alternative. Pick up 896 in DE and it will connect with 301. In VA, be careful between milepost 25 and just South of Emporia. Other than that, Florence, SC is a hot spot for speeding. Slow down for all construction, esp. in NC and VA. They almost always have a cop in the work zones. Be careful and have fun. Have seen some crazy road rage and nasty wrecks on I-95.

 

[amazine]

Thank You! Anything to avoid DC is a plus.

 

[ShortBuSX]

Always road construction on 95 just north of Daytona, south of Jacksonville...been that way for years!

 

[Master ACiD]

from 50 miles north of palm beach all the way down to boca they frequently have speeding traps. i have even seen police in planes clocking cars on 95 and sending patrol men in cruisers to ticket them.

actually, try to avoid i95 south of palm beach during rush hour. espically in the miami area. it gets to be murder down here during peak hours.

 

[JHZR2]

cousincletus has got it right... 301 is a nice road, saves you a bunch of tolls (except by NSWC Dahlgren), and is a top pick by MANY truckers here on the east coast. It WILL still back up in the DC area, so try to be going past annapolis on 301 outside of rush hours.

If you MUST go I95, get off in DE at 896, go north to university of DE, make a left on rte 4, go around the Chrysler plant, then left at the acme onto Elkton Rd. going south, get on 95 at the truckstop, and save yourself $3.

When going through DC, get on 895 north of Baltimore, then take it to MD rte 295 / I295, the baltimore-0washington parkway... Take it to the end. Youll have to go over the woodrow wilson bridge,m which is a perennial pain in the butt.

Avoid the idiots in DE at all costs. I have an apartment there and HATE driving there. The interchanges are designed very poorly.

JMH

 

[TheTanSedan]

By far the worst Interstate for traffic and people-with-no-business-being-behind-the-wheel. Used to hate having to drive any portion of it as a flatbed driver.

Alternate routes a good suggestion. Try also the NHTSA for links on road conditions by state, and for weather-related problems at NOAA.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

http://www.roadfood.com/

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/home

A RAND-McNALLY Road Atlas (truck driver version) is a real help as "truck routes" are highlighted by state. Truck routes tend to have wider shoulders, medians, better signage, etc.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Those billboards of "Pedro" are going to drive you wild.

 

[cousincletus]

^^^South of the Border...the best kept secret on I-95.

 

[Amkeer]

Leave around 3 or 4 a.m. if possible to beat the traffic leaving northern cities. Watch for speed traps S. Carolina and Georgia. Your cheapest gas will be Georgia.

Vehicle must do:

1.If you are close to needed oil change do it.

2.Check tire pressure

3.Run a bottle of Techron in tank prior to OCI.

4.Pick up a bottle of UCL Lucas at one of the truck stops.

5.Bring a calculator and scratch pad to record MPG's using Lucas and without Lucas.

6.Check belts and hoses.

Clean interior and exterior of glass a MUST! While you are there might as well clean the vehicle.

Bring:

Fix a flat
Extra quart of your motor oil
Tools
Flashlight
Gallon of distilled water (urine can be substituted in emergencies)for coolant of course
First aid kit
Camera
Tire pressure gauge
Cooler loaded with your favorite beverages and snacks
Baby wipes

 

[Amkeer]

Oh one more thing! If you are going to our beaches make sure you apply SPF 35 or greater on your skin 3o minutes prior to exposure. Nothing is more hilarious to a Floridian than a Northerner running around the beach looking like a lobster. Any more than 30 minutes in the sun without protection and your skin will COOK!

 

[brianl703]

Try to leave at a time when you're not within 50 miles of DC between the hours of 6am to 9am.

 

[JHZR2]

quote:

---

^^^South of the Border...the best kept secret on I-95.

---

LOL, I dont know quite how secret it is... for a while, we even had a few signs on the NJ Turnpike!

Ive been kind of dissapointed the last few times Ive stopped, but I always have to stop to check things out

Id suggest that when going through NJ, take the I-295 for as long as you can (It comes together with the turnpike at the Del Mem Bridge). At exit 2C, stop at the Flying J truckstop to fuel up... They most always have the cheapest fuel in the state, or one of the cheapest.

Try to get past southern VA (where Ive found fuel prices to be the most expensive, at least alongside the highway) before refueling. NC isnt cheap either, but its cheaper than the stations in VA just north of the state line... I learned that the hard way coming back from Raleigh once.

JMH

JMH

 

[chas3]

you probably also want to avoid the dc area between 3pm and 6pm. southbound I-95 out of washington dc is fairly bad during this time period.

 

[Slick17601]

Make sure you take th bypass around Richmond too. The route number escapes me.

 

[amazine]

Amber,
I'm laughing my tail off over here. Used to be a Floridian and know how funny it is to see the sunburnt tourist. Your list looks alot like mine. I got the pencil and pad ready to see how many miles I'm going to travel in an hour. Going to leave NJ here at 6pm on NJ turnpike south exit 14a, gotta make a pit stop in Philly to pick up a Passenger then on my way to Orlando. I'm looking forward to taking 301 and have been reading as much as I can on the web about it.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Richmond by-pass is I-295. You pick up I-95 again south of Petersburg, VA.

 

[racer12306]

baltimore can be a little hairy too, but nothing compared to DC unless there is an accident in one of the tunnels. I-695 W (maybe E as well) will keep you from dealing with a toll and the tunnels. but 695 can have its problems too.

 

[Racerjk]

I'd take a side trip to Savannah if I were you! My wife and I love that place!