Question:

What is the best way to get from Arlington, VA to I-70 at 4pm on a weekday? I'm trying to avoid I-270?
I've hit tons of traffic on 270 and am wondering if there is a better way (less traffic). Google maps offered the option of taking I-66, but I feel like that would be just as much traffic

Answers:

A-Best: I used to live in DC and commuted to Gaithersburg and Rockville, MD and I think that you (and a bunch of others) are stuck on I-270 until the Inter-County Connector (which will be a toll road) is built to take some of the pressure off I-270. Based on my routes, I would think that your best bet is the GW Parkway to the Beltway to 270 to 70. Based on some proprietary data that I have at work, I checked a route from The Italian Store (3123 Lee Hwy, Arlington, Virginia (703) 528-6266) to Ledo Pizza (490 Prospect Blvd, Frederick, Maryland (301) 663-9800). I got 3 routes to choose from: A – Canal Road, Clara Barton Parkway and 270; B – 66, 267 and US 15; and C – 66, 495 and 270. At 4:00 PM your travel times are: A – 1 hour and 5 minutes B – 1 hour and 10 minutes C – 1 hour and 8 minutes on Monday; A – 1 hour and 11 minutes B – 1 hour and 10 minutes C – 1 hour and 15 minutes on Tuesday; A – 1 hour and 9 minutes B – 1 hour and 11 minutes C – 1 hour and 15 minutes on Wednesday; A – 1 hour and 12 minutes B – 1 hour and 21 minutes C – 1 hour and 24 minutes on Thursday; A – 1 hour and 15 minutes B – 1 hour and 15 minutes C – 1 hour and 21 minutes on Friday; A – 50 minutes (using GW Parkway) B – 1 hour and 10 minutes C – 53 minutes on Saturday; and A – 50 minutes (using GW Parkway) B – 1 hour and 11 minutes C – 52 minutes on Sunday. So, based on that information, you can avoid 270 and it will only cost you a few minutes. The HOV restrictions on 66 westbound begin at 4 PM, but if you get on 66 before then you are OK. 267 does have tolls, so you have to weigh those factors as well To see what traffic is like before you leave, you should check out the mapquest.com page and click on "traffic" at the top right of the webpage to see what conditions are like. If you have an iPhone or Android phone, INRIX (a leading traffic data company) makes it traffic data available for free on major roads throughout the country – more details at the 3rd link below. Good luck and safe travels!  

A: At 4:00 PM on a weekday, there are few options in the DC area that are not full of traffic. I-66 is going to have serious backups most days, and you also must have more than one passenger in the car inside the beltway during rush hour. (HOV restrictions) Another option would be to take 395 across into DC and taking the the PA Ave bridge to 295 going north. Take 295 north to 32 West and follow 32 west to I-70 The problem with this route is that you have to deal with the city traffic, and both 395 and 295 will usually have backups. 295 (BW Parkway) is usually very slow from before the DC line to Laurel (197) Any route that travels through DC, or on the beltway, is going to have traffic tie ups. I wish I had a better answer for you, but the only thing that may help would be leaving earlier (10AM - Noon) or later (after 7:30 PM). If you are talking about a Friday (or Wednesday before Thanksgiving) you are looking at more traffic problems. Edit with one additional tip: If you take the Dulles access road to the airport, and stop at the gas station on the airport property and make a purchase, you are legally allowed to use the road. There is less traffic on the Dulles access road, when you leave airport property , you are much further west (avoiding a lot of the 66, 50 or 7 traffic.