Help me avoid 5pm nyc traffic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 15, 2008 10:19 PM

Traveling from Norwalk CT to philly. How can I best avoid the NYC traffic? I just hate sitting there and jockeying for position. Any suggestions on alternate routes?
posted by Towelie to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (11 answers total)

Best answer: Merritt Parkway to Tappan Zee Bridge to Garden State Parkway to NJ Turnpike to Exit 3.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 10:42 PM on October 15, 2008

Best answer: Here's one possibility. Last time I did it, there was some backed up traffic around the Tappan Zee, but nothing terrible. And that was on Friday evening of Labor Day weekend.

preview: yup, ditto
posted by hippugeek at 10:46 PM on October 15, 2008

Best answer: Two words: Tappen Zee.
posted by Gungho at 4:21 AM on October 16, 2008

Best answer: And if you are traveling around rush hours, you may want to avoid the Garden State Parkway up near NYC by going over the tappan zee, and continuing on to get to 287 south, which meets up with 95 past NYC (on google maps this addition adds an extra 7 minutes or so compared to taking the GSP).
posted by Grither at 4:46 AM on October 16, 2008

Best answer: I sent the directions I got from google maps to your mefi-mail, FYI...
posted by Grither at 4:48 AM on October 16, 2008

Best answer: Take 95 to 287, over the Tappan Zee. Take 287 down around the Northeast New Jersey / New York Megalopolis until it meets back up again with 95 south of Edison. The 287/95 merge is a real beauty of U.S. interstate design.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:19 AM on October 16, 2008

Here's the right link.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:21 AM on October 16, 2008

Response by poster: Yeah! Thanks all!
posted by Towelie at 5:51 AM on October 16, 2008

You're a bit too far south for any real alternative to be effective. You still need to go over a NY area bridge, and in my experience the TZ gets traffic that you sit in just like the rest. Personally when I travel to NJ from Connecticut, I make sure to listen to the traffic stations. If the TZ bridge is backed up, I use this route: 95 or Merrit to the Cross County to the Sawmill to the Henry Hudson to the GWB. This gets you onto the GWB right at the entry without travelling on the Cross Bronx.
posted by smackfu at 6:04 AM on October 16, 2008

More direct:

Tappan Zee Bridge to Garden State Parkway to NJ Turnpike to Route 1 to 95.
posted by Zambrano at 10:24 AM on October 16, 2008

About 2/3 of the way down rte. 1 you can take a slight detour to Princeton (right on Washington Ave.)
posted by Zambrano at 10:26 AM on October 16, 2008