Drive times from Dulles to DC
 

I am sure this is a repeat, but search is down.

How long will it take to drive from the Sheraton Reston (exit 12 on Dulles access road I think) to Washington DC? I will try to avoid the "rush hour" from 6-9AM and again from 4-7PM.

THanks!

I am considering staying out there because it is cheap on Priceline (I have one night booked there at $55 including tax and fee). I cannot get anything for an 8 night stay in DC for under $159/night, and have even gone up to $80/night on Priceline with no luck.

It can take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on traffic. If you avoid the rush hour, 45 minutes is a good bet from the Sheraton to most parts of northwest/downtown DC. Just follow the Toll Road to I-66 east and then the Roosevelt or Key Bridge into the city.

I-66 almost always jams eastbound at the Toll Road merge, but it's usually only a minor delay that clears up within half a mile.

If it's just going to be you in the car---no passengers---you can't legally drive into DC this way between 6:30 and 9:30 a.m. and out of DC between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. I-66 is HOV-2 only inside the Beltway during these hours.

Keep in mind that parking is pretty expensive in DC on weekdays, so you might want to drive to the West or East Falls Church Metro station and take the train in. Parking at these stations fills up early, though (probably before 7:30 a.m.) so you may be out of luck if you try to go in any later. There's some free street parking up the hill from the Rosslyn Metro station, the first stop across the river from DC and convenient to I-66. If you'd like, I can post directions to the Rosslyn-area parking here on this thread.

There will be 4 of us. About what does parking usually cost? I was under the impression that parking is usually about $13/day. I figures we'd spend that much on Metro fare, and with 2 of the folks being in their 70's, walking is a problem. I thought I would drop them off then go find a parking lot and meet them.

Also, we will have a baby in addition to the 4 adults. If we take the metro and taxis, will we need a carseat for the baby in the taxi?

Thanks!

Mikey

Heh, that's funny :D I don't remember the last time rush hour cleared up at 9am, started at 4pm and ended at 7pm ;)

That said, the other poster is spot on about 25-90mins. If you drive at just above speed limit, you can get to the DC/VA border (Potomac river) in 25mins from the Sheraton Reston; less if you go 75mph on the Toll Road ( :eek: ). That's in ideal traffic conditions i.e. 10am-3pm, after 7:30pm. Mornings won't be so bad since you probably won't be heading into the city until past 10am anyway but evenings are going to be tricky. Since there are 4 of you, it would be ideal if you hit 66W/Toll Road during HOV i.e. leaving DC between 4:15 and 6:15pm. You would be wise to take the alternate route (GW Parkway to 123-S to Toll Road) at all other times - 66W is nasty during the evening rush.

If you are planning on hitting the sights around the National Mall, parking should be moderately difficult but not overly so. You won't have to pay, I don't think, except for metered parking - some of which are time-limited. There are quite a few lots available around the National Mall (in front of FDR and near the boathouse on the Tidal Basin come to mind) that won't be too crowded during the weekdays. Since there are some seniors in your party with mobility issues, it may make sense to get a handicap tag which will allow you to park close to most of the major monuments and sights. Otherwise, it'll take about 10-15mins to find parking on the Mall depending on luck. If you venture away from the Mall into downtown, NW or other areas, parking will be difficult. And expensive. Especially on weekdays. It can be anywhere from $9-$30/day in a garage depending on location. Again, it's all about luck. Sometimes you can find metered parking in Chinatown/Penn Quarter for $0.75/hr, other times you wish your car could turn into a motorcycle. Take note that there are quite a few parking restrictions (rush-hour, time-limited, street-cleaning, etc.) along downtown streets - though nowhere near as many as NYC or SF. Tickets are $25 and up.

I think it makes sense for you to drive seeing that there would be 5 of you. I would worry about traffic far more than I would about parking.

The good news is that you'll have enough people for the HOV lane and travel inside the Beltway on I-66. Actually, as long as you're able to use the HOV lane, the rush hour would actually be faster. After 0930, when HOV gets lifted on I-66 (0900 for the toll road), things get bogged down for about an hour because everyone is jumping on the HOV lanes.

The worst part of the trip will be the wait to get on the toll road through the entrance toll booths. From the Sheraton, I would consider driving east to one of the other on-ramps at either Wiehle or Hunter Mill. They're bad enough, but not as bad as trying to get on at the Reston Parkway.

It also depends where you're going once you get into the District. I-66 dies at Constitution Ave and the Roosevelt Bridge and things can get pretty backed up.

I'm the eternal pessimist: I would give yourself a good 1:20 door-to-door, even with HOV. Unlike most other big urban areas, there are very few, if any, alternative routes. There have been times when there have been wrecks on just a couple of arteries and I literally have been cut off.

I was almost going to endorse wahoo's suggestion until you mentioned the entourage you're traveling with.

Hi folks - thanks for the great info!

Sounds like staying in the Sheraton Reston may be a gamble for driving times, but I think it may be worth the gamble.

If I can get a Priceline hotel in the $50 range out there vs. $159/night in town, that's a big difference. And when you consider I want 2 rooms for 8 nights, that's a lot of money.

Anyone else want to chime in?

And if you do go 75, keep an eye out for the VA gendarmerie who enforce 55MPH fanatically on that road (mostly gray Crown Vics with blue lights).

However, unlike NY where you usually can get 10 or 15 minutes extra on either side of the prohibited time, the DC parking nazis will start giving out the tickets while the spot is still legal, frequently about 5 to 10 minutes before the restriction is due to start.

I always go 64 mph in a 55 zone, as in the rare event that you're pulled over at that speed, you'll only get 1 point on your license (10-19 mph over the limit is 2 points). Don't go 75 unless you want to get a "reckless driving" ticket with a mandatory court appearance ("reckless" in VA is 20 mph or more over the posted limit or over 80 mph regardless of the limit.)

Since you'll be a big group, it'll be easier and possibly cheaper just to drive all the way into DC and park at meters or pay lots, as others have said. It's very true that for 2 or more people, the Toll Road/66 commute is faster before 9:30 a.m. than it is right after. HOV lanes work wonders in Northern Virginia!

Not to be one to encourage reckless driving behavior but most people I've seen on my commutes to/from Reston drive 70 and up on the Toll Road. The Access Road is a different story - no one dares go above 65 - and police presence is rampant. On the Toll Road? Not so much.

I agree the on/off-ramps on the Toll Road are pretty nasty at rush hour, especially at Reston Parkway and 7100. Too little booths and way too many cars. Enough to make me wonder what all the tolls are being used for.

I may be wrong but HOV on the Toll Road and 66E going into DC ends at 9am which means one should leave Reston by 8am to get HOV privileges all the way from Reston to DC with one exception (and it's a big one) - the main toll plaza to the 495 interchange which can be quite horrendous in morning rush hour. And if you time it wrong, arriving at the TR bridge into DC at 9am when HOV lifts will be an exercise in frustration. Things don't clear up till 10am. Outside the Beltway, it ends at 9:30am but the OP won't be travelling on that section. Isn't the discrepancy bizarre? I guess lots of ppl from Vienna/Fairfax/Manassas commute to Tysons or something.

Similarly, if you leave DC at 6:30 when HOV lifts on 66, it's almost always a 10mi backup from Rosslyn all the way to the spur that goes to the Toll Road. Leave at 6! :)

Lived in northern VA my whole life. Everyone has given you good advice. Bring your PATIENCE and be prepared for the worst and celebrate when by some miracle you breeze in and out of the city! Good luck!

BlueDC is correct. The HOV hours on I-66 inside the Beltway are 06:30 to 09:00 eastbound and 16:00 to 18:30 westbound. As mentioned, things are bad at the limits. People line up on the shoulder to drive in to DC after 09:00. However, once you have cleared I-66 then the toll road can get ugly. Bring you E-Z Pass if you have one.

Also, if you drive in late there are a lot of eastbound commuters and people going into DC so it can get backed up on the toll road spur to I-66.

Consider getting a hotel in Tysons, which is a bit closer. Off-peak drive time is < 15 min from there and there are some useful back roads and other options to get into DC. In any case it eliminates the potential toll road tie up from the equation. From Tysons you only need to worry about I-66. In Reston you also have to deal with the traffic pattern into Tysons and toll booth tie ups.

You might get a good deal PL in Rosslyn or Arlington. It would be a bit crappy to stay out in Virginia suburbia. It really sucks and would spoil your vacation.

How about split the diff
 

between Dulles and DC, aim for somewhere like Springfield. You'll pay a bit more for a room, but shop around and use every discount source you can find, and you might retain some sanity by not spending your whole vacation in a car. You also have the option of using the metro at that point, yes?

Luckily, it's been a long time since my parents lived there :rolleyes:

Springfield would be a good choice, as this allows you to use the HOV-3 lanes (3 or more people in the car) on I-395 during morning rush. The HOV on 395 will take you right across the 14th Street Bridge into DC.

Thanks All!

I pricelined the trip, but had to split up the hotel stay to 2 different periods. I could not get all 8 days at the same hotel.

So - one hotel is the Holiday Inn Manassas, which is far out. I want to go to fairfax for a visit and bethesda too, so I'll do that from Manassas. So we should not have to drive into DC all that much while staying in Manassas.

The other stay is in McClean, which is much closer. I think we'll try to do the DC thing on all of those days.

Any tricks that apply to McClean other than the ones already discussed?

How much trouble is it to get Nationals tickets? I am a big baseball fan. Might have to go to Camden Yards too.

Thanks,
Mikey

I think Reston a better choice than Manassas.

If a night game a t camden yards, leave the day before.