[MR] Potential for a massive traffic snarl in DC June 9-11

[Glynis Gwynedd]

Unto all the gentles upon the list, from the autocrat of Highland River Melees,

Thank you for bringing this to my attention.  If you are coming from
the south, my suggestion for a shorter alternate route than going all
the way west to I 81 along I 66 would be to go west to Rt 15 north,
and take that all the way through Leesburg to Frederick, whereupon you
would get on I 70 West and follow the printed directions from there.
However, after empirical testing by a friend who lives in Manassas
(just off I 66), it's faster just to take I 66 to I 81 and then go
north.

If you are coming from further south than that, take I 95 north to Rt
17 N and follow Rt 17N all the way to Winchester VA, and then take I
81 N to Exit 2 in Maryland, turn right at the top of the exit (towards
Hagerstown), and then just keep going straight until you see the SCA
sign for the circle.  Or just grab I 66 West when you reach it to I 81
North.

Rt 17 is the route my family always takes when we're heading towards
Florida.  It shaves a lot of time off the trip rather than going
around 270 to 495 to 95.  We've tested it even at 3 in the morning
when there is no traffic (relatively speaking) on 495 and it has
always been faster.

However you come, I urge you to travel safely.  If anyone wants
specific directions from their area, please email me off-list and I'll
look at where you're coming from and tell you which route I'd suggest.

On 5/23/06, Alan MacNeill <gormofberra at gmail.com> wrote:
> Just heard this on the radio on the way into work, and thought it important
> enough to pass along.
>
> VDOT and MDOT are finally close to finishing the new Woodrow Wilson bridges
> on I-495 (DC Beltway).  Although this will make travel to Kingdom's Crusades
> a lot easier this fall, there are potential impacts on event travels this
> June.
>
> On the weekend of Highland River Melees, they will be rolling traffic on the
> "Outer" (Counterclockwise) loop (I-95 North towards Baltimore) over to the
> new bridge.  In order to do that, they will be taking I-95 North/I-495 down
> to a SINGLE lane.  Traffic coming up I-95 from Richmond/Fredricksburg/etc
> will be diverted onto the Inner loop (Clockwise) that weekend.
>
> This could impact travel to Highland River Melees.  Although anyone south of
> DC travelling up 95 onto 495 towards Hagerstown would be on the Inner loop
> anyhow, the extra traffic and general confusion due to the rerouting is
> expected to cause significant backups, even worse than usual.  They estimate
> as much as 2 hours added onto the regular travel time.
>
> VDOT heavily recommends finding alternative routes rather than going through
> that area.  They're taking it seriously enough to run commercials on radio
> stations in Richmond 3 weeks in advance.
>
> Viable alternative routes for those coming up from the South include taking
> 17 from Fredricksburg to I-81 to Hagerstown and many others.  Consult with
> your preferred mapping technology, avoiding I-495 if at all possible.
>
> See http://www.wilsonbridge.com/pdfs/GeneralAwarenessAd_060516.pdf for more
> details.
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-- 
~Lady Glynis Gwynedd
Webmistress, Baronial Harper, Barony of Highland Foorde
"Have you hugged a harp today?"