Commuting downtown

Hello new neighbors,
I am buying a house in South Walk and am looking for commuting solutions for my wife. I noticed that the Nature Center has commuter parking. Is there a van/carpool that goes near 12th & F street?

 

We haven't bought a house yet but we're interested in
Southern Walk. I work at 18th and Mass.

 

I commute each day from Southern Walk to Georgetown, and would welcome anyone interested in sharing the ride and tolls (in exchange for shared HOV access on the Dulles Toll Road and I-66!). I'm willing to drop-off and pick-up in areas adjacent to Georgetown, such as Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn.

My current departure time is 7AM, but largely to avoid a lot of non-HOV traffic, so that is negotiable!

 

I am moving to Southern Walk in June timeframe - whenever house is done, and am looking to commute from there to Crystal city. Anyone interested in sharing rides?

 

We are currently building in the South Walk area. ETA is hopefully July. I work near the Metro Center and will be driving downtown. I'm curious how long your commute takes if you leave your house at 7am? I will likely leave between 6:30 and 7am once we move in.

Thanks.

 

Wick -

IF</u> you are on the Greenway by 7 AM and IF</u> there are no weather or traffic delays, you can generally expect to be at the Potomac bridges (Key, Roosevelt) in about an hour. Once it's past 7AM, traffic along the Dulles corridor really picks up and the commute gets longer. And you definitely don't want to hit the GW Parkway (or Chain Bridge/Canal Road) after 8AM.

Also, definitely listen to the radio traffic reports (my suggestion is WTOP) before leaving!

 

Jtarnow -
I'm guessing your time estimates are non-HOV. My hubby and I drive in everyday. We leave our house in Broadlands North between 6:30 and 6:45.

On days he drops me at the Rosslyn metro, we're there in about 35 minutes. (Toll Rd to 66 to Rosslyn exit)

On days he drops me at my building (near Mass & NJ Aves NW) it takes about 45 minutes. (Toll Rd to 66 to Constitution Ave to N Capitol, etc).

Your absolutely right....this is barring bad weather, traffic incidents, and stupid drivers.

KHolbert -
There's also the Loundoun Cty Commuter Bus which goes from the Dulles North Transit Center (Behind AOL) into downtown DC with numerous stops. It's $6 each way - or $5 if you buy a "book" of 10 tickets in advance. It takes about 1:15 from pick up at DNTCenter to the last stop at NewJersey & F Street NW. (It's a nice snooze time in the morning, and unwind time in the afternoon).

One caveat - Lately I've heard there are problems with the Yellow Bus Company (contract company) with driver retention and other issues. I take the bus infrequently, but the last few times it has been less than quality service.

In one instance, the bus broke down only minutes after leaving DNTC. The "back up" bus was already being used, so we waited on the side of the Toll Road for the next scheduled bus to stop and get us. It arrived in 15 minutes, but it's route did not take it into DC. We had to get off in Rosslyn, schlep through snow the three blocks to the Metro, then take Metro to work.

And, of course, no refund on our $5 fare, even though we also paid the Metro fare.

Now, when it runs smoothly (most of the time) the LCCBus is a great service if you're commuting by yourself. Once you have two people headed into town, it's more cost effective to carpool...especially if you get a break (free) parking at your office.

Sorry to be long winded...

Dawne

 

When does 66 inside the beltway turn hov in the a.m. and p.m.? Is there a place to pick up slugs in our area?

 

Speckhard, I work in Ballston so I'm familar with the HOV on I66.

East bound (DC) 6:30 to 9am
West bound (Manassas) 3:30 to 6:30pm.

Now west bound you can get on it during HOV with 1 person if your going to Dulles Airport. If you get off before then, you risk a police traffic stop. The police choose different exits to monitor.

Oh you're exempt from HOV rules if you drive an alternate fuel or hybrid vehicle.

-Teak

 

What do you mean if you go to Dulles Airport?

 

West bound on I66 during HOV, you can use I66 with 1 person if you're going to Dulles Airport. I see a sign that says this.

I think this is why there is no HOV enforcement ON I66 but at off ramps.

-Teak

 

The police do monitor exit ramps from I66 to enforce the HOV rules. They also monitor the spot where the 'connector road' from westbound I66 to VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road/Access Road) splits, about a mile or two after exiting I66. If you are driving solo and continue onto the Dulles Toll Road, rather than entering the 'airport only' section, you risk getting pulled over.

 

Hi! I am currently on Maternity Leave, but was commuting from Broadlands to Crystal City via Vanpool. It's great and so easy! Call 703-346-7007 to leave your information and I'll pass it along!

 

I will do that as soon as we move in.

I heard that if I took Route 27 to GW Parkway that part was pretty clear. But the trouble comes from the beltway to Dulles Toll Road where it backs up pretty bad. I have heard nightmare stories from this guy in my office who uses that route - except proceeds from beltway to 66 and told me to get to his home in Gainesville at night it's like 2 hours.

Yikes!