Taking the Blue Route/I-95 instead of the Schuylkill?

[jru27]

I am coming from South Jersey (I live right next to the betsy ross bridge) and am commuting right outside of King of Prussia to Audubon, PA. Normally I take 676 to the Schukylil, but as you know, it is awful and I hate the traffic with a passion.

I was wondering if I take I 95 all the way to the blue route, than hop on I76 at the conshohocken exit, would it be more effiecient than just taking 676 to 76? Taking my normal route, I am on the schukylil for way too long. Even though on mapquest it says taking to blue route and 95 to 76 is a 15 min longer drive and 10 extra miles, I feel that it would be more efficient than sitting in traffic wasting gas for an hour and 15 min.,....the only problem is that I do not know how to blue route and 95 operate in the morning/afternoon commutes? Any tips or thoughts?

[froggie]

From my limited experience, the Blue Route jams up as well, especially south of Route 3.

[PHLBOS]

Since you're crossing over into PA via the Betsy Ross and your place of work is well northwest of Philadelphia, turning south on I-95 towards either 676 or 476 is absolutely insane IMHO... especially during rush hours.

Although it will cost you more money tollwise even w/EZ-Pass; timewise, you're probably better off taking I-95 North to PA 63 (Woodhaven Rd.) to US 1 North and picking up the PA Turnpike (I-276) West and exit at Valley Forge to get to 202/422.  The above is assuming your commute is a first-shift time interval.  This route has you heading away from the Philly-bound traffic.

Note: depending on where in Audubon you work, you could exit the Turnpike earlier at Mid-County and follow I-476 South to the very next exit (Exit 18 Ridge Pike - it's signed as Norristown) and follow Ridge Pike (which becomes Main St. once in Norristown) to Egypt Road.

As far as your proposed alternative is concerned, during the AM-rush hours, I-95 from I-676 to I-476 is no big deal.  Note: recent construction projects on I-95 north of I-676 have increased travel times for sure as you already know. 

I-476 North OTOH due to its only being a 4-laner between MacDade and PA 3 will usually be crowded.  The combination of the merge from both directions of I-95, the on-ramp from MacDade and the transition from 3 through lanes to 2 can cause traffic to back up onto I-95.  To bypass this bottleneck, one has to exit off I-95 earlier and use local roads to Baltimore Pike and get on 476 there... well after the narrowing.

I would suggest experimenting w/some alternatives and ultimately pick the one that's the most efficient timewise. 

I would also suggest, if you don't already have one, getting a detailed street atlas for southeastern PA (ADC's Atlas for Greater Philadelphia comes to mind) so you can plan your route beforehand.  I used that to literally learn my way around the Delaware Valley when I first moved there 23 years ago.

[jeffandnicole]

If you're dealing with a normal rush hour commute, 95 South will get quite jammed between the Betsy Ross & Center City Philly.  After that it's not too bad.  The Blue Route I'm sure experiences some rush hour congestion as well.

The problem I see here is that you're willing to drive an extra 10 miles/15 minutes (assuming no/minor congestion) because you don't like wasting gas in congestion...but the extra mileage will still waste gas.  Schuykill congestion is maddening, but not sure if the extra routing is worth it.  I'm in a carpool where some of the guys would go miles out of their way on 25 mph roadways stopping at traffic lights to avoid congestion.  I eventually had to point out that at least in congestion, we're still averaging 30 mph with no traffic lights!  (And if congestion was real bad due to an accident or something, a lot of other people are taking the alternate routes, clogging them up too!)

Try it for a few days and see.  At least keep KYW 1060 on and listen to the traffic reports to see if one is better than the other.

[briantroutman]

Just looking at this thread brought back memories of living in Philadelphia–and nearly made me nauseous.

I used to commute south on I-95 and then north on I-476 to an office in Media. In the mornings, 95 was usually a breeze, but 476 was nearly always a soul-draining crawl past MacDade and up to the Media/Swarthmore exit.

As to KYW's "traffic and transit on the twos", I find them (and nearly all radio traffic reports) to be almost completely useless. There's a very good chance that they won't even mention the hour-long backup that your driving straight into, and in any case, there's never enough detailed information to make solid route planning decisions.

You might be best off to invest in either a standalone GPS or smartphone GPS app with real-time traffic reporting that will re-route you on-the-fly to avoid backups and make the shortest commute possible based on current traffic volumes. I loathe the segment of society that is clueless to maps and route numbers and only mindlessly follow "turn left, turn right" instructions, but in your case, I think it might be the best option.

[jru27]

Since you're crossing over into PA via the Betsy Ross and your place of work is well northwest of Philadelphia, turning south on I-95 towards either 676 or 476 is absolutely insane IMHO... especially during rush hours.

Although it will cost you more money tollwise even w/EZ-Pass; timewise, you're probably better off taking I-95 North to PA 63 (Woodhaven Rd.) to US 1 North and picking up the PA Turnpike (I-276) West and exit at Valley Forge to get to 202/422.  The above is assuming your commute is a first-shift time interval.  This route has you heading away from the Philly-bound traffic.

How much more would it cost for tolls? I can take the tacony bridge, which is only 2 dollars, then get on to 95, then 63, than the turnpike. And my office is right off of 363 on trooper road.

[PHLBOS]

As to KYW's "traffic and transit on the twos", I find them (and nearly all radio traffic reports) to be almost completely useless. There's a very good chance that they won't even mention the hour-long backup that your driving straight into, and in any case, there's never enough detailed information to make solid route planning decisions.

Not sure when you were last over in the Philly area; but there have since been some VMS' erected along the major highways that list the distance and travel times to key areas/interchanges which can give a motorist a better heads-up on an upcoming traffic jam.  It's not perfect, but it's better than not having the VMS' at all.

Although, IMHO there should be similar VMS' at each highway entrance ramp because, in some instances, just having those along the mainline highway itself can be a case of too little too late.

I loathe the segment of society that is clueless to maps and route numbers and only mindlessly follow "turn left, turn right" instructions, but in your case, I think it might be the best option.

Not necessarily. 

How much more would it cost for tolls? I can take the tacony bridge, which is only 2 dollars, then get on to 95, then 63, than the turnpike. And my office is right off of 363 on trooper road.

Current (2013) PA Turnpike tolls:

US 1/Bensalem (Exit 351) to I-76 East (Exit 326 Valley Forge): $4 ($3.04 for EZ-Pass)

US 1/Bensalem (Exit 351) to I-476 South (Mid-County): $2.70 ($2.04 for EZ-Pass)

[jru27]

Current (2013) PA Turnpike tolls:

US 1/Bensalem (Exit 351) to I-76 East (Exit 326 Valley Forge): $4 ($3.04 for EZ-Pass)

US 1/Bensalem (Exit 351) to I-476 South (Mid-County): $2.70 ($2.04 for EZ-Pass)

So would you recommend taking that route to 363 instead of the schuylkill? Because altogether, my toll cost would only equal around 5 bucks, which is what I pay for the ben franklin bridge.

[Chris19001]

I'd look into taking the Betsy Ross or the Tacony Palmyra to local NE Philly streets and making your way to the Roosevelt boulevard.  The outbound trip on the Schulkyll is probably not too bad in the AM between the boulevard extention and Valley Forge.  Going into CC or going down to Delaware County is way too far out of the way to get to Audubon.  I'd test a few different routes, and the poster who suggested taking the turnpike.  Forget the Blue Route entirely, you don't want that congestion.

[PHLBOS]

One could theoretically take PA 73 West (Cottman Ave.) from the Tacony to connect to either PA 611 North (Old York Road) or PA 309 North and connect to the Turnpike at Willow Grove or Fort Washington respectively to reduce the net Turnpike tolls.

Another option would be to continue along PA 63 West beyond Woodhaven Road to PA 611 North (Easton Road) and connect to I-276 at Willow Grove.

So would you recommend taking that route to 363 instead of the schuylkill? Because altogether, my toll cost would only equal around 5 bucks, which is what I pay for the ben franklin bridge.

Please be aware that unlike the bridge tolls, those Turnpike tolls apply for both directions; so one would have to multiply the above-posted toll rates by two for a round-trip amount.

Long story short; the round-trip Turnpike tolls alone would be over $5, in most instances, including the use of EZ-Pass.

Then again, there are many commuters who drive to work in Center City everyday toll-free but have to pay to park their vehicles for the day whereas your place of work has free parking (I'm assuming).  The daily parking costs in Philly, outside of an early-bird special at a more remote lot/garage, are generally higher than the round-trip Turnpike tolls you'd face.

Long story short, I would use more northerly routes (like the described Turnpike routings) for your commute (and avoid the Schuylkill & most of the Blue Route).  If the Turnpike wasn't tolled in this area, it would be an automatic no-brainer to use it.

[SteveG1988]

I would reccomend the turnpike as well, i've done it and 76 to get to the king of prussia mall, 76 west 276 east, Traffic on 76 will be randomly packed due to how the road is setup. I would say to take 130 north to the bristol bridge, get on the turnpike at US13, avoding traffic in philadelphia

[PHLBOS]

I would reccomend the turnpike as well, i've done it and 76 to get to the king of prussia mall, 76 west 276 east, Traffic on 76 will be randomly packed due to how the road is setup. I would say to take 130 north to the bristol bridge, get on the turnpike at US13, avoding traffic in philadelphia

Jru27's work destination is in Audubon not King of Prussia so his likely route once on the Turnpike would be 276 West to 76 East to 202 South/422 West to 363 North (Trooper Road).

[jru27]

I would reccomend the turnpike as well, i've done it and 76 to get to the king of prussia mall, 76 west 276 east, Traffic on 76 will be randomly packed due to how the road is setup. I would say to take 130 north to the bristol bridge, get on the turnpike at US13, avoding traffic in philadelphia

Jru27's work destination is in Audubon not King of Prussia so his likely route once on the Turnpike would be 276 West to 76 East to 202 South/422 West to 363 North (Trooper Road).

^Yeah, this guy's got it...I need to get to trooper road, and as of now, the only 2 alternate ways I am considering is 1: tacony bridge to backstreets to rt 1 to 76 (then 202 to 422 to 363)..but that does not really pass the normal city ave/kelly drive jam in the morning..it actually puts me right in the middle. It lets me skip 676, but its not even that bad at 7 am.

2: My original betsy ross bridge to I 95 to blue route to I 76 (then 202 to 422 to 363)

I probably will not want to pay the extra tolls from the turnpike, and every other route offered to me is an extra 15 min or more than my regular ben franklin to 676 to 76 route.

[Alps]

I would avoid 73 coming back into NJ, not that you've mentioned the afternoon commute, but it's a single lane and the approach can back up. It's two lanes into PA, as you know.
Looking at your route, I can see why you'd go south to I-676. North to I-276 is a much longer distance, similar to using the Blue Route.
So how about PA 309? Head across 73, continue straight onto US 13 and then onto Roosevelt Blvd. Use local roads (Adams/Cheltenham Aves.) to PA 309, and then connect west on the Turnpike. Though about the same time as using 95-63-1-276, it's 11 miles shorter. Note that coming back this way is convoluted if you want to get to 90 instead of 73.

[Chris19001]

The Cheltenham area isn't exactly free flowing in the AM.  73 westbound, and 611 northbound are not going to work long-term.  Our OP will go insane from the lights and everyday jams.  309 is freeflowing when it turns into an expressway, but getting there from the 2 bridges in question is going to be VERY difficult, plus you'll still have turnpike tolls.  (Its worth checking out at least once though)
I'd still say the best bet is getting to the boulevard, and going south.  Yes, there is a morning jam everyday between City Ave and Belmont Ave (and you're pretty limited on alternative options unless you want to take PA23 to the west, but I've never seen that in the AM (and everyone else probably has the same idea).  Unless the turnpike becomes an option, the poster is going to be stuck in some nice traffic somewhere.  At least the Schulykull goes in the right direction to get to Trooper.
I'd be curious for an update on the different options when jru27 hits the roads.  Hope he experiments!

[PHLBOS]

you'll still have turnpike tolls.
...
Unless the turnpike becomes an option, the poster is going to be stuck in some nice traffic somewhere

Not to harsh w/jru27 but I do have some questions for him (addressed in 2nd person):

1.  How long have you been working/commuting to/from Audubon?

2.  When you eventually found the place and interviewed for the job (assuming both were at the same location); did you not realize the time/distance/traffic of your commute prior to signing on the proverbial dotted line?  Yes, it's a case of caveat emptor here (let the buyer/employee beware).

3a.  Are there any co-workers that live in your area?  You might be able to get some suggestions/alternate routes from those that have actually done such.

3b.  Is carpooling with any co-workers described in 3a an option for you?  The toll burden would be significantly reduced with this option. 

Long story short, and yes I'm repeating myself here, is that as much as I abhor tolls (especially the Act 44-related annual increases for the PA Turnpike); I believe that my original suggestion to use much of I-276 will probably be the most time-efficient one.

Look at it this way; for many those who commute to a job located in Philadelphia and can't/won't use mass transit have to pay to park their cars for the work day.  As stated earlier, the daily parking rate they're paying in most instances is still higher than whatever tolls you're paying round-trip even if you use the PA Turnpike and all its Act 44 glory.

Again, it's all caveat emptor.

I'd be curious for an update on the different options when jru27 hits the roads.  Hope he experiments!

I too am curious of such.