Originally posted by DoctaPeppa
On one of the "Trip Report" threads I saw some comments made in passing about construction on I-95 and I-4. But on the Florida DOT web site (http://www11.myflorida.com/publicinformationoffice/construc/constmap/constmap.htm), for virtually all of the Interstate construction projects, they promise that lane closures will only occur at night.
Can anyone who lives in the area or who has recently travelled down this corridor please pass on some up-to-date advice about this ... e.g., is it better to travel at daytime/nighttime, weekend/weekday, etc.?
Also: when approaching Orlando from the north on I-4 on a weekday would you recommend to avoid downtown Orlando by taking the bypass toll road (no.417)?
Thank you!
While this isnt all that recent, i drove that stretch in Mid March.
On I-95, there is some serious long-term construction going on in the Jacksonville area (North and South) as well as in Georgia. If you can deal with traffic below speed for 20-30 miles at a stretch, you can manage. It does seem to keep going on and on and on....
I-4 seemed to be perpetually under construction in the Orlando area and a total pain, but maybe the danteian impression was coupled with having to leave WDW and head North. But it didnt seem too bad....
As to what advice to give? It all depends on what you're used to, what you can tolerate and how long you've been on the road.
If you're driving 95 South for a significant period of time, I'd recommend taking it at night. NC, SC & Georgia are pretty hectic during the daylight hours and Florida is.... "under construction," to put it politely. (Why a state that is dependant on tourism for its economic viability is doing major, long-term construction on two of its main statewide arteries is beyond me)
When we drove down at night, it lessened the strain on the nerves to just cruise between 75-80 all the way down. Weekend/Weekday didnt seem to matter. The good news is that there are plenty of Waffle Houses along the route.
Including meals, stops, and finding a Wal-Mart in the bad suburbs of Richmond, VA to find a CD cleaning disc, it took us 11 hours to make it to Jacksonville from DC. Of course, i'm not traveling with kids, so that's an entirely different concern; we would switch drivers every few hours so someone could sleep. It depends on your situation and what you're willing to tolerate.
One word of caution, it took me about 2 days to recover from the drive down/back. You dont want to ruin your vacation from driving too much.
One other thing... if youre trip takes you through the DC area.... on I-95 expect the worst. Stopped traffic is normal on a <B>good</B> day.
Let me know if you have to go past this part of the world, i might be able to steer you around (some) of the bad parts.
