rush hour traffic around orlando

[littlered]

We will be driving from Kingsland, GA to WDW on a Monday morning, can anyone tell me how bad rush hour is near the cities. I think we drive thru Jacksonville and Orlando. We usally leave Kingsland aroung 8.(but we also usally drive on the weekends) Should we plan to leave sooner or a little latter? :veryconfu
Thanks

 

[The Mom]

We will be driving from Kingsland, GA to WDW on a Monday morning, can anyone tell me how bad rush hour is near the cities. I think we drive thru Jacksonville and Orlando. We usally leave Kingsland aroung 8.(but we also usally drive on the weekends) Should we plan to leave sooner or a little latter? :veryconfu
Thanks

By the time you reach JAX, the rush should be over. It really peaks around 8:00 - 8:30. My husband leaves the house at 6:50 AM to cross the I-95 bridge....no traffic. I leave at 7:20, same route (except I go one exit further on I-95) very congested. I make the return trip at 8:00 AM, and I can't even get onto I-95, because it's bumper to bumper. BUT, when I've had to make the trip at 9:15 (for a school activity) it's a breeze.

Orlando seems to have a noon "rush" hour, so you might be able to miss it if you leave GA at 8:00, and miss the JAX traffic.

It's one of those trips where 15 minutes either way might make a world of difference.

 

[Master Yoda]

You will want to hit the north end of Jacksonville (I95 @ 295 intersection)either before 6:30 AM or after 9:00 AM to help insure smooth sailing. Right now there is a tremendous amount of construction between the Dunn Ave exit and the Fuller Warren bridge and one minor mishap can back traffic up for miles. Before 6:30 will be a little more consistent than after 9:00.

It is not common but a large accident in the aforementioned construction areas can completely shut down I-95 south. If this happens Take 9A and the 295 intersection (exit before the overpass is 295 the one after it is 9A) to I95 and bypass Jacksonville completely.

For Orlando you will want to hit the I95-I4 intersection before 3:00 PM which will put you in Downtown Orlando before 4:00 PM. Traffic will start to build in Orlando around noon and can become unbearable by 4:00 PM.

If for some reason you don't make it to I-4 by 3:00 PM an alternate route is to continue south along I-95 to 407 to the Bee line expressway. This route is about 40 miles longer and has about $2 worth ot tolls but you can run at a consistent 80 mph and bypass downtown Orlando completely. Bee Line will dump you out on I-4 about a mile away from the Downtown Disney exit.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

It is not common but a large accident in the aforementioned construction areas can completely shut down I-95 south. If this happens Take 9A and the 295 intersection (exit before the overpass is 295 the one after it is 9A) to I95 and bypass Jacksonville completely.

This is never a bad idea, even when traffic in the city is "good," in my experience.

 

[littlered]

Thanks everyone!

 

[GrimmGhosts999]

By the time you reach JAX, the rush should be over. It really peaks around 8:00 - 8:30. My husband leaves the house at 6:50 AM to cross the I-95 bridge....no traffic. I leave at 7:20, same route (except I go one exit further on I-95) very congested. I make the return trip at 8:00 AM, and I can't even get onto I-95, because it's bumper to bumper. BUT, when I've had to make the trip at 9:15 (for a school activity) it's a breeze.

Orlando seems to have a noon "rush" hour, so you might be able to miss it if you leave GA at 8:00, and miss the JAX traffic.

It's one of those trips where 15 minutes either way might make a world of difference.

We're leaving charleston, S.C. by 5:30 on a Monday morning....hopefully that will put us in jacksonville by 8:30 or 9:00....i've never really had a problem with traffic though....i hope that's not the case this time. JAX has been doing road construction forever....

 

[Master Yoda]

We're leaving charleston, S.C. by 5:30 on a Monday morning....hopefully that will put us in jacksonville by 8:30 or 9:00....i've never really had a problem with traffic though....i hope that's not the case this time. JAX has been doing road construction forever....

You are right about that. Ever since the better Jacksonville plan passed the road construction has been going on at an unprecedented rate. To make matters worse the majority of the road projects are huge overpasses and flyovers that this city has needed for decades. Right now what is under construction along I-95 is pretty major to say the least. The bridge along with the connecting highway over Trout river is being replaced and widened which s resulting in periodic lane closures along about a 1 to 2 mile stretch. The second project is the construction of flyovers at the I-95/I-10 split. At this time it is not directly interfering with traffic but it is a huge project and everyone has to slow down and look which results in an endless parade of fender benders.