Driving from Baltimore to Williamsburg last Wednesday wasn't bad in the late morning and early evening but other days it's complete hell. The thing I don't understand is even with little traffic on the highway, people prefer to drive in the left lane. I found myself in the right lane multiple times passing people in the left lanes which isn't safe. It seems these people are the biggest causes for traffic backups and accidents on the highway because they force fast moving traffic to slow down and pass on the right. It also results in cars weaving in and out of traffic to get around these moving traffic blockades. I did see a sign in DE on 95 that said "Camping is for parks, not the left lane". Not sure it helped.
There are a number of issues that create the traffic mess that is I-95 north of Spotsy...
1) Local Fredericksburg traffic crossing the river, which IS being addressed with the current roadwork. Traffic entering the highway northbound at Exit 130 will be forced to stay in local lanes until after Exit 133, and likewise traffic entering the highway southbound at Exit 133 will be forced to stay in local lanes until after Exit 130.
2) Hilly terrain, which results in passing traffic slowing down while going uphill in the left lane. Two reasons for this, which are people not speeding up to complete a pass, and trucks that lack the oomph to make it uphill at highway speeds. I-81 also has this problem, and that is why I usually stay in the right lane going uphill!
3) Lack of viable north-south alternatives. 17/29 are okay on the south end, but on the north end they both end up dumping you onto I-66. And 301 is okay in Virginia, but from La Plata, Maryland north it is stop and go, and going southbound results in a $6 toll.
As for the EZ Pass lanes, I am still dumbfounded that they built those as reversible lanes given the congestion that I-95 often sees in BOTH directions.
On the train front, efforts are being made to bring high speed rail between DC and Richmond, but Ashland / Hanover County is a big problem - Ashland doesn't want trains going 100 mph through the center of town, and Hanover County residents don't want a new high speed rail route cutting though their pastoral area. And unfortunately, the I-95 footprint in that area (Exit 84 - 92) is too small to accommodate rail.
