# BWI to Fairfax, VA - drive time?



## hibbeln (Oct 3, 2011)

If my plane is scheduled to land at 9:01 a.m at BWI, how tight would I be traveling to Fairfax, VA for a 12:30 funeral?   I should add it would be THIS Friday morning.


----------



## yumdrey (Oct 3, 2011)

Friday morning is not easy 
Considering Friday traffic, I would say around 60 to 90 minute driving (or up to 120 min).
If there's no traffic, it takes 50 to 60 minutes.
Driving is very easy, just take I-95, then I-95/495 West (toward Rockville).


----------



## hibbeln (Oct 3, 2011)

Hmmmm, would have to pick up a rental car also.  That would add......40 minutes?  So with a rental car pickup and max 2 hour drive time, that would have me in to Fairfax by 11:45?  Not ideal, but workable?  Maybe I should fly out the afternoon before, though that adds having to spend the night.....  HELP!


----------



## hibbeln (Oct 3, 2011)

Or fly out that morning with fingers crossed that nothing is delayed, then fly back on Saturday (giving us time to socialize after the funeral).


----------



## ronparise (Oct 3, 2011)

Yumdrey has it right an hour without traffic...but there is always traffic

2 hours would be a lot though...I think you will make it 

Be careful on the beltway after Silver Spring...there are some fairly tight turns for an 80mph highway...and if traffic is light that's what they will be doing.

Also at I 270 watch the signs, its easy to find yourself on the way to Frederick Md instead of Fairfax Va


----------



## natasha5687 (Oct 3, 2011)

hibbeln said:


> Hmmmm, would have to pick up a rental car also.  That would add......40 minutes?  So with a rental car pickup and max 2 hour drive time, that would have me in to Fairfax by 11:45?  Not ideal, but workable?  Maybe I should fly out the afternoon before, though that adds having to spend the night.....  HELP!



Debbie,

I live in this general area and often travel between these 2 areas.  You should be fine with a 9:01 arrival.  The shuttles to the rental car area run about every 5 minutes.  Rental car pick-up should only take a few minutes once you are there (I always rent cars from the airport when I have a need for one). The morning rush down that part of the I-95 will be over by the time you land and get your car.  Even if there is traffic it wont be too bad.  There was alot of construction on the Woodrow Wilson bridge that has been done for a long while now.  The best route for you will be 95 south to 495 straight on in.  I would never take a chance on 295 if I were on any type of schedule.  Another option you may want to look into is flying into DCA which is in Arlington and only about 15-20 minutes from your intended destination.


----------



## hibbeln (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the advice!  I booked the flight (had to do BWI because on short notice it was $305 and all other airports in the WAS area were $700+++(!) to fly in to).
We will fly in at the 9:01 time and take the recommended route.
Booked us back out on Saturday morning. 

For a 9:41 a.m. flight time on Saturday morning (returning a car at Dollar Rent a Car first) what time should we plan to leave Fairfax?  (staying at the HIE on Arlington Boulevard).

THANK YOU, Tuggers, you're the BEST!


----------



## bobby (Oct 3, 2011)

I visit my relatives in the area and find the traffic actually goes about the speed limit in general. I'm now from Boston and doing 15 mph at rush hour is the norm, assuming traffic isn't into 20 mph creep due to density. When I visit DC area, I really watch my lead foot.


----------



## sfwilshire (Oct 4, 2011)

I'd be more concerned about the flight being delayed than the drive time. Of course, I'm still mad about the 22 hours it took me to get home from BWI the last time I was up there. Hope you're not flying Delta. They always seem to have trouble at BWI. 

Sheila


----------



## ScubaKat (Oct 4, 2011)

I fly up to BWI for work quite regularly..  most times with same day returns since I would rather be home than in a hotel... I agree with the drive time.. another alternative to rental car is a car service.  They run cheaper than taxis and are a lot more comfortable and prompt!  Then you won't have to deal with a rental car and driving just for 2 days.


----------



## hibbeln (Oct 5, 2011)

Uh oh.........of course I'm flying Delta to BWI (seeing as I live in the Detroit area).

I actually got a car plus a night at the HOliday Inn Express in Fairfax for $127 total from Orbitz.  I was quite tickled with that!  Since we'll be going from airport to funeral to luncheon to our hotel (for a quick change) then to visit family then ????  it gave us options to run back to the hotel and brush our teeth or change clothes and things like that.


----------



## yumdrey (Oct 5, 2011)

If you arrive with Delta, it would be fine...
If you depart with Delta, there could be delay.
I always use BWI when I travel around USA and Europe and rarely had delay with Delta or with any other Airline companies.


----------



## hibbeln (Oct 9, 2011)

Thanks for the advice, everyone!  It worked out fine!  The drive from BWI to Fairfax WOULD have been 1 hour, but we ran into 5 miles of almost standstill traffic due to construction just north of 66 on S-495 (and a big backup onto the ramp to 66 from S-495 so we were glad to bypass that route!).  But we still made it with a good hour to spare.  Traffic back to BWI on Saturday morning was light and I made it in about an hour, driving leisurely.

QUESTION......around about Chevy Chase exit, there was a big white church (?) visible to the west of the road (or maybe it was the northwest at that point?).  It almost looked like it was made out of white lego.  I saw some mention also of Seminary Road in the area.  What was the big white building?


----------



## Passepartout (Oct 9, 2011)

hibbeln said:


> QUESTION......around about Chevy Chase exit, there was a big white church (?) visible to the west of the road (or maybe it was the northwest at that point?).  It almost looked like it was made out of white lego.  I saw some mention also of Seminary Road in the area.  What was the big white building?



I'm gonna guess it is the Washington D.C. LDS (Mormon) Temple. It's very visible from the beltway.

Jim


----------



## hibbeln (Oct 10, 2011)

That seems like it would be right.  It did kind of remind me of the Mormon Tabernacle in SLC.


----------



## hibbeln (Oct 10, 2011)

Yep!  Mystery solved!  THANK YOU!  (and I still think it looks like it's made out of white legos!)


----------



## ronparise (Oct 10, 2011)

There actually some relationship between this temple and timeshares

Who knows what it is??


----------



## mrrick (Oct 10, 2011)

hibbeln said:


> Yep!  Mystery solved!  THANK YOU!  (and I still think it looks like it's made out of white legos!)



FREE DOROTHY!


----------

