What kind of traffic/travel time I should expect driving to and from Woodbridge and Fort Belvoir?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 12:52:42 -0400

In a few months my family and I will be PCSing to Fort Belvoir. We are interested in buying a house (currently looking in the Woodbridge area) and I was wondering if anyone on here could tell me, either from experience or from past knowledge, what kind of traffic/travel time I should expect driving to and from Woodbridge and Fort Belvoir. Also, if any knowledge of nice places to buy a house in the area would be helpful. Thank you in advance!

Response by LTC Eugene Chu made Jul 9 at 2019 12:56 PM

LTC Eugene Chu — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 12:56:25 -0400

I work in DC. Traffic can fluctuate depending on departure time and on what lane you use (30-45 minutes). If you leave earlier for PT, use pay express lane or offer to pick up "slugs" (organized hitchhikers), you may have shorter commute (20-30 minutes).

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2019 1:50 PM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 13:50:22 -0400

I will echo what the good LTC Eugene Chu said and suggest giving yourself a little extra time to commute. If you are going to live in Woodbridge and commute to Belvior, VRE is a good option too. I take the VRE from Fredericksburg to DC for work every day and it's clean and the conductors are nice. You would simply take the VRE from Woodbridge to Franconia-Springfield and then get off and take a bus to post. There's a bus that runs from Franconia-Springfield to the base. It's a lot less hassle and frustration than dealing with traffic on 95. Good luck and welcome to the area!

Response by PO2 Ron Haskell made Jul 9 at 2019 2:40 PM

PO2 Ron Haskell — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 14:40:44 -0400

Alexander,

I live outside Belvoir. Woodbridge is close, but there is a traffic choke point to cross the Occoquan. You can alleviate some of that by sneaking up route one sometimes. If you're in Woodbridge itself and going to work at 6-7ish expect a min of25-35 minutes. There are some affordable neighborhoods on the north side of the Occoquan you might consider checking too. (Newington, Kingstowne, Hayfield)

Good luck!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2019 8:10 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 08:10:47 -0400

SGT Turton,
Woodbridge is a fairly large area with many sketchy sections. Traffic on both main routes (route 1 and I-95) to / from Belvoir during rush hour is brutal, so driving against traffic is preferable. I live and recommend Kingstowne for people PCS'ing to Belvoir due to its proximity to the post and its relative affordability. Kingstowne borders the north side of post; has many stores, restaurants and entertainment venues and is clean/safe. The only drawback, applicable to the entire NCR, is real estate is CRAZY expensive! I moved here 20-years ago from Louisville, KY and was shocked at how expensive the DC area is. However, the tax free housing allowance takes away some of the sting. PM me if you'd like me to hook you up with a real estate agent who I work with who can help you find properties if you'd like.
LTC Parrish

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2019 5:21 PM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 17:21:14 -0400

Traffic sucks!!!
I live in stafford, work in DC. I95 is a f&$^$^$ nightmare some times. Time can very. From woodbridge as fast as 25 mins but if theres a problem you can sit for well over an hour. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions about the area, I can also hook you up with a real good real estate agent.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2019 8:18 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 08:18:13 -0400

SGT Potomac Shores I a new community where they are still building. It’s further south of Woodbridge in Dumfries.

I will point out one thing that no one else has mentioned. It is currently a sellers market and it’s only going to get worse because Amazon will be establishing east coast headquarters in Crystal City. The only benefit is that once Amazon is here your property value is going to skyrocket.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 23 at 2019 3:09 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 03:09:14 -0400

I have been there before but just visiting but from Washington DC its 45 min drive. Just Google map it and add 15 min in case of traffic