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Jay Lloyd's Getaway: Summertime Getaway Routes

By Jay Lloyd

WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) --  You've all heard the sometimes-comical expression, "You can't get there from here."   Summer getaway driving may seem like that, but there are some easy ways to avoid the highway hassles.

For starters, a straight line between two points isn't always the quickest way to that summer getaway.

The recent closing of the Interstate 495 bridge and the resultant overload on I-95 have frustrated the summer crowd heading for popular destinations on the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware seashore.

Meanwhile, Jersey shore drivers are forever snarled in the Atlantic City Expressway exodus, and trying to get across the George Washington Bridge can add an hour to your New England getaway trip.

Here are two tricks to beating the highway blues: alternate routes and timing.

Routes become complicated until we remember that more mileage under the tires doesn't necessarily mean more time on the road.  Avoiding metropolitan areas and finding scenic back roads or city-skirting major highways can translate into a swifter cruise to shore and mountains.  For example, the Commodore Barry Bridge opens numerous routes to the Jersey shore.

Or, pick your way through scenic lower Chester County to the Chesapeake.

And always bypass New York City if at all possible.  The distance may be longer, but it'll probably take less time.

As for timing… how do feel about leaving at 6am?  You'll be at your vacation destination that much sooner!

 

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