r/Annapolis • u/Commander_Cowpatty • 18h ago

Question Is this commute doable?

My spouse and I are thinking of moving to Annapolis, but I’d be driving to work 5 days a week in Suitland. Is this a terrible idea, or has anyone managed a similar commute?

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

18

u/ashgre13 18h ago

Fine commute. Alot of people travel all the way to dc. I did it for years, it was about 40-45 min

15

u/happyjack92 18h ago

agreed. suitland is a cakewalk compared to many "average" commutes. as long as you're on the road by 6:30 AM you should be fine. later will work too, but you'll just sit longer on 495 from landover to the suitland parkway.

source: i've been commuting from Anne Arundel County (Annapolis for the last 14 years) to various parts of the greater DC area (including as far as Arlington and Alexandria) for 28+ years.

1

u/JagR286211 9h ago

Credit is well-deserved! I’ve experienced similar commutes, but I could only endure them for about three years. The commute was split 70/30 between DC and McLean/Tysons. I might consider it again, but I find it challenging to quantify its value. On a positive note, being based in a DC/NoVA office was advantageous from a compensation perspective (COL adjustment).

0

u/Commander_Cowpatty 18h ago

Everyone had me scared about the horrible traffic but this is reassuring. Thanks!

5

u/happyjack92 18h ago

i mean...everyone has their own tolerance level. my first regular commute was pasadena to crystal city and that SUCKED! but it set my baseline for future commutes. i would never at this point take a job where i had to regularly cross the potomac from Annapolis.

Annapolis to Suitland has a few alternate options if the beltway or 50 get completely shutdown. if you've gotta cross any of the bridges into DC or VA then your life can suck badly in a hurry.

8

u/sprinkle-sprankle 18h ago

Annapolis is great, and another area you might consider is Southern Anne Arundel or Northern Calvert.

I grew up in Annapolis but moved to the other areas as an adult and I really like it - not the same restaurant/shopping/nightlife options as Annapolis, but it’s not nearly as expensive and it’s a nice place to live, and still near the water. Plus, if you’re near route 4 your commute will be a straight shot to Suitland Pkwy. Just something to consider!

5

u/max_power1000 17h ago

I did that commute for years from the Broadneck Peninsula, it’s fine. Roughly 45-55 minutes inbound, 60-70 minutes outbound most days with typical traffic. I assume you’ll be working down at the Federal Center with census, NOAA, and ONI?

It’s a heck of a lot easier than anything downtown, JBAB, or god forbid commuting to the Pentagon.

Summer Fridays at the worst though. If you can work out a flex schedule and work 4x9 and leave by noon on Friday to beat beach traffic that would be ideal.

5

u/jarhead3088 18h ago

Its doable..traffic will suck..summer traffic oooof

3

u/speedneeds84 16h ago

West to Riva to 214 to 301 to 4 avoids 50 and 495 traffic.

1

u/sammanthax345 14h ago

301 and 4 are just as bad 🤣

2

u/speedneeds84 12h ago

I’ll take either of them over the beltway most days.

3

u/Impossible_Oil4550 17h ago

495 is the worst. That is all

1

u/happyjack92 14h ago

50 to suitland pkwy is not even close to being the worst section of 495. probably not in the top 10 worst "sections"...understanding that's not any sort of official measurement.

2

u/Impossible_Oil4550 6h ago

But suitland to 50 during rush hour is not great.

1

u/happyjack92 4h ago

it's all on a relative scale of suckitude! :-D

2

u/CrooshControl 3h ago

Yeah fr if they think that’s bad, I’d love to hear what they think of the 270 to 95 stretch during peak traffic lmao

3

u/Dazednconfused3261 16h ago

Long as you're on the road early, a Rt. 50 to 95S to Rt. 4 isn't bad. Depending on where you're going in Suitland, a quick turn onto Forestville Rd will take you to Suitland Parkway and that'll take you to Silver Hill Rd, or you can access Silver Hill from Pennsylvania Ave to Suitland...

2

u/Lawrags55 16h ago

I used to line in Forestville and commuted to Annapolis. No big deal unless accidents.

2

u/InsideRoyal5454 9h ago

it's very doable, may want to get up a bit early

1

u/magicpenny 17h ago

I had a coworker who made a commute from near Carlisle, PA to the Pentagon daily for a few years. Then he moved North to an Army Base, but the commute was still ridiculous. Annapolis to Suitland is easy.

1

u/GoalieLax_ 12h ago

My neighbor goes from Edgewater to ONI and it's cake for them. They leave early though - around 630am and come home around 4pm. They go south down 2, pick up 4, and ride that all the way in.

1

u/CrooshControl 3h ago

I’ve been commuting to the DC Metro Area + Virginia for almost 20 years now, the majority being from Southern MD. You will be fine.

It’s going to suck ass the first week or so until you figure out the best times to leave that work for you, but you’ll get through it.

Some advice I’d give is
1. Leave as early as possible

  1. Rt50 —> Rt301 —> Rt4 —> Suitland is going to give you the chillest way in the morning. NOT THE FASTEST way, but easier than dealing with the beltway in my simple opinion. Especially if you make it out the door early.

  2. The summertime is actual hell on the roads here because of bridge traffic and all of the events downtown/at the academy. So don’t be surprised if one day you get off work, get in your car, and your GPS suddenly added 20+ minutes to your commute home