Saturday Traffic on the Outer Banks

The following pictures were downloaded from the North Carolina Department of Transportation Website that includes traffic cams in and around the Outer Banks.   I wish they had a link directly to the Outer Banks - to get there just click on the icon in northeastern North Carolina and you can then zoom into the Outer Banks. 

This is the scene at the foot of the Wright Memorial Bridge looking from Powell's Point towards Southern Shores and Kitty Hawk.  It was captured at 10:46 A.M. and you can see Elvis is leaving the building.

The second image is from the same camera taken at 5:28 P.M. this afternoon.  Looks like a few families coming to the beach for the week.  This is the traffic you really don't want to be in if you can help it.  For those heading towards Corolla - I bet you wish that Mid Currituck Bridge was completed.  An $8 one way toll doesn't sound so bad after all.  It would probably cut down on the number of times you have to answer - Mom, when are we going to get there?

Comments

[BOBXNC]

Maybe that's why no one thinks July is the best month to come to the OBX. Nicely done. Glad my longest trip was down to Penquin Isle for the Wilder Bros.

[Ronnie Roach]

Bob,
I have wanted to capture this for a few weeks but for some reason the cams were down the last few Saturdays.

[Stuart]

Ronnie,
I stole some of your thunder with this blog and used it on ours. However I did give you the credit. Thanks for knocking down my writer's block for the day.

[Ronnie Roach]

Stuart - stealing is a harsh word. I would call that borrowing and linking which is perfectly fine by me. It was you that introduced me to the traffic cams in the first place.

[miles's mom]

Having been in the traffic coming (6/30) and going (7/6) I can say it felt worse than this at certain points, but was survivable.

On the way down in particular, the worst part was actually on the mainland near the Virginia/NC border on Route 168/158. There, they were actually shutting down the toll booths for periods of time to try to get the traffic unsnarled. The second worst part was crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge. I was surprised at how much more crowded the lanes heading to Duck/Corolla were than those headed to points South.

This was our first-ever July trip to the Outer Banks, having always been an August family, and it definitely felt more crowded. The July 4th holiday certainly added to the overall mix.

[Rich]

Hello,

I am going to Kitty hawk for first time this Sunday. 6/22 Is sunday traffic as bad? If so; can I avoid the delays by arriving by say 10 or 11 am? I'll find a bar to drink in until check in time arrives.....

Feedback appreciated.

Rich

[Ronnie Roach]

Sunday at 11 should be fine. Hope you have a great time while visiting the Outer Banks.

[Adi Gelem]

How long will it take to drive to Nags Head from Richmond, VA in late July on a Saturday?

Does it matter when I leave?

[Ronnie Roach]

On a normal day - you can make it to the Outer Banks in 3.5 to 4 hours from Richmond. I would strongly suggest arriving before 12 to miss the majority of traffic.

[Angela Norkiewicz]

I am hoping to arrive at the bridge to Outer Banks around 9PM on Saturday night...can I still expect traffic at that time?

[Ronnie Roach]

You should be fine at 9:00 PM. You will probably be tired but should not have to wait in many lines. Hope you enjoy your vacation!

[Lori]

We are driving from upstate NY to the Outer Banks the week of August 9th. This will be our second time there and we can't wait. Last year it took us 14 hours to get to our rental house because of all of the traffic that we ran into. This year, we are going to split the drive into two days. We are going to try and get most of it done on friday evening. When does the traffic on the bridge start to get real heavy, any ideas...we are also driving with two toddlers...it's going to be a long drive but so worth it.

[Ronnie Roach]

Lori

I would try to arrive sometime before 11 if possible. This past weekend things started backing up around noon. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your stay.

[Linda]

I have been going down to OUter Banks for 12 years but have NEVER gove down on a Saturday. I was thinking about leaving the Washington DC area around 4:00 pm. Usually takes us about 5 hours. Do you think the traffic will be bad after 7:00pm on the bridge and making the turn on 12?

[colin]

We are driving from Ohio this saturday. It is within 30 miles driving distance going through Virginia as opposed to cutting across North Carolina. Will there be more conjestion on 64 or coming down 158 to Nags head?

[Ronnie Roach]

You should have very little trouble taking the 64 route in NC (unless you are hitting Greensboro or the Raleigh Durham area between 5 and 6 pm. The traffic coming to the beach on that route is so much easier than the alternative.

[Robyn S]

We are headed down to Corolla this Saturday and it's about a 6 hour trip for us so I don't think we'll be there by noon as you suggest. Do you think leaving home at noon and getting there around 6pm would be better traffic wise than arriving (theoretically ) around 4pm? Thanks for the help.

[Ronnie Roach]

You are going to not be happy arriving at 6:00 pm - especially heading up to Corolla. I am not sure if it is an option, but you might want to consider breaking the drive up - you can get a hotel in Chesapeake on Friday night and make it to the beach on Saturday early. Everyone will be much happier and you get to spend some time on the beach on Saturday vs. sitting in line.

If you arrived on the beach at noon last Saturday, you would be in slow moving traffic. 2 was bad, 4 was worse, 6 was still awful and things started easing up around 7. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your stay.

[Amy]

WE are leaving on Sat the 16th..Is there a better time to leave the island? (Corolla Pine ISland)