As you know, rush hour in Northern Virginia is a problem regardless of the route you take. If there s a way to do it easily, people find it and then everyone is doing it...eventually leading to congestion on those secret routes as well.Personally, I head west on Rt. 7, and then pick-up Rt. 28 heading south when you reach Sterling.
Not really. One alternative is to take 267 (toll road) west, and then south on Sully Road -- but in my experience it is not really that much better, and is probably a bit longer.
This is the DMV, you can t avoid it. God forbid an idiot has a fender bender on those roads.