Where to Buy Cheap Gas Off I-95 in Maryland

Interstate 95 is the most important highway in the Free World. I-95 connects the Eastern Seaboard states from its humble beginnings at the Maine - New Brunswick border to its ultimate terminus at Miami, Florida to East Coast partner U.S. Route 1.

The State of Maryland hosts Interstate 95 for 110 miles of the critical Washington, D.C. to New York City stretch. Indeed, the D.C. - New York connection, which ties together the cultural, financial, and political capitals of the United States is arguably the most important corridor within the entire Universe.

The importance of the Maryland link, which facilitates access to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey cannot be overstated. The I-95 / 495 - Woodrow Wilson Bridge, welcomes motorists into the Old Line State by carrying 250,000 vehicles per day and is one of the most notorious bottlenecks on the East Coast.

Managing the I-95 corridor arrives part and parcel with an East Coast upbringing and State of Mind. Veteran travelers, truckers, commuters, and Marylanders will add one more wrinkle to the trip with this article.

The purpose of this guide is to locate viable options for buying cheap gas off Interstate 95 in Maryland. We shall explore said proposal from both ends of the spectrum. Our blueprint begins by exposing the most expensive sections of I-95 to purchase gasoline and closes with the key presentation of intelligent locations for affordable fare.

East Coast drivers must note that South Carolina and New Jersey carry the lowest gas prices at the I-95 corridor per extraordinarily favorable gas tax legislation. Of course, holding out to buy cheap gas in Jersey or the Palmetto State is not always an option.

Still, Maryland does offer low-priced regular gasoline that is comparable to these two locales at select locations.

We recognize that the price of gasoline will fluctuate from day-to-day. However, I must define the word "cheap" as a term that means "less expensive than the next guy." Meaning, today's patterns of development and municipal tax policy will hold well into the future and current price quotes translate into long term trends that shall continue to undercut the competition going forward.

Where NOT to Buy Cheap Gas off I-95 in Maryland

Do not buy expensive gas at the I-95 / 495 Capital Beltway in Prince George's County. Gas prices spike at all Beltway junctions and actually increase away from the Outer Loop and deeper into PG County.

The Beltway represents a barrier separating the inner, working class sections of PG from the stately opulence of the suburban developments.

Only native Washingtonians should buy gas within close proximity to 95 / 495. Still, these drivers will take care to purchase fuel inside the Beltway. For example, Exxon flashes $2.59 at 7619 Greenbelt Road beyond the Outer Loop, while Shell fronts the area with $2.53 for 87-octane in Berwyn Heights inside the Beltway.

MD 193 - Greenbelt Road is accessible from the MD 201 - Kenilworth Avenue exits off the Capital Beltway.

Irrespective of the I-95 / 495 price action, the Capital Beltway is a complete madhouse for traffic action at all hours of the day. I would not advise that out-of-state motorists attempt to navigate the mixing bowl cloverleaf interchanges off the Beltway to purchase gasoline.

East Coast drivers will be more than happy to exit stage right off the Capital Beltway for 95 "Baltimore" and leave the congestion for good in the rear view mirror.

I-95 is typically smooth sailing in terms of traffic flow beyond the 495 Beltway, even through Baltimore City. Although 95 provides skyline views from afar, the highway actually barrels overhead some of the more industrial sections of Charm City at both approaches to the Ft. McHenry tunnel.

Take heed, one wrong turn off of 95 will place unwitting motorists dead center within some of most violent neighborhoods in the country. Interstate traffic may challenge any proposal that directs motorists to exit 95 onto the streets of Baltimore for cheap gas.

Where to Buy Cheap Gas off I-95 in Maryland

Washington area motorists will exit 95 at Route 198 West for Burtonsville to secure convenient, cheap gas. Exxon and Shell front 198 at both Sweitzer and Bauer lanes for $2.49 at the time of this writing.

The Exxon station at Sweitzer Lane also abuts a Holiday Inn, Outback Steakhouse, Blimpie Subs, and Brass Duck restaurant, which provide decent food and lodging choices.

Meanwhile, Freestate operates further to the west beyond downtown Burtonsville to hawk cheap gas that always undersells the competition. Burtonsville is a 2-mile drive west of 95 per a divided Route 198 and the tidy town accommodates all passer-by with various banking institutions and limitless restaurant fare.

I-95 drivers will discover that the 198 exits are quite spacious and typically free of gridlock. These airy characteristics are the exception to the rule along 95 throughout the Mid-Atlantic, where the roadbed always carries at least six to eight lanes across, and the cities appear to "melt" into each other.

Further north, out-of-town guests remain intimidated by the Baltimore City landscape. However, locals will discover that gas prices plunge north of the Ft. McHenry Tunnel and east of 95 towards Dundalk. $2.49 is the going rate for gasoline at Eastern Avenue.

Interestingly, gas prices hug the $2.49 price point between Baltimore and the Delaware State Line off the 95 - John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. The Pulaski Highway Mystik currently hawks cheap gas for $2.43 in Edgewood, off the MD 24 South exit.

The Maryland House also patrols the vicinity, with direct access to and from 95 within the median in Harford County. Of course, motorists will pay up for said convenience in terms of sharp price increases and stale food.

Besides, the vanilla rest-stop fill-up and Roy Rogers coffee is just plain boring.

Happy Trails.

Where to Buy Cheap Gas off I-95 in Maryland, Sources:

The State of Maryland, http://www.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Wikipedia, Interstate 95, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_95

Maryland Gas Prices, http://www.marylandgasprices.com/