Quote:
Originally Posted by kschwi
We had terrible luck heading north from the Villages on April 6th. We left at 6:30 am and didn't get through Atlanta until around 4pm. It must have taken close to 5 hours to get through that metropolitan area.
Therefore, we are trying to decide when would be the most desirable time to drive through Atlanta and where would be a safe place to stop if we need a bathroom break.
One option would be to avoid Atlanta altogether. My son flew down last March to visit and rented a car and drove through Alabama instead. Google maps says that is out of the way and will add an hour to our trip although it assumes Atlanta is not a mess. However, I wouldn't think Alabama has the potential for major traffic delays that are possible in Atlanta.
Last year on our way down to the Villages, we lucked out. We made it to the Atlanta are around 5:30 on Dec 31st and stayed in a hotel in McDonough GA and then left early on New Year's Day. We could do something similar this year but we might have a different experience since it won't be Sunday Dec 31st.
Any suggestions? Are there any roads closed due to the hurricane?
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If you have a Sunpass for Florida toll roads (I-Pass and EZPass do not work) you can take the Toll Express lanes through Atlanta. If we are not traveling on a Sunday, we leave Chattanooga about 9 AM, hit the PeachPass Toll Lanes around 10 to 10:30, and these end where the HOV lane start. Sunpass is good on the Peachpass lanes, and two people in the car qualifies for HOV. Otherwise, Take I-57 to I-55 to I-155, to US 412, In Jackson Tn use the US 45 ByPass to US 45 South, the at Tupelo take I-22/US 87 east to I-65 in Birmingham, I-65 South to I-81 East at Montgomery, take Exit 15 for AL-10 to US 81 East, take that to I-75 at Tifton GA and you will then be 62 mles from the Florida state line. The roads are very lightly traveled, plenty of places to stop, and except for Birmingham the locations are safe and benign. No Atlanta or Nashville traffic. The route takes an extra hour, but you can lose that easily in Atlanta or Nashville. Overnight stay in Montgomery or along I-22 west of Birmingham rather than Birmingham is recommended.