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784caroline
01-05-2008, 02:21 PM
Question: If I was at the northern top of Jacksonville say around 12pm (noon) on a friday heading south.....should I take 295 around Jacksonville or stay on Rte 95 and go through the city??. Is there construction on 95 in this stretch or road?? Eventually I will connect with Rte 1, 40, 11, 19 and 42 to make it to TV. I just hate driving 10, 301 to get to TV.

SteveZ
01-05-2008, 11:57 PM
Have tried several different routes. I-10 to US 301 to Rt 24 (at Waldo) to Gainesville to Rt 331 to I-75 to Rt 484 (Exit 342, I believe) to Rt 475 to Rt 466 works for me. It's the shortest and has the least headaches for construction and delays.

Every other way adds considerable mileage and time. I-95 south of JAX can be a royal construction mess, and if there are any fires, the smoke across the road is miserable.

opbob77
01-06-2008, 05:27 PM
In 30 plus years of driving to Florida I have always stayed on I-95 through Jacksonville. I-295 adds many miles to the trip. I take I-95 to Ormond Beach and Rt 40 west. It's 65 mph and nice road. Left at Rt 19 takes you through Ocala Nat'l Forest and no traffic. Again, good road all the way to 42 and into the TV.

jtdraig
01-07-2008, 02:53 AM
Coming up 301 from the south, stay on 301 until you hook into A-1-A and thence to I-95...it's just a bit longer but so much more civilized....and no I-295, trucks, etc. It's our route of choice now.

784caroline
01-07-2008, 01:49 PM
After a number of years driving 301 to TV, my goal is to stay off of 301. It is the worst road for speed traps, traffic, and red lights that one can imagine. What opbob77 proposed is what I was thinking and I most likely will follow that or a simialr route.

SteveFromNY
01-07-2008, 02:38 PM
In 30 plus years of driving to Florida I have always stayed on I-95 through Jacksonville. I-295 adds many miles to the trip. I take I-95 to Ormond Beach and Rt 40 west. It's 65 mph and nice road. Left at Rt 19 takes you through Ocala Nat'l Forest and no traffic. Again, good road all the way to 42 and into the TV.


I really like this way too!

I've made one change though, I take the 9A east bypass around Jacksonville (it's the eastern 1/2 of the 295 loop). I clocked it and it is only 2 miles longer than going straight thru Jax. I prefer it to the busier 95 route. I don't think anyone knows it's completed yet!

Barefoot
04-21-2008, 12:28 AM
In 30 plus years of driving to Florida I have always stayed on I-95 through Jacksonville. I-295 adds many miles to the trip. I take I-95 to Ormond Beach and Rt 40 west. It's 65 mph and nice road. Left at Rt 19 takes you through Ocala Nat'l Forest and no traffic. Again, good road all the way to 42 and into the TV.

This sounds like a good route to try for the first part of our journey to Canada (using I-95).
Anyone have any new info on this route?

Muncle
04-21-2008, 01:18 AM
I really like this way too!

I've made one change though, I take the 9A east bypass around Jacksonville (it's the eastern 1/2 of the 295 loop). I clocked it and it is only 2 miles longer than going straight thru Jax. I prefer it to the busier 95 route. I don't think anyone knows it's completed yet!


Never notived the 9A option before. Looks interesting and I think I might try in on my next northeastern road trip. Anyone use it recently enough to comment on road conditions, construction, etc???

Sidney Lanier
04-21-2008, 02:55 AM
We had always considered the drive through Jax on I-95 to border on the seventh circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno. We usually use I-295 and connecting roads to 301 and found this route okay, staying conscious of the speed traps and living with the traffic lights on the latter. Also, both our GPS systems recommended this routing (the one built into the Prius and our hand-held Magellan). However, we weren't aware of the 9A option around Jax and maybe we'll try it next time we drive down; thanks for the tip! We've also driven through the Ocala National Forest and though a two-lane road, it IS a wonderful ride!

SteveFromNY
04-21-2008, 02:02 PM
Muncle, I used the 9A bypass in November (twice) again in December (twice) and yet again in February (again twice). There is one traffic light about 1/2 way, the rest of the ride is just fine. It's a short light that wasn't backed up anytime I was there.

Herb
04-21-2008, 06:15 PM
Not yet having made the trip but about to. Does that mean taking the 9A exit on 95 then getting back onto 95 again? Herb

SteveFromNY
04-21-2008, 07:12 PM
Yes, that's exactly what you do. 9A is like the other half of the I-295 "loop", just the shorter half.
Going south, you'll see the 295 exit, just go under the overpass and the exit for 9A is there. It heads south on the east side of 95. Heading north, you'll see 9A first. If you google the map for Jacksonville you'll see the road quite plainly.

barbjim
04-21-2008, 08:54 PM
I agree with taking 95 to Ormond Beach and over via 40. Made the mistake of leaving a different way and it was not pretty. I think the 95 and over seems more direct, less lights, less confusion.
Just an opinion. I did not time either. My google directions were a bit dated and we missed a few turns going out via Ocala.

samhass
04-21-2008, 08:54 PM
Ok..one more time...from Buena Vista in TV to Jax...how do you get there to pick up 9A?

SteveFromNY
04-21-2008, 09:40 PM
From Buena Vista & 466, take 466 to Rolling Acres Rd, Make a left on Rolling Acres, cross 441/27 (pass Home Depot) and make a right on Griffin Ave. Take Griffin a short way to Rte 25. Make a left on 25.
Take 25 (north) to rte 42. Make a right on 42.
Take 42 to Rte 19. Make a left on 19.
Take 19 north to rte 40. Make a right on 40 and head east until you hit rte 95. Take 95 north until you hit 9A (around exit 337 I think) then take 9A north until it connects again to 95.

it sounds complicated but if you look at it on a map it isn't as confusing as it sounds..

mcelheny
04-21-2008, 10:03 PM
Thanks Steve
Those are directions I can follow and will be using them in 2 weeks.

samhass
04-22-2008, 02:04 AM
Yes, Thanks Steve. I'll try it. 301 can be awful up through Waldo and some of those other towns. How long does it take to get to Ga going this way? I normally eat up about 3 hours getting out of Florida. I'm 1003 miles door to door to my northern home.

SteveFromNY
04-22-2008, 02:58 AM
Samhass, I'd guess it's still close to 3 hours. It's about 1 1/2 hours to Ormond Beach (where 95 meets 40) and then about another 100 miles up to the GA border. Total of about 175 miles.
But the trip will be completely different. 42 is a bit windy, but 19 and 40 are fairly fast roads and usually empty. You can make time on 95 if traffic is light and you drive that 100 miles at or a little above the speed limit. So where you spend a lot of time on 301 going thru towns, using 40 to 95 is a much more relaxing drive to me.

Bubbalarry
04-22-2008, 03:07 AM
Have tried several different routes. I-10 to US 301 to Rt 24 (at Waldo) to Gainesville to Rt 331 to I-75 to Rt 484 (Exit 342, I believe) to Rt 475 to Rt 466 works for me. It's the shortest and has the least headaches for construction and delays.

Every other way adds considerable mileage and time. I-95 south of JAX can be a royal construction mess, and if there are any fires, the smoke across the road is miserable.


I totally agree on this route except I go all he way on I-75 to Wildwood and then North to 466A.

It has saved me at times from 30 to 45 minutes. All other routes add miles and tons of time. Your only on RT 301 for about 30+ miles. Just when the cops start looking for us Villagers.

Sidney Lanier
04-22-2008, 09:27 AM
Regarding the Ormond Beach route, wouldn't it be simpler (even if a mile or two longer) to take Rolling Acres to 441, and then 441 straight up to 42 and then east to 19? Fewer turns....

SteveFromNY
04-22-2008, 02:10 PM
Regarding the Ormond Beach route, wouldn't it be simpler (even if a mile or two longer) to take Rolling Acres to 441, and then 441 straight up to 42 and then east to 19? Fewer turns....

As it looks to me there would be one extra turn but then the lights on 441 to deal with between Rolling Acres and 42. It would be a left off 466 onto 441, then right on 42 vs a right on Griffin, a left on 25, then a right on 42. Like I said, it sounds a little complicated, but once you've passed Home Depot on Rolling Acres, the road dead ends at Griffin Ave. Make a right there and go a short distance (2 blocks or so) to the intersection of Griffin & 25. Griffin Ave is the southern border of the historic Villages. Just follow it until they end and there's the left for 25.
But if it's easier to go to 42 on 441 for you, go ahead, it'll work. Like you said it's a little longer - you'll travel 2 sides of the triangle formed by 441, 42 & 25 vs 1 - but no big deal.

Barefoot
04-25-2008, 12:41 PM
We live in the "western" end of TV.
We took 301 North to 42 (turn right).
42 East to 19 (turn left).
19 North to Route 40 (turn right).
40 East to 95 North.

We found it to be an extremely relaxing and pleasant drive, much nicer than 301 north.
We also used the 9A bypass at Jacksonville as suggested on TOTV.

Thanks everyone for the directions. ;D We had a great trip to Canada, only 26 hours!
Fireboy likes to drive straight through and I like to take three days, so we compromised by doing it in two days. This time we drugged the cat, and the two dogs are good travellers.

Barefoot in Canada
Counting the days until I can return to TV

mcelheny
04-25-2008, 01:57 PM
So nice to have directions for my drive North. Thanks everybody and glad Barefoot had a safe trip!

SteveFromNY
04-25-2008, 06:13 PM
Ok..one more time...from Buena Vista in TV to Jax...how do you get there to pick up 9A?


Thanks to Barefoot, I now see a simpler way to get to 42 form Buena Vista.
Take Buena Vista north until it ends at 42.
Make a right on 42.
Left on 19, right on 40 to I-95 north near Ormand Beach.

Thanks Barefoot. My house is south of 466 and I almost forgot 42 goes all the way across the north end of TV. Glad your trip was good.