Bypassing Atlanta since I85 closure thru Alabama going north
 

I have found a route thru Alabama from The Villages to I65 (in Montgomery) which will take you north to the midwest states far away from the disaster in Atlanta. Atlanta traffic is awful on the best day but diverting 250,000 cars off I85 for the next few months till bridge is repaired spells long delays.

Take I75 94 miles to I-10W..... 166 miles to US 231, exit 130....... then approx 98 miles to I65 north (Montgomery). From there you can GPS wherever you are going. Completely bypasses Georgia.

This is just a suggestion from me on my way to Chicago - adds only about 56 miles to my trip and I have never seen Alabama. Have travelled thru Atlanta on I75 to and from Fl for 7 years between 10am and 2pm with little difficulty. I just think I might like to stay clear of the added congestion and confusion in Atlanta. Everyone of course can make their own determination as to what's best for their travels.

When I looked at the maps, the overpass failure is NORTH of the 75/85 split, and affects 85 only, so I am not sure of the impact on route 75 traffic, it might actually be lighter in the 75/85 area, as there will ne NO 85 traffic. There is a hotline for traffic info setup, I remember seeing it shortly after the news of the collapse, but I do not recall the exact info.

That seems extreme. There must be a better way. Now, aps on phones direct minute to minute around clogged traffic.

The bypass suggested is also a nice way to head north and not contend with the hills near Chattanooga - and it's not too much out of the way.

Atlanta does have a beltway, it's I-285. When northbound south of Atlanta join I-285 West and follow until your just south of Marietta and then rejoin I-75. If you want to save some time and it's not rush hour, stay on I-75 into downtown and pick up I-20 West (the fire was north of I-20), follow west to I-285 and then to Marietta and rejoin I-75. Just take a look at the map, there are many options without going to Alabama.

Google Maps

Thanks for starting this thread and thank you for the suggestion.

A few years ago, we took a route through Alabama that added some time to the trip but it was not a terrible amount.

I hope this thread continues to gather information for those who want to avoid Atlanta this time.

We travel to TN 2-4 times per year via I-75.

The I-85 closure will definitely affect the load on 75 in both directions.

That along with the ongoing construction north of Atlanta will make a bad/but tolerable situation worse....of course time of day is a big factor.

We always try ti time going through Atlanta mid morning or mid afternoon or after 10 PM and before 4 AM.

The bypasses will also be carrying more traffic as well.

Our alternate route north is to head to Jacksonville and pick up 95 then 26 through the Carolinas, onto 40 west to I 75 at Knoxville. This routing adds one hour to our 9 hour trip. For those who like scenic routes the trip through the Carolina and TN via ! 40 is spectacular....right through the mountains.

This is the way we will be going until such time as I85 is fixed.

Traveling between 10 at night and early morning to get through Atlanta doesn't work for me (the driver) anymore. Too tiring and the eyes at night are not what they used to be.

Good luck.

///

Good route
 

I take that way all the time, I bypass Atlanta, Chatnooga, and Nashville that way. It may take 1/2 to 1 hour longer, but by avoiding traffic jams it may not be any longer.

I've used this route several times going to Omaha or Minneapolis when gps wanted me to go through Atlanta. It's better than going thru Atlanta even though I've done it many times in the last 40 years but only takes once or twice when there is an accident to make you wish you hadn't.

Just drove thru Atlanta on Friday.

Yes, the damage is on I-85............but it backs up onto I-75.

The traffic normally exiting onto I-85 appears to be traveling farther North on I-75, then exiting.

I took I-285 (West) around Atlanta and it really wasn't bad. It was slow going, but rather than adding an hour plus, plus by avoiding Georgia............I thought it wasn't bad at all. It probably took us an additional 45 mins.

Are US 231 and 165 at least 2 lanes in each direction ?

yes the are 4 lane open acess highways, but the best part about this the i75 from Chattanooga south to Florida it is almost white knuckle driving all the time both ways , however the alternative route is four lanes of the state highways ,the interstates are too lane each way however it is much more relaxed and easy driving so I am sure with the trouble with the traffic has picked up on this route however please beware this route is heavily patrolled by law-enforcement watch your speed it has become my go to routewhen going Chicago area

This is just a suggestion from me on my way to Chicago - adds only about 56 miles to my trip and I have never seen Alabama. Have travelled thru Atlanta on I75 to and from Fl for 7 years between 10am and 2pm with little difficulty. I just think I might like to stay clear of the added congestion and confusion in Atlanta. Everyone of course can make their own determination as to what's best for their travels.

What do you think the weekend traffic on I75 should be like? We should be traveling through Atlanta (to and from The Villages) on a Saturday. I'm wondering if a longer detour would be necessary on a weekend.

Just traveled thru there last week.

If you are heading North, I would recommend I-285 West. Normal travel time is about 15 mins longer than I-75. But since all the truckers know about the I-85 fire, they are taking the loop as well.........so it added 30 to 45 minutes from normal.

Traveling South on I-75.........a little slower just because everyone is looking at I-85.

Google Maps does show traffic conditions.

We traveled thru downtown Atlanta yesterday around 11:00am. Traffic was moving well above the speed limit. Chattanooga was more stop and go. Thru Nashville and north of Nashville it was slow going. There was a car in the grass between the north and southbound lanes. The police on the northbound side decided to block the left lane about 3/4 quarters of a mile before the car in the median in the same spot where the right hand lane ends. 3 lanes down to one. This added 45 minutes to the drive. Boy do I miss the old flip page AAA Trip Tiks where you could see alternate routes. Yes. I know there are phone apps but I like looking at a paper map.

Any recent updates on going through Atlanta on I-75?

Even with GPS and phone app's, I still keep one of these in the car.

Target : Expect More. Pay Less.

http://target.scene7.com/is/image/Ta...=520&fmt=pjpeg

Especially since most GPS' and phone app's will give you what they consider the quickest route (if that's the default you've chosen), even if it's only a few seconds faster according to their algorithm's.

I have had to 'aim' toward a certain town, then put in my final destination when wanting to travel a different route.

When doing this, the new route will often show up as either taking the same amount of time or only a minute or so longer...but is much more interesting/scenic.

Having the Road Atlas, makes it much easier to plan a route to program into the GPS/phone app...than the one it wants to give. :ho:

The only issue with the route you outline is US 231 and small towns you travel through for about 100 miles with traffic signals etc. We have tried these routes through Alabama a couple of times and went back to Georgia and I 75 straight through Atlanta on our way to Central Illinois. Given the circumstances, however, it might be prudent to go through Alabama again. Just remember that US 231 is not an Interstate highway and adjust accordingly.

We also travel to TN a few times a year and I-75 have become horrible any time of the day both directions. There is an another way to avoid Atl Chatt and Knox by cutting off I-75 at Macon and taking 441 to 23. You will come out on I-40 at the Waynesville exit. It is a nice drive and will actually save you time because I-75 is a crap shoot right now. :22yikes:

Thanks very much for this information! Very helpful.

I like rt 75 atlanta ,but I only drive through 11 am-2pm and I stay in the hov lane at all times.

We just drove from Florida to Chicago this past weekend. We took 75 and went through Atlanta at about 2 pm. There were no traffic issues at all. Granted, this was on the Saturday afternoon of Easter weekend, but I'd suggest checking traffic before making any big detours. We had no problem going southbound on 75 through Atlanta the prior Saturday at about 3:30 in the afternoon, either. That said, if I was going to be hitting Atlanta anytime near rush hour on a weekday, I'd probably be driving through Alabama!

We went through Atlanta southbound from Michigan on Saturday around 8 AM. It was the lightest traffic we ever had through Atlanta! Chattanooga was worse on Friday afternoon. Hopefully, Atlanta will be good when we go back home on a Saturday!

Are 441 and 23 four lane roads?

I just read that yesterday a gas explosion in Atlanta buckled I-20 and it is now closed.

I don't know the territory so I don't know anything about how I-20's closing can affect I-75 traffic, but I assume there could be a definite effect.

We took I-75 through Atlanta earlier this month in a Class A motor home and I didn't think traffic was any worse (or any better) than other times. We did come down in January via I-65 because we spent some time in Huntsville and Mobile before coming to TV. I thought it was a longer route than 75 but it does avoid the Chattanooga hills and Atlanta traffic.

traveling north or south on I-75??

You can check out this link to GDT's real-time traffic map. Right now at 1:40pm I-75 looks decent and moving pretty quickly.

Georgia 511

Left TV this Tuesday morning at 7 A.M. to breeze through Atlanta at 2 P.M. Other than a lot of truck traffic, there were no delays using I-75 today.

Thanks for the update.
I assume you remained on I-75 through Atlanta and didn't take the bypass?

Yes, I-75 all the way!

Thank you for the suggestion. Heading down from Wisconsin to The Villages in a few weeks. Will try it your way...

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I-20 should now be fixed according to news article.

Quick fix coming for buckled highway in Atlanta - News 12 Now

On Monday morning, just before 8:00 AM, we sailed right through Atlanta on I-75 North.

In late January, Atlanta opened 12 miles of express lanes in the southern part of the metro area.(I think it starts somewhere around McDonough.)

The new express lanes are reversible, heading north in the morning and south in the afternoon. We always use the HOV lane on I-75, but even so, I think those new toll lanes, carrying I-75 traffic from the south, during morning rush hour, must have helped the overall traffic into the city.

There are signs on I-75 to tell drivers that the Florida SunPass is recognized, along with the GA Peach Pass. I think North Carolina's QuickPass works, too.

We always take I-75 straight through the city, but the only conclusion I can truly make is that you just never know.

US 231 is exactly the right way to go. I've been taking that road for years even before the Atlanta boondoggle.

New I-75 Toll lanes
 

We came north this past Saturday thru Atlanta on I-75. It took us at least an hour to go the 12 miles just before the I-675 interchange. The new express lanes were there, HOWEVER, we looked in vain for those signs telling us the Florida Sunpass was recognized.. No such signs. The only signs we saw said use of the express lanes requires a Peach Pass, and there is a hefty ($125 as I recall) fine for entering express lane without a Peach Pass. After reaching home, I did some on-line research, and found NO evidence that a Florida Sun Pass (nor any other Pass) is interchangeable with a Peach Pass.

By the way, this traffic mess appeared to be caused by workers pouring concrete pavement in at least 3 or 4 lanes at once - leaving only 2 lanes open for traffic - on a very short section of roadway. Once we cleared this, getting on through Atlanta, all the way on I-75, was a breeze.

Last week I took the I-10 to 231, etc. route. Easy way to hook up with I-65 if you're heading to anyplace north and west of Michigan. It took me no more time than normal to reach Grand Rapids. I was so happy to not endure the Atlanta mess. Have a friend who is with the Atlanta police dept and he advised the day before my departure to simply stay away because I-75 through there AND the "by-pass" are totally unpredictable. Plus, the route was more scenic and interesting.