Talk of The Villages Florida - Bypassing Atlanta since I85 closure thru Alabama going north

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Hacker1 (Post 1395373)

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.

Hi Hacker1,

My apologies for not being more clear. I should have said it was on one of those electronic signs above the interstate near McDonough. Sometimes those can be easy to miss if traffic is moving at normal speed. (We did not use the express lanes.)

Also, I agree that it is not easy to find the information online. I am linking here to an article from GDOT. Scroll down the page to find the info in a blue box.

I-75 South Metro

I also saw mention of it in an article that was on the newspaper site, Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Ironically, two of our fastest times through Atlanta were during rush hour. I used to be hung up on weekends but that only worked about half the time.

Getting through Atlanta traffic truly is the luck of the draw.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomer (Post 1395529)

Getting through Atlanta traffic truly is the luck of the draw.

Almost everywhere you put into the GPS takes you thru Atlanta. I have been bypassing it for years. I heard that commercial pilots have a saying that says that when you die and go to heaven you will have a layover in Atlanta.

I, too, took I-75 north through Atlanta last Saturday, 30th, and hit that area around 12:30pm. It was a mess due to the temporary construction GDOT scheduled for the weekend to avoid disrupting weekday traffic. Oops, didn't think about that. I also spent an extra hour taking several detours to avoid the stoppages on I-75. There were no signs about Sunpass working for Peachpass, but the Sunpass does work, though I didn't know it at the time.

See following article for confirmation.

SunPass: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina transponders now valid in all three states. - Sun Sentinel

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomer (Post 1395529)

Boomer - Thanks for the clarification. I thought we also saw all the electronic signs along the way, however it's possible we may have missed one or two. We have a Sunpass decal, so apparently could have saved an hour or so if we had been more aware. What's done is done, no problem now.

We have been driving this route for years now, going south in the Fall, north in the Spring. We usually travel weekdays, and plan so we go through Atlanta between 10am and 2pm (occasionally as late as 2:30). We've never had a problem zipping right through Atlanta, altho, we occasionally get into traffic jams outside, more often south than north of Atlanta. We've been using the HOV lanes for the past 2 or 3 years. We tried the 231 route through Alabama once, & decided to not do that again, since it took about 1.5 to 2 hours longer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shimpy (Post 1395723)

Almost everywhere you put into the GPS takes you thru Atlanta. I have been bypassing it for years.

Do you use the bypass, or what route do you use to bypass Atlanta?
I'd like to bypass Atlanta when we drive South in the fall.

Doesn't anyone use the Waze app? It would save you a lot of surprises on the interstate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 1396070)

Do you use the bypass, or what route do you use to bypass Atlanta?
I'd like to bypass Atlanta when we drive South in the fall.

Pick up I65 in Nashville Go South to Birmingham, then take HWY 280 to connect with I75 in south GA

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 1396070)

Do you use the bypass, or what route do you use to bypass Atlanta?
I'd like to bypass Atlanta when we drive South in the fall.

I, like several others take I 10 to U.S. 231.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hacker1 (Post 1395791)

Just came through there Saturday late afternoon. I used my iPad google map shows all the accidents and delays. 3 accidents between cartersville and north loop. no construction except little stretch almost down town. Google map was real accurate.

Just went thru on I-75..........North bound............No issues. Coming back next week..........will update.

(I think all the locals have adjusted and there should not be "big issues".........just big city driving)