Getting Around Atlanta

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The3Amigos

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Feb 17, 2018
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Ive searched for posts on this question before and i found the last answer was from 2015.  Any suggestions for maneuvering around Atlanta.  No night drving please.  Ive heard some say just stay on I-75, othets talk about going around it.  We are towing a fifth wheel.  Thanks for all suggestions.
 
We do the Atlanta run on I-75 in our class A several times each year, both north and south. I've tried some of the suggested bypass routes, and none of them trip my trigger. All of them are longer and slower. We have found that Hotlanta is all about timing. If you do the I-75 shot straight through on a weekday, either do it after 9 PM in the dark, or do it between 10 AM and 2 PM when everybody seems to be at work. I've seen traffic run the speed limit (or better) the whole way through the city on I-75 at mid-day several times. If you can pull a weekend trip, that's even better (unless there's some crazy event going on that draws tons of traffic).

You'll see people tell you that an accident will screw that all up. What they don't mention is an accident on one of the bypass routes will do the same thing. My co-pilot keeps her eyes on Google Traffic and Waze. If she spots a problem ahead that looks significant, we'll consider a bypass. But honestly, we rarely have to resort to an alternative.
 
Atlanta traffic is just a mess. The metro area is constantly at the top of the worst traffic lists from every source.

The best thing to do is tune to WSB 95.5FM or 750AM. They have the best traffic reporters on the air in the area. They also have a smartphone app that gives you the fastest reporting of problems and the alternate routes.

Sometimes you just have to ride the brake and wait for the traffic to open up.
 
Helps to know which direction you're going, and coming from.



When I lived in Florida, I had customers in Columbus, and Chattanooga, and Atlanta.
I found that I could take US-27 all the way to Chattanooga from Gainesville, FL (Or ALT-27 from Ocala to Tallaassee, then north on US-27) and miss most of the madness that is I-75 and Atlanta.
It was a bit longer, time-wise (around three hours) due to lower speed limits and such, but the stress/time ratio was acceptable in my book. (Plus a lot more interesting eating places can be found on that route.
There are a couple of variations on that theme - Stay on 75 to Tifton and take US-82 West to Albany, and north on SR-520-US-280 to Columbus, or stay on 75 to Cordele, and then US-280 to Columbus.

Yes, these take time, so if you're in a hurry, on a tight schedule, or just want to get it done, Bite the bullet, and stay on 75.
The worst part of I-75 northbound in the afternoon is after you cross the Chattahoochee and get near I-285. From there to Kennesaw and the I-575 cut-off can be a bit crazy.
Taking 285 around Atlanta is an adventure in itself, and not for the faint of heart.
   
 
Thank you all for your prompt replies.  My spouse and I discussed your advice and since we are not in a hurry, we will probably go around Atlanta and take more time and just not worry about making it through quickly.  Geez, I went through there once and it scarred me forever (I'm usually quite comfortable on the road, but this is one of my top 3 most-dreaded cities to go through/around. Again, than you for taking the time to answer.
 
When we make that run north from Gainesville, Fl., we stop for the night at a Shriners campground in Macon. It?s nothing special, but it?s clean, accessible from 75 or 475 and has full hookups. That way we can get up the next morning and hit Atlanta at the aforementioned 10-2 window while we?re still fresh.  I should add that the Shriner campground is extremely reasonable, and they give discounts for Passport America and Good Sam.  Cash or check only though.
 
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