A by-pass to remember -not the cardiac kind, the highway kind!

[Bob Maxwell]

Do you have a by-pass that you remember that saves time or resuces stress? Maybe one that does both?

Dallas/Fort Worth: take the I-20 south unless you need to spend time in either downtown.

Shreveport: take I-220 north, unless there are tornado watches, 50 mph winds and driving rain. Swaying on those bridges with breaking whitecaps and surf is. . .

Birmingham: I-469 sw/ne  unless you're wanting to connect with 70 from the east and then enjoy downtown on the way.

Atlanta? Anyone have the answer to that mess?

You've got the idea, how about sharing what you've learned?

 

[RLSharp]

Do you have a by-pass that you remember that saves time or resuces stress? Maybe one that does both?

If heading south on I-25 intending to go west on I-10, the "Hatch Cutoff" is a nice short-cut which bypasses Las Cruces, NM and saves time and reduces stress. Heading south on I-25 at exit 41 take Hyw 26 though Hatch (hence, the name) to Hwy 180 at Deming. Take Hwy 180 south about a mile to I-10 and west from there. Works the same in reverse if heading north on I-25 from west I-10. The short-cut saves 68 miles; the amount of time saved and the amount of reduced stress will depend on the time of day and the amount of traffic in Las Cruces had you not taken the short-cut.

Richard

 

[fredethomas]

I agree with you Richard - the Hatch cut-off to Deming is good.  Also near the Deming end there is a good park -Starlight Villlage Resort. Huge pull throghs.  About $18.00.  Not Passport America.

 

[Jim Dick]

Bob,

On the east coast anyone coming through Hartford, CT on I84 eastbound would be wise to utilize the I691 cutoff over to I91 north to Hartford. Cross over the Charter Oak Bridge back onto I84 eastbound. This eliminates the majority of traffic around the Hartford area. Going westbound on I84 take I91 south to I691.

 

[Jeff]

Bob,

On the east coast anyone coming through Hartford, CT on I84 eastbound would be wise to utilize the I691 cutoff over to I91 north to Hartford. Cross over the Charter Oak Bridge back onto I84 eastbound. This eliminates the majority of traffic around the Hartford area. Going westbound on I84 take I91 south to I691.

Jim:

After doing I84 last summer I'll remember that. What a mess! ???

 

[Jim Dick]

Jeff,

Sure wish I knew you were coming through CT. We were there all summer!! Yes, I84 west of Hartford is the biggest mess in the area. You'll enjoy the alternate route much more.

 

[Carl L]

I have two for the LA area both are based on :

The CA15 Sneak. To bypass the entire southern Caifornia urban area? heading west go from I-10 onto I-215 heading north at San Bernardino.? Drive north to Barstow and get on the newly freewayed CA-58 and drive west to Mojave, there you either pick CA14/US 395 to the Eastern Sierra OR contiue on 58 to Bakerfield an pick up CA-99 or I-5.? ?From the north just reverse the directons.

The Foothill Sneak.? At San Bernardino pick up the I-210 Foothill Fwy from either I-15 or 215.? ?Head west.? The 210 is a latest-design freeway averaging 5 lanes in both directions.? It skirts the foothills of the San Gabriel Mts. but stays pretty level from one end to the other.? ?From it you can connect directly to the CA134/US101 Ventura Fwy westbound, the CA 2 southbound and I-5 from the 2 or at the northwestern terminus of the 210.? ?Southbound on the I-5 you pick up the 210 at the north LA city line and can connect to the I-15 or I-10 via the I-215 at San Bernardino.? ? The freeway is slow only during rush hour and even then not bad compared to some LA nightmares (eg the I-405 any time of day).

 

[Wendy]

Instead of going all the way to Barstow, wouldn't you get onto Hwy 395 at Hesperia? Then up to 58? Did they really freewayize 58? How sad.

 

[rhmahoney]

My favorite is in Kansas. West from Wichita on US 54. It eventually curves sounwest and cuts through a bit of Oklahoma and Texas to reach I-40 at Tucomcari. It is about 500-700 miles of low stress driving.

 

[RLSharp]

My favorite is in Kansas. West from Wichita on US 54. It eventually curves sounwest and cuts through a bit of Oklahoma and Texas to reach I-40 at Tucomcari. It is about 500-700 miles of low stress driving.

Russ,

I agree with the US 54 route. We always go through Kansas City (relatives) when traveling from Rochester, NY to Tucson. We also find US 54 the best route. Once we hit I-40 at Tucumcari we take I-40/US 54 to Santa Rosa (usually a windy stretch) and continue on US 54 to Alamogordo, pick up US 70 to Las Cruces (staying overnight at Wal-Mart -- for shame) and then on to Tucson. US 54 is a good Highway and cuts diagonally across the central U.S. We also stay overnight at Wal-Mart in Guymon, OK the first night. Gasoline used to be a real bargin in Liberal, KS but the last two trips all the stations have been sky-high.

Richard

 

[BernieD]

I have two for the LA area both are based on :

The CA15 sneak. To bypass the entire southern Caifornia urban area  heading west go from I-10 onto I-215 heading north at San Bernardino. 

Carl

A recommended modification that I always use is to turn off I-10 at CA-30 which heads north then west to the I-215 intersection. It eliminates another couple of miles of I-10 congestion and rough roads.

 

[joelmyer]

Atlanta? Anyone have the answer to that mess?

Avoid if at all possible.  If not, avoid rush hour at any cost.  When traffic is flowing, hey diddle diddle down through the middle!

 

[N Smock]

Jeff,

Sure wish I knew you were coming through CT. We were there all summer!! Yes, I84 west of Hartford is the biggest mess in the area. You'll enjoy the alternate route much more.

Jim

What about the project that has been going for the last 35 years called I-95, especially in the lower part of the state. I also avoid the cross Bronx for the same reason.


Nelson

 

[Jim Dick]

Nelson,

Never kept up with that project. Avoided I95 as much as possible. The only time I drove it was when working in New Haven and I had to go to Stamford. Hated every minute. Now I91 also had a 20 year project in Hartford that was a nightmare. First contractor went bankrupt after about 10 years. They finally finished that one and the road is much better.

 

[Bob Maxwell]

Joel,

[When traffic is flowing, hey diddle diddle down through the middle!]

Ive always been traveling I-20 so that "drive through the middle" was my route as I was headed for Aiken SC or back from there. I only use the loops if I'm leaving the airport or driving into N Alanta to see old work friends.

 

[Karl]

Not exactly on-topic, but may get a chuckle: Some years back, one of the few ways to get from the downtown area of Milwaukee to the South Side, was to take one of the viaducts over the Milwaukee River. Early morning and late afternoon traffic was horrendous. The 6th Street Viaduct was constantly under construction, which made matters worse, and Charlie Hanson (a popular radio personality) never let a good thing slip by. With all the complaints about it, he unofficially renamed the 6th Street Viaduct the "Car Strangled Spanner" ;D   

 

[woodartist]

Interesting...works fine on IE, but not with FF. I cleaned the cache and still the same. Not important, but curious why I've been working all over the net today and this was the first "problem." Will check a bit further.

 

[Pierat]

Just to update: We have just traveled north through Tucumcari on US 54, presently as far as Liberal KS. It is a good road, mostly two lane, mostly straight, but very rough in a few places, especially north of Hooker OK for quite a few miles. They're working on it, apparently. Overall, a good choice and definitely low traffic. (Friday,6/5/09)

 

[Lou Schneider]

To bypass the San Francisco Bay Area and get from I-5 or I-80 th US 101 to run up the coast:

Exit I-5 at Lodi.  Take CA 12 west to I-80, then take I-80 west (towards S.F.) about 12 miles to CA 37 in Vallejo.

Take CA 37 west across the top of the bay to the intersection with Lakeville Hwy.  Take Lakeville Hwy north to Petaluma and join US 101.

This bypasses the majority of the Bay Area traffic and will be an easy transit except during rush hours.  If you're looking for a place to stay and explore the Bay Area, Marin RV Park in Larkspur (Greenbrae) is 10 miles south of the junction of CA 37 and US 101 and is adjacent to bus and ferry service into San Francisco.  Novato RV Park is 3 miles north of the 37/101 junction and the Petaluma KOA is 5 miles north of the Lakeville Hwy/US 101 junction.

 

[Wizard46]

Near Atlanta, 7-9 am and 4-7 pm take the 285 all other times go straight through. But depends where you are going. Follow my previous instructions for straight through. Other times like when headed north on 75 then west on 20, its a lot closer on the 285. ALWAYS A PAIN THOUGH, as they have been improving the roads for the past 25 years. LOL