... it sucks SOOO bad!!!

I helped my daughter move to Athens, GA this weekend from the Huntsville, AL area, and the only decent route I could find requires taking I-75 S to I-285 around Atlanta, then north on I-85. Even 20 miles out from 285 the traffic became insane, and at each and every interchange all lanes pretty much came to a standstill. Why the traffic cannot keep moving while people merge onto and off of the interstate I just can't understand, but it was the same way coming back home Saturday afternoon!

I get to do it all over again this week as I'm driving back over to take her cat to her, stay for Thanksgiving, then bring my wife back home (she stayed to help unpack and organize while the daughter is at work for her new job). I have no doubt that this Wednesday's traffic will be even worse since it's the day before Thanksgiving!!!

I am NOT looking forward to it...

Running two major interstates through town on the same route, what could possibly go wrong? (I've never been there but have heard about it.)

Yes it does suck. It’s one of the reasons I left a couple years ago. I lived about 13 miles north of 285 on 75 and had to occasionally go to an office up 85, so I know your pain very well. Driving through the city is even worse.

Even if you decide to drive it at night or on a weekend there’s no guarantee it will be better because it’s not unheard of for them to shut several lanes down for construction. I’ve spent plenty of time on a Saturday afternoon at a standstill because they closed all but one lane.

Welcome to the party pal



I do what I can to avoid going anywhere near Atlanta.

Look into driving around 285 a bit longer and getting on Hwy 78 East, it goes straight to Athens. It may be a bit longer but you won't get in that I85 mess.

Do any of the roads have toll lanes or HOV lanes?

I know our NC toll transponder works in GA. I have no idea how high the tolls might be, but it might be worth checking out.

If the roads you are using have HOV lanes, perhaps you can google and find the occupancy requirements for the HOV lanes. We were in Atlanta recently and some only required two people - so we were able to use them.

quote:

Originally posted by SR:
Do any of the roads have toll lanes or HOV lanes?

I know our NC toll transponder works in GA. I have no idea how high the tolls might be, but it might be worth checking out.

If the roads you are using have HOV lanes, perhaps you can google and find the occupancy requirements for the HOV lanes. We were in Atlanta recently and some only required two people - so we were able to use them.

In GA it's called a Peach Pass, can hurt to look into the costs

His route won't take him on any free HOV lanes.

The HOV lanes are inside the 285 perimeter, only two people required, outside the perimeter the Peach Pass is required

My wife refuses to drive in Atlanta traffic and makes me do it. I use the Tahoe well as an intimidation method. I act like I don't see them and push in where I need to when they drive like dicks and won't let people in. Yes if someone turns on their signal 9 times out of 10 I will slow and let them in. That said, it is nothing to the traffic I had going from Frankfurt to Berlin. People were having picnics in the median as the autobahn was a parking lot for 2 hours!

quote:

Originally posted by p08:
My wife refuses to drive in Atlanta traffic and makes me do it. I use the Tahoe well as an intimidation method. I act like I don't see them and push in where I need to when they drive like dicks and won't let people in. Yes if someone turns on their signal 9 times out of 10 I will slow and let them in. That said, it is nothing to the traffic I had going from Frankfurt to Berlin. People were having picnics in the median as the autobahn was a parking lot for 2 hours!

Ever tried going over Altamont Pass in Northern California from Modesto or one of those cities to get into the Bay Area? I got stuck in it once leaving a jobsite and heading for the Oakland Airport to catch a plane home.

It's essentially a parking lot 24/7/365

Jeebus, I'm glad I live in East Overshoe. More than 10 vehicles an hour past the house is a traffic jam...

Heading north through downtown Atlanta, you have shift from the left lanes to the right lanes to stay on I75 which winds up go to the left. While you are doing that, the people that want to stay on I85 have to shift from the right lanes to the left and they wind up going to the right. That always seems like an odd way to it when I go through.

I drive from Ohio to Florida about once a year. I time it so that I can get a couple hours sleep at a hotel then drive thru Atlanta about 03:00 in the morning. Traffic normally does not make me nervous but Atlanta traffic does. Seattle is just as bad.

I grew up driving in the NYC area, and I had the post-graduate course when I lived in San Juan PR.

Atlanta scared the shit out of me, the few times I had to be there.

Atlanta = not enough highway for 6 million plus people and people from all over America and the world bring their bad driving habits here and stay.

Atlanta is where all of the Floridians go to drive badly.

They will build HOV or toll lanes in and around ATL, and two seconds after they are open, they’re full of traffic. No amount of lanes will ever be enough.

East bound traffic on Interstate I-10 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after crossing the Mississippi River going east bound the lanes of travel narrow down to 1 (yes 1) lane of travel. This is the way it is not because of excessive traffic volumn but due to design and actual way it was constructed makes any travel on this stretch of roadway a nightmare and it does not have to be peak rush hour traffic times........ Have been told for many years that this is the only place in the US that the interstate necksdown to 1 lane................. drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
They will build HOV or toll lanes in and around ATL, and two seconds after they are open, they’re full of traffic. No amount of lanes will ever be enough.

They’ve had toll lanes on 75 and 85 for years now and they remain relatively open and tend to be much faster. The price varies based on traffic in order to keep it clear.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Jeebus, I'm glad I live in East Overshoe. More than 10 vehicles an hour past the house is a traffic jam...

Right there with you. I haven't driven through (or even near) Atlanta since 1988 or so, and it sounds like I'm not missing much.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Atlanta is where all of the Floridians go to drive badly.

This!

A bunch of snowbirds complaining about Atlanta traffic when they're the ones making it suck! Weekends are worse than rush hour daily commute now with the out of towners.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
They will build HOV or toll lanes in and around ATL, and two seconds after they are open, they’re full of traffic. No amount of lanes will ever be enough.

They’ve had toll lanes on 75 and 85 for years now and they remain relatively open and tend to be much faster. The price varies based on traffic in order to keep it clear.

Been in Marietta for over 20 years now. Drove between 37K-55K a year for work during that time. Two of my last employers paid (pays) for the PeachPass and it helps even though I am almost always going the wrong direction. As does the metered on ramps.
Current job is HQed in Madison, AL. You are pretty much stuck with a crap drive Wednesday.
Last Friday got sent out to Metter, GA and finished late in the afternoon. Hoped that being past the middle of no where would mean traffic would thin out by the time I got past Macon. Took me an extra hour to get home because of early Holiday traffic jams.