Thread: help in by passing Atlanta and get back on 75

Just booked room for Chattanooga and then on to Florida!
Hubby and I don't want to drive through A what is the best way without going to far out of our way as time is an issue

Thanks Gale

​Sorry we fly to Florida so no help.

We go from Virginia to Louisiana to visit relatives and hate the Atlanta mess. We have tried everything and the best we come up with is for us to stop before Atlanta and stay in a motel overnight, then leave really early in the morning, say 4 AM and take the ring road around the city. We do the same thing coming home. Once we decided to go to the other side of Atlanta to stay the night and we ended up driving west as the sun was setting - not a good idea!

Best advice I got was avoid rush hours, and stay in middle lanes.

Thanks everyone as we will hit at rush hr after leaving aqs show around 3 will try and go around.
Gale

Originally Posted by adamae

Best advice I got was avoid rush hours, and stay in middle lanes.

I've driven thru Atlanta many, many times alone and with the recent (couple years ago) highway changes it really isn't so bad. Like adamae said, avoid rush hour, stay in the middle lanes and just pay attention. But after being stuck in a 2 hour traffic jam a year or so ago, hubby absolutely refuses to drive through it. A slight lack of patience on his part!

If we find we are hitting Atlanta during rush hour stop for dinner and a little shopping. I have found the by-pass a mess as well. I get in the inside lane that requires more than 1 person & just stay in that lane. Be careful with the exit lanes. This lane seems to move smoother.

I drive through Atlanta frequently going from Florida to Indiana to see my daughter and it's usually around noon. I've never had problems but definitely pay attention. I'm usually alone so I don't use the HOV lanes. I have always found the people willing to let you in if you need to change lanes quickly. Best advice I can give you is to take a deep breath, let it out and go. I would rather drive through Atlanta than Jacksonville, Florida or Jackson, Mississippi.

You can take the bypass but it is busy traffic too and adds miles to your trip. We just go straight through. If you have 2 or more people in your car you can use the HOV lane which is on the far left. This will take you straight through on 75. At one point it goes off on its own and then rejoins You don't have a lot of merging traffic in this because of the limited access. We have far fewer issues driving through Atlanta than we have with Chattanooga where the amount of lanes isn't enough to handle the traffic and there are back ups.

My advice is to drive straight through on I75, use the HOV lane (if you have 2 or more people), and go through whenever you get there. If I could avoid rush hour that's nice but if you reach Atlanta during rush hour it's still doable.

We just returned from our annual trip from Fl to Mi. We do not hesitate to go THROUGH Atlanta. Just hop onto the HOV lane and do not get out of it. The by-passes are FAR more iffy, IMHO. good luck

We live on the west coast of FL and go to north central OH nearly every year. Haven't been through Atlanta in 20 years. For people who do not live in that area, it's not doable as it's just plain scary. And that was 20 years ago, we just decided we didn't need that stress in an otherwise great getaway. We take the bypass around Jacksonville, FL, I95 to I26, I26 to I77. Takes us to just south of Akron, OH, where we have a 50 miles drive west. On the way home just the reverse. The only large city to get through is Charlotte, NC. Vacation is now a pleasure!

What does HOV mean...drove from Illinois to Florida and reverse several times via Nashville, Atlanta....which is a scary nightmare, in my mind, and I am a passenger....this last rime(2 yrs ago) decided to try a different route.....worse nightmare.....I55 and over.....better get over my phobia and buy an airline ticket next time!!!!!!!!

Use the HOV lane! High Occupancy Vehicle - two or more persons. You don't change lanes - a breeze!

Stay off 285 if at all possible. Lots of construction everywhere. GA DOT works on the weekends, too. Going through very early or late is best. Be sure to use the bathroom before going through Atlanta, you never know if you'd get stuck.

We always use 275 east or west around Atlanta

Sometimes the loops are worse than tackling 75. Try and plan not to hit rush hours

I live in Atlanta....I-75 straight thru in the HOV Lane is truly the easiest and quickest barring NO accidents...make sure you stop for restroom and water/snacks and gas before entering inside the perimeter ...drive safe!

We always stayed in the middle lane of I75. Make sure you have fuel before Atlanta and go to the bathroom. It seemed I was always the driver through Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Lol....just drove through Atlanta for the first time in January....ignorance is bliss! It was my "turn" to drive and hubby was asleep....it was pouring....I white-knuckled it and stayed in a middle lane and prayed-a lot!!! Good luck! Safe travels!

Went through Atlanta several years ago on a Sunday morning around 11AM---80 MPH---bumper to bumper---NOT going there ever again

Driving to FL many many times. I now boycott Nashville and Atlanta it's just a mess and nuts. Luckily where we live we are able to avoid the fearsome 3 (Chattanooga) although only trouble with C was the terrible air quality DH & I both got sick from that.
We go through St Louis, Memphis, Birmingham head south for I-10 then east for I-95 much calmer.

While you're in Chattanooga, get out on one of their free electric buses and see the town. Or, go down to the river and walk around. Great, tourist-friendly town! Have fun!