Any strategies for driving through Atlanta?

[clkelley]

We always go through late in the evening, but we ALWAYS go through Downtown. We NEVER take the bypass.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

It's 10 am right now, and there is no delay on the downtown connector.

Keep in mind though that all of our observations go out the window with just one stall or accident. Keep in touch with www.georgia-navigator.com or 511 on your cell. It's real time, and will allow you to be informed as your driving. Begin to check 511 as you reach the I-575 interchange north of Atlanta. That way you can plan for 75 or 285. By the way, if you must take 285, you want to take it around the west side of the city, not the east.

A PP mentioned XM traffic. It's fairly good. It's updated every 10 minutes or so during rush hour, but only every half hour in the late evening to overnight. I found it unreliable when I worked nights and had to drive through downtown. The info was too old.

I now use the preinstalled Maps app that came with my Iphone 3GS. It provides as close to real time traffic as you can get. I do not believe the 3G has it, but I'm not sure.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Thanks for the info Shelby. So 9am is the height of rush hour in Atlanta? Most places I have lived or driven through rush hour runs from about 6-9am. I can plan to hit Atlanta around 8am if I need too, I just thought giving it another hour would clear out the worst of it.

You are coming through on a Friday (if I recall correctly) so the game is much different. It is almost like people sleep in and go to work later and of course a lot work half days. So, rush hour in the mornings on Fridays tends to be 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The rest of the work week is 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. There are exceptions of course when it comes to holiday weekends, etc. but Fridays are happy traffic days if you leave early. I leave home around 6:30 a.m. and nearly every Friday is smooth sailing. Definitely check Georgia Navigator the day before or the morning of to see if their are any construction alerts. That may be your only issue - but you do have the advantage of the HOV lane.

Hopefully all this contingency planning for traffic ends up being a worst case scenario that you don't have to use...I find that the more prepared I am, the less obstacles I face. I hope the same is for you!

 

[ShhhQ]

You are coming through on a Friday (if I recall correctly) so the game is much different. It is almost like people sleep in and go to work later and of course a lot work half days. So, rush hour in the mornings on Fridays tends to be 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The rest of the work week is 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. There are exceptions of course when it comes to holiday weekends, etc. but Fridays are happy traffic days if you leave early. I leave home around 6:30 a.m. and nearly every Friday is smooth sailing. Definitely check Georgia Navigator the day before or the morning of to see if their are any construction alerts. That may be your only issue - but you do have the advantage of the HOV lane.

Hopefully all this contingency planning for traffic ends up being a worst case scenario that you don't have to use...I find that the more prepared I am, the less obstacles I face. I hope the same is for you!

I have a question... we are going thru on a Sat.... the Sat before labor day to be exact... what kind of traffic should we expect? and would a certain time be better than any other?

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I have a question... we are going thru on a Sat.... the Sat before labor day to be exact... what kind of traffic should we expect? and would a certain time be better than any other?

Labor day traffic and just about any other major holiday is really bad. If you have a smartphone (like an iPhone) I would download the Atlanta Traffic application (free) to see how things are going or call 511 but just like others have posted it is a pain, unless you yell at the phone! I-285 should always be the last resort. Many tend to avoid downtown because they think it will be horrible but that rarely is the case when you compare what you would face on I-285. The traffic is bad enough by itself but if there is an accident, it makes it a nightmare. I would go through the city in the morning before noon but the earlier the better. I-75 is a major thoroughfare and although most of it ends up having a lot of lanes, confused travelers (our signage is bad) cause accidents and slow everyone down. The traffic is usually better on a Saturday better to plan for the worst. This will be the first year I will not be here for Labor Day but at Disneyland.

Have a great trip! I hope you get a good impression of Atlanta!

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

I have a question... we are going thru on a Sat.... the Sat before labor day to be exact... what kind of traffic should we expect? and would a certain time be better than any other?

Ironically, weekend and holiday traffic is worse south of Atlanta than it is downtown. Between noon and 6pm, there can be up to a half an hour mystery jam between I75/I675 interchange and exit 221 (about 8 miles). I say 'mystery jam', but it actually is caused by I75 changing from 5 lanes southbound to 2 lanes. There are alternates, but they are complicated. Your best bet is to stay left, and go with the flow.

 

[ShhhQ]

Thank you for such quick responses... no iphone here. I do have a decent GPS that does let me know what lane I need to be in (and) when I get near my exits so that makes it a tad easier. Unfortunately, given where we start, we probably won't make Atlanta before noon.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Thank you for such quick responses... no iphone here. I do have a decent GPS that does let me know what lane I need to be in (and) when I get near my exits so that makes it a tad easier. Unfortunately, given where we start, we probably won't make Atlanta before noon.

I would consider stopping then and seeing some sights in TN or elsewhere. It is the type of traffic that could ruin your day and make you extra grumpy by the time you get into Florida... When you get into Georgia, call 511 and see if they have any alerts. Regardless of what your GPS says, stay in the left lane - mine gets confused and always wants to take I-285 so definitely ignore that!

 

[DVC4US]

It's 10 am right now, and there is no delay on the downtown connector.

Keep in mind though that all of our observations go out the window with just one stall or accident. Keep in touch with www.georgia-navigator.com or 511 on your cell. It's real time, and will allow you to be informed as your driving. Begin to check 511 as you reach the I-575 interchange north of Atlanta. That way you can plan for 75 or 285. By the way, if you must take 285, you want to take it around the west side of the city, not the east.

A PP mentioned XM traffic. It's fairly good. It's updated every 10 minutes or so during rush hour, but only every half hour in the late evening to overnight. I found it unreliable when I worked nights and had to drive through downtown. The info was too old.

I now use the preinstalled Maps app that came with my Iphone 3GS. It provides as close to real time traffic as you can get. I do not believe the 3G has it, but I'm not sure.

You are coming through on a Friday (if I recall correctly) so the game is much different. It is almost like people sleep in and go to work later and of course a lot work half days. So, rush hour in the mornings on Fridays tends to be 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The rest of the work week is 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. There are exceptions of course when it comes to holiday weekends, etc. but Fridays are happy traffic days if you leave early. I leave home around 6:30 a.m. and nearly every Friday is smooth sailing. Definitely check Georgia Navigator the day before or the morning of to see if their are any construction alerts. That may be your only issue - but you do have the advantage of the HOV lane.

Hopefully all this contingency planning for traffic ends up being a worst case scenario that you don't have to use...I find that the more prepared I am, the less obstacles I face. I hope the same is for you!

Thanks so much for the information. I will plan accordingly since we will be traveling on a Friday. I also have an iPhone so I will make sure to use the apps you guys suggested and to remember to call 511. It's been a long time since I've traveled through Atlanta and I always like to go on a trip prepared.

Thanks so much to everyone for the replies.