Atlanta Traffic on Weekends?

[Hoosier37]

We will be driving through Atlanta on our way to Disney sometime between noon and 2pm on a Sunday in June. We'll probably be driving back home on the next Sunday probably sometime midmorning.

My question - how bad is traffic likely to be? Should we route around Atlanta somehow? I have read all about the HOV lanes and all, but I'm having heart attacks thinking about it. It is the one thing I am dreading about the trip, and I won't even be driving at that point, I've already told DH he gets that part of the trip

So please, either reassure me that it will be okay, or tell me to drive hours out of the way to avoid it.

Editing because I just realized that on our trip down, we'll actually be driving through on a SATURDAY afternoon. The Braves are out of town that day so hopefully it won't be too bad...

 

[Moparlar]

I have driven through on weekends and is not bad at all

Larry

 

[pianokey]

Traffic is not bad on the weekends in Atlanta. If there is a wreck, of course, there will be a slow down.

Also, they have turned the HOV lanes into PeachPass lanes, where you need a device that works with the barcode readers and those that live in or near Atlanta can use it as they commute. But you cannot use those lanes, unless you buy a PeachPass.

 

[lylone]

It all depends on when you are traveling. During the fall you need to be careful traveling through Atlanta at that time because of Falcons games. In the Spring you have the Braves games.
You can go around downtown by using I-285 but even that can be interesting if they are doing roadwork.
I would check www.wsbtv.com which is a local news station the week prior and see if there are any events that are happening when you may be traveling through town. They also have a Traffic section which has real time drive times and also lists DOT roadwork dates and such.

Some weekends you can breeze through no problem... but before a Falcon's game or when they do roadwork it can be a parking lot!

 

[Hoosier37]

Traffic is not bad on the weekends in Atlanta. If there is a wreck, of course, there will be a slow down.

Also, they have turned the HOV lanes into PeachPass lanes, where you need a device that works with the barcode readers and those that live in or near Atlanta can use it as they commute. But you cannot use those lanes, unless you buy a PeachPass.

Really? I had not heard that. So how bad is it to drive through without using those lanes, as I doubt we'd want to buy one.

 

[LadyBeBop]

Also, they have turned the HOV lanes into PeachPass lanes, where you need a device that works with the barcode readers and those that live in or near Atlanta can use it as they commute. But you cannot use those lanes, unless you buy a PeachPass.

The Peach Passes are just on I-85. I'm assuming you'll be travelling on I-75, which does not require the Peach Pass.

 

[Hoosier37]

The Peach Passes are just on I-85. I'm assuming you'll be travelling on I-75, which does not require the Peach Pass.

Yes, we are going to be on I-75.

I'm so confused now, I am dreading when we actually drive through there. I think I'll put on my ipod and let my DH and the Garmin figure it out while I close my eyes and pray. I don't even drive in Indianapolis. I hate traffic. I live in a small town, and even when I lived in Fort Wayne, that does not even compare to something the size of Atlanta and I avoided high traffic areas there.

 

[kydisneyfans]

The problem we have with Atlanta on I75 is the traffic moves way too fast, and the slowest vehicle isn't necessarily furthest right. We went through around 7:00 PM Thurs Oct 4th and just tapped the brakes downtown with no other delays. Friday Oct 12th we again only tapped brakes downtown, but traffic was flying by at 80-100 mph+ like we were in a parking lot.

Construction and accidents are the 2 things to be aware of, check the XM traffic channel for Atlanta if you have it, otherwise find a 24 hour news station as you get into the metro area.

 

[Bryanhoop]

You should be fine but there is always the once a month car wreck that really screws everything up.