Head's Up! I75 South TN/KY

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

Just a head's up for those of you traveling south on I75 over the TN/KY border. The southbound lanes are completely closed until May 21st because of the rock slide. They are still making repairs. Only one lane is open northbound for about 3 miles.

I really don't know much about the detour, just wanted you to be prepared in case you know of an alternate route. I bet the backup is terrible, it always is when something happens in that area.

Good luck!

 

[LadyBeBop]

Thanks for the not-so-good news.

Our plans for our Memorial Day week vacation (not Disney) takes us away from I-75 south going down. But coming home, we may take I-75 north. That would be about June 4th. Would you still advise taking an alternate route home? Our alternate route would add very little time to our drive.

 

[kydisneyfans]

If heading to/from Pigeon Forge or anywhere east of Knoxville, I would suggest 25E as a detour. It connects Morristown, TN to Corbin, KY. It is mostly 4 lane (haven't taken it for awhile and may be all 4 lane now) with a speed limit of 55 much of the way.

 

[LadyBeBop]

If heading to/from Pigeon Forge or anywhere east of Knoxville, I would suggest 25E as a detour. It connects Morristown, TN to Corbin, KY. It is mostly 4 lane (haven't taken it for awhile and may be all 4 lane now) with a speed limit of 55 much of the way.

That's the alternate route I alluded to. We might be stopping at my in-laws on the way home, and they live a few miles off 25E, in Grainger County, TN.

The drive is beautiful. The kids will love the mile-long tunnel that takes them through the mountains. It's all four lanes; however there are a number of traffic lights, especially around Corbin and Middleboro. It's still worth it if you're going to the Smokies, or especially the Carolinas. It may be worth it if you're going to the east coast of Florida (I'll give you directions if anyone wants to PM me). But to Disney...I'm not sure. It will take you about 40 miles out of the way.

<Edit to add>

Just found out my DD23 is driving to my in-laws (her grandparents) for Memorial Day weekend. She wants to leave early Saturday morning at midnight. None of us likes driving 25E in the middle of the night; when we go down at nighttime, we go 75 to Knoxville, then over. Timewise, it's about the same. I know it's a holiday weekend, but do you think the back-up will be bad at 3 AM? I may try to convince DD to leave a few hours later, so she'd wouldn't hit Corbin until daybreak or after. She'd be traveling with her boyfriend and my DGD3.

 

[Dis_Dreamin]

Here's what the Tennessee DOT site says for that area.

Interstate 75 southbound in Campbell County - High Traffic Volumes - Special Event at EXIT 160: US-25W / JELLICO reported at 5/7/2012 7:00:00 PM and estimated to be cleared by 5/21/2012 5:00:00 PM (Eastern Time Zone). Southbound traffic is affected with all lanes closed.southbound traffic is being diverted, all truck traffic is detoured to state route 297, to state route 63 back to i-75 at exit 141. all passenger traffic is being detoured to hwy 25 to lafollotte and back to i-75 at exit 134.

 

[LilyWDW]

Just a heads up. 25E has construction going on in the area of the tunnel that can cause lane closures and traffic back ups. I have not been on it recently, but I have seen the warnings for it.

 

[K9pal]

If you do a google search on this, the photos posted by various news sites are just incredible. We just got back from the Smokies and normally take I-75, and luckily had an alternate route planned. Now we have a new favorite (and scenic) route!

On the way home yesterday, I-75 S was at a complete stop for miles. We heard it lasted for 6 hours. Thankfully we were headed north. I strongly urge anyone traveling this way to find an alternate route. Can't imagine that it will be completely resolved by 5/21.

 

[MIChessGuy]

There are at least a couple of ways to avoid this:

(1) The most "popular" detour for southbound I-75 is to take Exit 160 at Jellico, TN, then south on U.S. 25W through LaFollette, and reconnecting with I-75 at Caryville, Exit 134. I understand from various online news reports that this routing can get busy going through LaFollette, which is having a hard time dealing with all the detoured interstate traffic.

(2) Another option is to take Exit 11 in Williamsburg, KY. Head west on KY 92 to U.S. 27. South on U.S. 27, crossing into Tennessee and continuing to TN 63. Then east on TN 63, reconnecting with I-75 at Exit 141.

I think (2) is somewhat more roundabout in terms of total mileage. But it may not be subject to the same traffic volume issues that (1) seems to have, especially going through LaFollette.

 

[Angry Eyes]

We are heading to Hilton Head Friday evening from Cincinnati (leaving at 5:30pm) and then onto Disney the following week. We usually take 75 to 640 to 40 east. What alternate route would you prefer if you were traveling to Hilton Head?

 

[MIChessGuy]

One option would be to leave I-75 at Corbin, KY, and connect to U.S. 25E (I-75 Exit 29). Take U.S. 25E south through Barbourville and down through Middlesboro into Tennessee via Cumberland Gap. Continuing south on U.S. 25E, you eventually reach Newport, TN, where you can pick up I-40. This requires about 110 miles of driving on U.S. 25E. It would probably be a good idea to check the traffic conditions on that highway via the KY and TN Department of Transportation websites ahead of time.

EDITED TO ADD: The construction at the Cumberland Gap Tunnel appears to be finished. http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/097484dcd64b4a55bfd96281eccfc211/KY--Cumberland-Gap-Tunnel

 

[LadyBeBop]

I'll second the Cumberland Gap Parkway/25E as an alternative. We drove through the tunnel on Sunday, and there was no construction.

Couple of things.

1) There is a left hand turn just before you hit Tazewell, TN (about ten miles inside TN). That is still 25E, but it's easily missed. Miss it, and I think you'll end up in Knoxville.

2) You don't have to go all the way to Newport to pick up the interstate. You can pick up I-81 S in Morristown, and take that to I-40 E. I think that saves a little time.