How bad is I 65 from IN southbound? + PC

[DVC Mary]

I've heard recent reports of terrible road construction on I 65, so I'm thinking about trying a different route & I'm looking for opinions from the I 75 drivers, as well as the recent I 65 drivers.

Would we be safer to get off I 65 in Indy?

Take 24 to I 75 & then take that as far South as possible until it meets w/ I65.

2nd major question, since we'll be heading to PC not Orlando:

Should we take 10 Westbound to Jacksonville & got the Daytonna I 95 South way to avoid any congestion getting to the port?

Thanks for any tips!

We usually fly, so we want to be careful if I 65 is really that backed up.

 

[kris10399]

We went I-65 south through to Indy at the beginning of the month. The only problems we had was the rolled over semi near Lebanon which resulted in a 2 hours delay in traffic being diverted of the highway.
Typically we are headed to WV so we hit Indy and then take 465 around to I-74 and pass Cincinnati.
But as for construction between Chicago and Indy on I-65 it seemed fine to me, especially if you get an early start.

 

[spd3483]

I can tell you I65 South from Indianapolis to Louisville KY is ok. I travel the area frequently and there is no road construction at this time from South of Indianapolis to Louisville. I live between the two cities. Sorry, there is one spot about 30 miles South of Indianapolis that slows you to 45 MPH. But that one spot is only about two miles long and traffic moves quickly through that spot. Hope this helps.

 

[DVC Mary]

Thanks! People who've driven I 65 in the last week have got worried & the AAA Triptek shows massive construction multiples places.

Any other opinions?

 

[LadyBeBop]

I think i'm a little confused. It's still early though....

I've heard recent reports of terrible road construction on I 65, so I'm thinking about trying a different route & I'm looking for opinions from the I 75 drivers, as well as the recent I 65 drivers.

Would we be safer to get off I 65 in Indy?

Take 24 to I 75 & then take that as far South as possible until it meets w/ I65.

I-24 doesn't go anywhere near Indy. You can pick I-24 up in Illinois and take that to Chattanooga where you pick up I-75. That would bypass Indy and I-65 completely.

Do you mean I-74? You do pick that up in Indy. That meets up with I-75 in Cincinnati.

Also, I-75 does not go anywhere near I-65. You can take an interstate or freeway from the two; however it's as much as several hundred miles between the two.

2nd major question, since we'll be heading to PC not Orlando:

Do you mean Port Canaveral? (We've never cruised out of there).

Should we take 10 Westbound to Jacksonville & got the Daytonna I 95 South way to avoid any congestion getting to the port?

Looking at Mapquest, I see the Turnpike route is a little quicker, and it looks like it bypasses Orlando city. The I-10 to Jacksonville route will bypass Jacksonville City (take 10-295-95). It's about 15 miles farther (about 10-15 minutes). I guess it depends on the time of day. It may be worth it to avoid Orlando rush hour...just make sure you don't run into Jacksonville rush hour.

Are you arriving at the Port the day of your cruise?

 

[kydisneyfans]

I have taken I65 from Elizabethtown, KY to Nashville twice in the past 2 months. Both times have been a nightmare.

Trip 1 had a multiple mile backup from around the Bluegrass Parkway to who knows where, we got off and took US 31W. The ride home was smooth.

The second trip was OK southbound, but we were warned coming back north of a 27 mile backup from roughly mile marker 60-87. As soon as we verified the backup, we again took 31W. This was about a month ago.

If heading to Florida, consider taking 74 from Indy to Cincy, then 75 south. Therre is considerable construction around Cincinnati, but most of the lane shutdowns are at night.

 

[WIDisneyFan]

We drove back from Disney last weekend using I-65 and it was a very easy drive. There was a bit of construction north of Indy but nothing major. Unless there is a major difference between weekday and weekend lane closures I would stick with the I-65 route.

Have a great trip!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

There is a good bit of construction just south of Birmingham, Alabama.

It is only really bad going during rush hour, i.e., going North from 7-9am, and going South from 4-6 pm.


You can take I65 all the way to Montgomery, Alabama, then take US 231 to I10.

 

[LadyBeBop]

If heading to Florida, consider taking 74 from Indy to Cincy, then 75 south. Therre is considerable construction around Cincinnati, but most of the lane shutdowns are at night.

Actually, she shouldn't take I-74 directly into Cincinnati. The better route would be to get off I-74 at I-275 (just inside the Ohio border) and take it around to I-75 in Kentucky. That is actually shorter, and she'll bypass the construction and lane shutdowns.

There's also a little known shortcut in Indiana that will cut the distance considerably, and will cut the time down by about 15 minutes. PM me if you want the shortcut.

To everyone...is there construction north of Indy on I-65? We're going up to Chicago on Labor Day.

 

[packofjedis]

We took I65 From Indy to Chicago last Sat. Smooth sailing the whole way. Didn't come across any construction that I remember. I know we didn't crawl along any part of the trip.

HTH.

For the OP....We drove to Jacksonville, FL Memorial Day weekend. Driving either to Jax or Orlando is something we do at least once a year, to the point the route is memorized for us. In May, we took I74 towards Cincinnati, I275 around Cincy, and hit 75 south. Much easier trip than taking 65 south through Nashville and picking up 24 into Atlanta. We always get stuck at the 24/65 interchange, most of the time for an hour or so. It got to the point that even though this route was a little longer per Mapquest, we thought it was worth it not to have to crawl along and also worth it avoiding Atlanta.

We didn't take 75 all the way into FL. We picked up 40 in Knoxville and headed east to 26, which dumped us on 95. From there you can take 95 south all the way to Port Canaveral. This also avoids 75 in Georgia which has been under construction for over 11 years since we moved from Florida.

This route takes you around the major cities instead of into them. So you'll skip Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta. Instead you'll go around Cincinnati (not bad), around the edge of Knoxville (can't even tell it was a city), Columbia (no traffic) and near Hilton Head. Heading south you'll also cross straight through Jacksonville.

 

[kneemeister]

If you go the I26 route, You can take US 321 south from Columbia SC to Savanna Ga to save about 20 miles, and all the frustration that comes from I-95. Its also a nice scenic trip thru SC farm country.

I used to live in Indy, and the I-74/I-75 route and the I-65/I-24/I-75 route are almost equal in time and miles, although the mountains are bigger along the first route. But you can also cut off I-65 at cave city go about 10 miles east and catch US 31E to US 231 going much more directly south than 65. That lets you bypass Nashville to Murfeesboro and save lots of miles.

 

[smidgy]

There is a good bit of construction just south of Birmingham, Alabama.

It is only really bad going during rush hour, i.e., going North from 7-9am, and going South from 4-6 pm.


You can take I65 all the way to Montgomery, Alabama, then take US 231 to I10.

we did that once. that state route 231 took forever!


OP, we live about 40 miles nw of chicago. we used to always take 65, but lately we take 57 (in Illinois, get on it at 80) we take 57 to 24, then 24 to 745 (witht he exception of taking the 155 briley parkway around nashville)