I-75 construction in south Georgia

[pooh_mania]

Has anyone driven I-75 from Atlanta to WDW recently? Is there significant road construction delays? How long did it take to drive from Atlanta to WDW?

I just received my TripTik from AAA. It mentioned there is a lot of construction on I-75 between Atlanta and Florida. It suggested taking alternate routes, even 200 mile detours, to avoid I-75 in Georgia.

Thanks in advance!

 

[goudaman40]

Here is a link to the I75 construction for South Georgia:


Georgia Construction

We will be making that drive in a little over two weeks. From what I remember, the majority of the construction was during the weekday . . . the drive down on a Saturday there wasn't construction, but on the return on the Tuesday, we got caught in construction.

We are driving down on a Friday and staying in Lake Park, Ga. then continuing the drive the next day. I hope this information helps you. (By the way, the construction was going on back in December of 2001 and has been going on there ever since).

 

[eeyorefanatic]

I have driven from ATL to WDW 5 times and will be doing so again next Friday. There allways seems to be some construction along 75 south of Atlanta that knocks the speed limit from 70mph to 55. Because fines double in work areas it can slow you down but on average if you can avoid Atlanta and Macon at rush hour times (7-10am and 4-6pm) you should be fine.

It usually takes me between 6-8 hours depending on traffic and stops.

 

[Luv2Travel]

eeyorefanatic - please let us know how your drive down I-75 went.

We have driven south on I75 from Atlanta for several years now, this past May being the most recent, and it has only gotten worse over the the last year or so. We ended up in a big parking lot when we went in May. I know it added 30-45 minutes to our trip. Just south of Atlanta and then around Valdosta was pretty crowded. Can't decide how to go on our upcoming October trip. We're coming from North Alabama, so we could go all the way down and hit Florida without going through Georgia, but I don't really like going down HWY 231. Any more advice would be much appreciated.

 

[dlbrann]

We drive from Huntsville down I65 to US231. This route is ~30 miles shorter than the Atlanta-I75 route.

We used to go to Atlanta and I75 South but the heavy traffic and construction made it a difficult drive.

Dave

 

[chamonix]

Tell me more about the 231 route, please.
Luv2travel? Why don't you like going that way?

 

[Luv2Travel]

The two times we went Hwy 231 it took us longer than going thru Atlanta and down I75. We have several friends that "swear by" the 231 route, but we're not big fans. I'm sure it's just because we hit the small towns that you have to go through at the wrong times. When we decide to go "back-roads" we prefer to take Hwy 280 from B'ham to Auburn to Columbus, GA. Then we take Hwy 82 to hit I75 (talk about hitting some small towns ). Adding up the milage, this route is shorter than both the Atlanta route (by about 60 miles) and the 231 route (by about 30 miles). The biggest problem we're worried about for taking that route is that you hit I75 at Tifton, GA which is where a lot of the construction was in May (between Tifton and Valdosta).

I'm still hoping to hear a traffic report from someone who's been down I75 recently to decide which way to go.

 

[pooh_mania]

Can anyone provide a trip report for I-75 and its construction?

We leave tomorrow!! WOOHOO! We probably will be driving through south Georgia on I-75 from 10-2, so I was curious if they are actually doing construction at that time on a Saturday?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Luv2Travel]

Hi Pooh_Mania,
I just had friends to go to WDW last week and they went I75 from Atlanta. He said there was construction, but they did not have any tie-ups during their drive. I believe they went down on a Saturday.

Just FYI, after my last post I finally decided to give hwy 231 another try on this trip and even booked a room through Priceline to stop at over-night in Tallahassee. However, after my friend's report I wish I had've waited so we could go I75. Either way, it doesn't really matter. At least we're going to WDW!

 

[chamonix]

luv2trvl, be sure to come back to this thread and give us a report on 231, please? We will be driving that way in two months. thanks, and have a great trip!

 

[RussH]

I drive to WDW twice a year and don't recommend 231. It gets you there but I75 will nearly always be faster.
The key to Atlanta and southern Georgia is Time-of-day and day-of-week. I leave from Cincinnati around 1am on Saturday and hit Atlanta before 9 am. I don’t use the bypass just blast right through town. Even on one really rainy trip last year we never completely stopped. The key to southern Georgia heading south is travel early in morning traffic is light and running well above the posted limits. If you can travel on a Saturday this is the best day for making time. If you run into construction sites they are down for the weekend and the light traffic volume prevents major back ups up when you lose a lane.
RussH

 

[Luv2Travel]

chamonix - I'll be happy to update this thread when I get back.

RussH - I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, on this trip we would be going through Georgia during the week at all the wrong times. Since we're coming back home on a Saturday, we will probably go I75 North on our return. I'll post an update on both when I get home.

 

[pooh_mania]

We just returned from Disney and traveled I-75 on Saturdays.

Going down we hit ATL around 9 AM. There were construction areas, but all of them were idle. No lane closures, no delays.

Coming home, we had no delays on I-75 north. But southbound was very backed up about an hour south of Atlanta. They had some lanes closed and I-75 south was a mess around 3PM.

Good luck!

By the way, if you can, avoid Atlanta during the weekdays from 7-10AM and 4-8PM. It is a mess.

Pooh_Mania

PS - went on Mission Space....didn't heed the motion sickness warning...I should have listened to them...............