I-75 Detour southbound between Lexington & Knoxville!

[iloveokw]

I know someone mentioned this before, but do yourself (and your family) a favor by taking the detour at Corbin, KY, because of the rock slide on the southbound lane. We took it last week and it was a breeze with some very nice scenery thrown in. On our way home (northbound) we saw the 12 MILE backup (that looked like a parking lot) on the southbound side. Once those semis are stopped it takes a loooonnnnnggg time for them to get up those inclines. We were so thankful we did the detour.

 

[Macprincess]

Thank you so much for posting this. I have to make this drive on Tuesday. This is great info to have.

 

[Jake06]

Thanks for the info! We are heading south in less than 2 weeks.

 

[Jake06]

iloveokw,

Would you mind sharing the detour you took?

TIA

 

[iloveokw]

You take exit 29 at Corbin, KY, US-25E take a left from the exit until you get to I-81 to Knoxville (after that it is about 7-8 miles) til you take a LEFT exit onto I-40.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I came down I-75 today and took a different detour to avoid the landslide area. Just after crossing the state line, I took Exit 160 at Jellico, TN, took a left and followed U.S. 25W south through LaFollette, rejoining I-75 at Caryville. This route worked fine, though you should be aware that U.S. 25W is a two-line road with a LOT of s-curves until you reach LaFollette (20+ miles or so). I would not have been all that pleased to have to drive that road at night. Fortunately, there was excellent weather all the way through to Macon today.

Whether the detour actually helped me or not, I'm still not sure. During lunch in Florence, KY, I checked the Tennessee DOT traffic website and the affected part of I-75 was listed as "heavy." No part was listed as "stop and go," which I have seen in the past and which I assume indicates a long backup. My attitude was, better to take a chance on a pointless detour costing me maybe 30-45 minutes than risk getting stuck in a miles-long jam.