I see that this is old for the original posters, so just think of it as an update on Atlanta.
Rush hour in the greater Atlanta area started in 1996 when the Olympic games were here. I'm in Alpharetta. And the "rush hour" traffic has only gotten worse. It often takes me 1.5 hours to go from Six Flags just west of the I-285 loop on I-20 to Alpharetta (54 miles). And the travel lanes on the I-285 loop have been pinched down even tighter so lanes could be added. The lanes around the west and north are barely any wider than my Silverado dually. So be very careful.
If you are coming from the west and plan to go south on I-75 into Florida, I would strongly suggest you consider turning south or southeast bound well before you get to the Atlanta area and take the white shield US highways to catch I-75 well south of Macon. Yes, rush hour extends down to Macon on all six lanes of I-75. When I have gotten close to Birmingham, I have taken the US highways all the way south to I-10 and then east to I-75. There are a few options. Going through Montgomery on I-65 is even a reasonable option. You can just stay in the #2 lane all the way through town, and it's not very far. No lane changes. Or you can skirt Montgomery on the west side.
I've driven US-49 out of Jackson, Mississippi to Hattiesburg and then US-98 towards Mobile to get on I-10 eastbound. That's not a bad drive at all. Don't rule out the white shield highways. Many of them are 4-lanes for pretty long stretches.
But avoiding the Atlanta area, unless there is some compelling reason to go near Atlanta, is something I certainly would advise. There are alternate routes. Some may or may not be faster. It just depends on the variables. But one thing is for sure, it will be considerably less stressful than doing battle in the Atlanta metroplex.
Dave
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