Traffic throu Atlanta

[ssons]

has anyone been through Atlanta on I-20? Or is better to go around on I-285? I,ll be pulling a 38' 5th wheel
thanks

[Notanlines]

We have driven and towed thru Atlanta on 20 and 75 many times over the years. I'd say if it's rush hour the traffic on the beltway will be as heavy as straight thru. Overall, we normally just tough it out and drive straight thru on both 20 and 75. Many others may come on with secret ways to avoid all this, but it just isn't a big deal. A big deal is coming into Chicago from Indiana on Friday afternoon at 3:00,headed to Madison, Wisconsin. Now THAT is a big deal. Oh, and expensive.

[jvglasso]

We've used both I20 and I285. I'm assuming your going to use I75 South. If not stay on I20. I don't see much difference between using I20 or I285. There is a major construction on I20 on the Westside of Atlanta going West after the i285 exchange watch for it and make sure your in the left pass through lane. If you expect to stop make sure your in the right lane to exit I20. I285 seems to have lots of construction activity. We rely on WAZE for construction info. BTW we do anything possible to avoid rush hour traffic.

[TGK]

Originally Posted by ssons

has anyone been through Atlanta on I-20? Or is better to go around on I-285? I,ll be pulling a 38' 5th wheel
thanks

We have learned over the years to plan our trips so that we always go thru Atlanta on a Sunday. I know this won't work for everyone, but we're retired and able to schedule our trips to avoid as many traffic problems as possible.

[Photomonjax]

I go thur Atlanta four times a year to and from TN. I plan on reaching the city around 10am thus missing the morning traffic. Never had any problems unless there is a wreck and then all bets are off. I pull a 40 ft Montana.

[friz]

9 PM to 5 AM and you will zip through. Atlanta is the "pits" as far as traffic.

[Sparkle]

We are new to a 5th Wheel but have done ATL hundreds of times in our 42 Ft diesel pusher towing an Avalanche! All interstate traffic on ATL is bad, rush hour is painful, but the roads are good so if you set your expectations that you are going to get in your lane and be patient you will be good to go. Quick note: traffic moves into ATL in the mornings more from the North so southbound in the morning is worse than in the evenings and visa versa.

[DMW]

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