Atlanta

It's better to stay as far away from Atlanta as possible.

philh wrote:
Maybe I've been lucky, but ATL has not bothered me on several trips, and it's usually Saturday afternoon that I traverse the city.

That's been my experience, too, the few times I've been through--though it's been nowhere near rush hour. I wouldn't say it's fun, easy driving, but there weren't any big standstills nor overly crazy drivers. I'd take it any day over, say, I-95 through NYC.

Maybe I've been lucky, but ATL has not bothered me on several trips, and it's usually Saturday afternoon that I traverse the city.

Go to Knoxville on 75, go to Asheville and pick up 26, take 26 to 95 into Savannah and avoid Atlanta at all costs. Atlanta is the very worst city I have ever driven through and will avoid it from now on. I have done it twice and that is enough to convince me to never drive through it ever again.

Unless Waze routes you differently we go straight through, often in the HOV lane and yes, when you get to Atlanta, you need to speed up. There are several places where the 2 right lanes become exit only lanes so I wouldn’t use the right hand lane.

I don't know where you are starting from except western Ky. Might be a little longer but not much, to come east of Atlanta. Problem might be the mountains in western NC. Sounds silly to Carolina to get to Savannah, but time wise you might save it.
Atlanta is prtty much of a roll of the dice on traffic issues. When we go come home from S Dakota we cut off of 75 in Dalton and then to Dawsonville, Gainesville to Athens. Not interstate speeds but we like that part of the country. In Gainesvillle just get on 129 toward Athens. Athens bypass (Ga 10 loop) to US 441 to Watkinsville exit. Follow US 441 to Madison, Eatonton, Milledgville to Dublin. Dublin get I-16 to Savannah. Going to be some truck traffic on 16 because of the Port at Savannah is a busy place. Not a bad ride until 16 then it is just boring to Savannah.

When I lived down there in ‘90 , when on I-75 through Atlanta if you weren’t running 85mph they would push you out of their way. It was amazing!

285 is a parking lot very often and worse IMO. I always do I-75 to I-20 going that way. Don't hit it at rush hours though, its very bad many of time, like a 30 mph crawl for an hour or more and then full stop while a wreck is cleared. I go through there around 1pm to 3pm fairly quick, its always busy though. I worked down town for years.

I was on I-20 at 6pm a couple months ago and it was like bumper cars, parts flying everywhere. The traffic there is nuts and the drivers are very reckless. Big commercial trucks tail gating bad, lots of collisions. Saw four major wrecks in 30 miles going west bound from Augusta. One wreck involved about 6 semis and a dozen or more cars. I had to weave in and out of three lanes missing debris with my 5th wheel.

So, avoid the ATL at peak times. Better off to park it and wait IMO unless you can hit it at off peak times. They fly on I-75, its very interesting after 5pm on a week day. I was running 65 mph with the RV and they pass you like your not moving! I travel from Chattanooga down though Atlanta occasionally with the 5th wheel, I hate that area after 3pm.

The route over through the The Carolinas doesn't add a lot of miles to Key West, and is shorter to Savannah. However it would take you up or down what is likely the steepest interstate in the southeast, I-26 from Hendersonville, NC to the South Carolina line.

Atlanta I always go straight thru. The road surface is good. I-285 is rough, especially the west side. However I often use I-20 out to Madison GA, US-441 south to I-16. This trades the south side for the east side, lots less traffic on I-20 for the 20 extra miles.

Travel trailers can go through I-75. I've done it both ways with my 5er. Straight through on I-75 and then the bypass. Done both bypasses (East and West). If you can't avoid Atlanta entirely, I would just go through in middle of the day, straight on I-75. Stay in second lane from right, as several right lanes end up being exit only. My 5er is 40 foot.

Mike