Nashville Nightmare

Nashville can be a nightmare. Indianapolis can be a nightmare. Cincinnati can be a nightmare. Atlanta will usually be a nightmare. Louisville will be a nightmare until they finish the work replacing the bridge. That's just your route, from somewhere in the south to Michigan.

The problem is that the Interstate system, conceived by Eisenhower to connect military installations, turned into a commercial network connecting major cities, and providing expansion of urban expressway systems to allow those cities to spread into suburbs. So the system routes you from one point of congestion to another.

From Florida to Michigan, there is nothing better than I-75, though it routes you through 2-3 congestion points. From the central Gulf Coast to the Detroit area, you have to deal with Nashville, then either Louisville and Indianapolis or Knoxville and Cincinnati, if your preference is Interstate highways.

My experience is mostly Tulsa to Detroit, the choke points being St Louis or Kansas City, then Chicago or Indianapolis, depending on the route I choose. I've worked out at least a dozen other routes that use U.S. numbered highways and sometimes state highways to avoid all of those cities by 50 to 100 miles, but any of my non-Interstate alternatives adds 6 to 8 hours to 16-18 hour trip on the Interstates. So I'm not saving any time, just the hassle of urban freeway congestion and the possibility of 1-2 hours stuck in urban traffic.

I've not yet worked out an "avoid the cities" route for your trip, you haven't given me a from where to where, but I'm sure I could come up with a route that gets you off the Interstate system for much of your trip, and avoid Nashville. However, doing this might add 50-100% to your total travel time, taking you through a hundred towns where you creep through at 20-40 mph for 2-10 miles each.

With a few minutes working a trip planning program, you could probably work out alternatives that fit your needs and avoid choke points. You just have to decide whether an extra day or two of travel is a good tradeoff for avoiding urban freeway frustrations.

FWIW, when using the Interstate system, time of day for each city is important. Thus, for Detroit to Tulsa vs Tulsa to Detroit, my routes are completely different. Southbound catches Chicago and Kansas City at a good time of day. Northbound better fits the timing through St Louis.

retireclose, I hope you didn't take offence at my post, I know it may have sounded a little bit sarcastic. I know there is no Topsail in the TX pan handle. I see many posts on here asking for advice on routing with very little info as to objective other than going from point A to point B which can be done simply by looking at a map, so why bother to ask. I think Dr. Quick is giving you a good alternate route around Nashville. You must really hate Atlanta. lol

We are formerly from the Davison MI. area.

bfast54 wrote:
- so its all just a total roll the dice:W

As said earlier, you can weight those dice by spending one minute looking at traffic flow maps.

I've towed thru Los Angeles between 2 and 4pm without a hassle, thanks to that.

Ken56 -- Pan handle of florida HWY331 to I-65 to Michigan.

I want to thank everyone that has responded. I have a lot of different options now.

I really Believe it's just a roll of the dice ----I came through Nashville coming from the West headed north A few months ago and breeze right through -----whereas a couple times in Cincinnati on 75-- going through town-- I've been stuck in an hour traffic jam--- so its all just a total roll the dice:W

I've been stopped on an expressway for an extended period more than once. When the traffic started moving again, I never saw what caused it. If it was just heavy traffic it didn't even make news the next day. If it was a wreck, there was coverage. As the saying goes, "If it bleeds, it leads." Pretty disgusting.

I live south east of Nashville, and to avoid the bad traffic, I take 840 to Lebanon, then get on 231 north at Lebanon, and take it to Glasgow Kentucky. Then next take 90 from Glasgow to cave city and get on I-65 north.
I have used this route a lot, good two lane scenic road from Lebanon. It avoids the Nashville mess.

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If we had two-hour jams every day then I do believe that I would have to move! But I commute with little problem if I avoid rush hour, and even that only turns a twenty minute trip into twice that---unless there is an accident. You just arrived at a bad time, which can happen anywhere. Quickest transit will be to arrive either before 7:00 AM or after 7:00 PM and you will probably just sail on through.

If you have to do daylight, just avoid 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 7 PM. Unless you get lucky again!

Check TDOT SmartWay traffic before you head through.

Also coming in on I-24, you can get off at Exit 54 on to SR-155, Briley Parkway, (either north or east-bound, I don't know what the Briley signs say at that point.) It loops almost all the way around Nashville. You will cross I-40, and then get to I-65 at MM 90 on the north side of the city. Briley Parkway occasionally jams up but nothing like going through downtown.

For the least traffic, start around by 6 AM on weekdays at the latest. Next best is early to mid-day on a weekend. Avoid 3-8 PM on weekdays.