Nashville Nightmare

From I-65, take Briley Parkway to I-24 to I-65. Briley Parkway turns from an Expressway to a regular 4 lane road and has just a couple of stop lights. Get on I-24 for about 1.5 miles and then exit onto I-65. You bypass all that construction and delays. That's the way we went this past November when we headed south.

Texas pan handle not Florida pan handle right? A tiny bit more info as to your route might be helpful. As far a Nashville goes its just under constant construction so traffic conditions are unpredictable. You can check TDOT web site for any insight on road conditions or closures. The usual. If you can afford to get off the hiway and onto some back roads to get you around Nashville you might be better off. Have google maps on your phone? Check it to see alternate secondary roads that might get you around the city and then back to your preferred route. Tennessee's secondary roads are pretty good in most cases so don't be afraid to venture off the expressway.

agesilaus wrote:
I've decided that most of the time you just waste more time trying to bypass a big city than you do in just driving thru.
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x2

Check a local traffic flow map before you drive. All big cities have them. No guesswork.

I agree timing is important. I try to travel through large cities after 9am, before 11:30 am or after 1PM and before 2:30PM monday thru friday to avoid the heaviest traffic. Sunday mornings are good as well.

We used I-65 to go around Nashville the last time we were through there.

The only time I recall seeing a really major jam on I-24 south of Nashville was when there was a music event of some sort. We were going north but the southbound lanes were jammed for maybe 5 miles. It's just a roll of the die, you can stuck in a traffic jam in just about any major city. I've decided that most of the time you just waste more time trying to bypass a big city than you do in just driving thru.

The only exception is when the geography of the roads makes it possible to bypass a city on a good fast road and actually save some time. San Antonio can be bypassed with Texas 46 for example. But that's because the interstate makes a "V" at that point and you can cut across it.

Probably just a matter of timing it to when traffic is at its lightest. And not unusual to get stuck in a long traffic jam due to an accident, but by the time you get to where it happened it has all been cleared, emergency vehicles gone, and leaves you wondering what the problem was.