Looking for shortcut from I-75 to I-85 around Atlanta

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Looking for any information/suggestions about route planning around Atlanta. I'll be heading north on 75 looking to hit I-85 North. If the construction areas aren't too bad or numerous, would it be more beneficial to just stay right on I-75 to connect to 85?

What time of day/night would be the easiest if slabbing it is the best option? Thanks in advance.

 

[ngarider]

Forget 6am -> 10am and 3:30pm -> 7pm M-F. And on a Friday, traffic usually starts getting bad at 2-3pm. Outside of that, watch www.myganv.com for construction alerts and traffic jams. If you have the ability to do AM radio, AM750 gives realtime traffic while you're in town.

If traffic is clear, you can slab through downtown and watch the signs. If there's a ballgame, or construction, take I-285N around town to 85.

And watch for Gwinnett county PD running 2 wheel radar on I85 north of ATL.

 

[Bounce]

285 around Hotlanta!

Do it!

At least once!

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Is there alot of large scale construction that occurs in the wee hours of the morning say 2 to 4 a.m.? I know the bars will be closing up, but it's either the construction and accidents or the drunks. Can't pick all the battles! That myganv.com site is pretty cool. Thanks!

 

[ngarider]

Yeah, they like to tear up the roads around here in the wee hours and on weekends.

 

[Randy]

for the locals...how is 129 from Macon to Athens and then 441 from Athens to 85?

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Yeah, they like to tear up the roads around here in the wee hours and on weekends.

That's kinda what I thought.....same in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

 

[trimmantom]

I don't know how you're coming up from Fla. but if you come up I-95 you can head west on I-16{right near Savannaha] which is a lightly traveled interstate.

Get off I-16 to SR-15 north. youll go through some small towns but stay on it, you'll go through Greensboro,ga. , Watkinsville, and catch 441 in athens , Ga.

Stay on 441 for 20 more miles til you come to Comerce, Ga. where you'll catch I-85 north to Charlotte which would be about 170 miles.

Voila you've avoided Atlanta and taken a nice ride through the country.

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

I don't know how you're coming up from Fla. but if you come up I-95 you can head west on I-16{right near Savannaha] which is a lightly traveled interstate.Get off I-16 to SR-15 north. youll go through some small towns but stay on it, you'll go through Greensboro,ga. , Watkinsville, and catch 441 in athens , Ga.

Stay on 441 for 20 more miles til you come to Comerce, Ga. where you'll catch I-85 north to Charlotte which would be about 170 miles.

Voila you've avoided Atlanta and taken a nice ride through the country.

Based on previous replies from another thread, I'll be coming up from Ft Myers and avoiding I-95 altogether. I'll also be trying to avoid Atlanta during peak times, but know that even at night there'll be possibilities of construction zones. Since I'll be travelling at night, I'd prefer to stay on roads that are in relatively populated areas to avoid forest rats (though they're all over and always a threat.) Mostly, I'm just trying to keep my travel time down as much as possible. Thanks for the reply. Any other thoughts?

 

[trimmantom]

If you're coming through Atlanta at a late night hour and there is no construction going on you'll be able to breeze through town.

If there is construction going on in town,I'd suggest hitting I-675 about 20 miles south of town,it will run you into I-285,where you'll catch it north about 20 miles to I-85 north and avoid downtown.

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

If you're coming through Atlanta at a late night hour and there is no construction going on you'll be able to breeze through town.If there is construction going on in town,I'd suggest hitting I-675 about 20 miles south of town,it will run you into I-285,where you'll catch it north about 20 miles to I-85 north and avoid downtown.

That seems to be the best approach, 75-285-85. Will look at 675 further. Thank you sir!

 

[wfooshee]

I think 75-675-285-85 is actually shorter than going through the downtown corrider anyway. I've never come to Atlanta from the Southeast, so I've never been on 675.

 

[SCRider]

for the locals...how is 129 from Macon to Athens and then 441 from Athens to 85?

This is the best route around the ATL in my opinion. We have a mfg plant in South GA and a bunch of us at work go there quite often from Greenville. I've actually made it faster this way than doing the 85/285/675/75 (or visa versa) route when doing 75-80 through Atlanta. The 129 part is prolly the worst because it's 2 lane.

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

for the locals...how is 129 from Macon to Athens and then 441 from Athens to 85?

This is the best route around the ATL in my opinion. We have a mfg plant in South GA and a bunch of us at work go there quite often from Greenville. I've actually made it faster this way than doing the 85/285/675/75 (or visa versa) route when doing 75-80 through Atlanta. The 129 part is prolly the worst because it's 2 lane.

Thanks SCRider. I'll check that out, sounds like it may be the way to go possibly. Will check the traffic conditions/construction on line before taking off from Florida. Thanks for the heads up. BTW, I lived in Clemson for eight years. Travelled to Greenville to my Reserve drills.

 

[2wheelingdawg]

+1 on 75-675-285-85. Avoid downtown Atlanta on the weekends. MAJOR REPAVING PROJECT!!!!!! 3-4 lanes shut down from Friday night to Mon am. try this https://www.georgia-navigator.com/cameras for up to the minute construction projects

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

+1 on 75-675-285-85. Avoid downtown Atlanta on the weekends. MAJOR REPAVING PROJECT!!!!!! 3-4 lanes shut down from Friday night to Mon am. try this https://www.georgia-navigator.com/cameras for up to the minute construction projects

What are your thoughts on the 129 to 441 route if you are familiar with those roads? What is the general paving/construction situation on 675-285-85?

 

[2wheelingdawg]

the only paving that i am aware of is on 85 at hwy 316. shouldn't be to bad though. doing 675/285/85 takes you around the east side of Atlanta. Depending on the time of day,and what day of the week, traffic should be your only issue. on 129/441 probably not a bad ride, I have run 129 between Macon and I-20 in my big truck. Not bad running. Alot of mobile homes are made in Eatonton, so you always have wide loads on that road. Again if you are on the weekend, it shouldn't be much of a problem. But you will be going through some prime deer hunting country. Never know when one will run out in front of you.

If you decide to go through Athens (God's Country), and you are doing this ride in the fall, you better check the football schedule. Athens is home to the University of Georgia, (Go Dawgs!!), www.georgiadogs.com You do no want to be anywhere near Athens on game day unless you are going to the game. UGA holds 92,000+ so traffic is really a bitch. When i had tickets, we used to leave at daylight to get out there and beat the traffic.

where are you starting from, what day of the week, what time are you estimating hitting ATL? If traffic is flowing, you can run 80 in the slow lane and still get passed. If traffic sucks, you can push your bike on the shoulder and pass people.

I live right off 75 south of Atlanta, FJR's and chick fil a biscuits are a great way to start the day.

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

I'm looking at being around Hotlanta on a Friday night/Saturday morning at around 3 a.m. I figured initially that traffic wouldn't be an issue, but sounds like construction may be after hearing a few replies here. Perhaps leaving Ft Myers Thursday evening would be a better choice (to miss any major overnight construction projects). Seeing as how it may be the early rutting season, I might just stick to the Interstate which is what I had planned on originally. I'll be through there on Sept. 25 or 26. Screw it, I've made up my mind. I'll be through there on Thursday, screw Friday with the overnight construction, higher % of drunks, football travellers, etc.

Chick-fil-a is OK, I know it's a favorite of many down south. Could never get into the biscuit and gravy thing. That's why it is the "stroke-belt" not just the "bible-belt"! Let me know what you think about the timing of my route, I'd be happy to hear whatever you could offer up! Thanks, Dawg.

 

[2wheelingdawg]

if you are going to be through that time of night, there shouldn't be any problems. many times I have left Orlando around 8 pm and never let off the gas in my big truck. Even the road work in S Ga shouldn't mess you up. Hitting ATLanta at 3 am you could just breeze right through downtown, roadwork or not. When we leave to go to N ga and the mountains, we leave around 7 am and go right through the middle of town. Coming home is a different story though. I would stick to the slab, at least you have a better chance of spotting bambi before he commits suicide.

You want to take I-475 around Macon as well, cuts off 15 miles. well marked you can't miss it.

I leave out for Little Rock in the am. I'll help you as much as i can, but I won't have computer access until next weekend.