Driving to Atlanta - is weekend better than weekday?

[RoughCollie]

Next week, I will be driving from western PA to Atlanta. Is there any difference in traffic conditions on the route if I travel on Thursday and Friday instead of during the weekend? I will be on I-79, I-77 and I-85, mostly.

 

Also, coming through West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina mountains -- is it dangerous to drive there? My mother has warned me at least 15 times in the last few weeks about how dangerous the mountain driving is. My main experience with mountain driving has been in Vermont and PA, which was no big deal. The upshot is that my mother is making me nervous about this trip with all her warnings about how dangerous it is to drive to Atlanta, much less in Atlanta!. I'm starting to get anxious about it as a result of her constant yammering. IOW, she is one of the people who is anxious about every little thing (danger around every corner) and it is rubbing off on me.

 

Thanks,

RC

[Pawz4me]

We frequently travel the 77/85 route. The mountains are generally no problem unless it's snowy/icy or foggy. Snow and ice shouldn't be an issue this time of the year. Fog can definitely be a problem. Around Fancy Gap (near the Virginia/NC border) it can be particularly awful. There was a massive pile-up there a few weeks ago due to fog. I believe there were about 95 vehicles involved. You'll see all sorts of warnings at the top of the mountain when you're headed south, for both fog and wind. We've been through the area before when you literally couldn't see a few yards in front of you. But just use common-sense and you'll be fine. Wind is usually only an issue for high-profile vehicles like trucks and RVs. If it's a nice day, be sure to take a glance off to your left coming down. The view of the piedmont is lovely on a clear day.

 

I'd try to hit Charlotte at a non-peak time. Traffic there tends to bottleneck easily, especially around the 77/85 interchange. Atlanta? Well, it's a big city. And traffic can be pretty bad just about any time.

[zoobie]

If you pick up 85S in Charlotte, there aren't any mountains on that leg. It's a straight shot from there to Atlanta. I haven't driven the I-77 or I-79 legs, but from a google map, the mountainous part is very small compared to the rest.

 

Charlotte will have significant rush hour traffic on a weekday. I don't know that more cars makes it more dangerous though. As long as you're not coming into Atlanta with morning rush hour, traffic shouldn't be bad from that direction.

 

I'm assuming dangerous = likelihood of having a car accident rather than being attacked by a mountain man. ;) That is a long drive. I'd be more concerned about fatigued driving affecting you than the surroundings. Supposedly it's as dangerous as driving drunk.

 

My dad has a great way of dealing with "Nervous Nellies" (one of the main culprits is named Nell): he looks straight at her and shrugs, saying, "If it's my time to go, it's my time to go." Usually redirects the conversation to Jesus. :)

 

Hope you have a nice drive with pleasant weather!

[Parrothead]

Nothing bad about those roads except rush hour traffic

[nancy in nj]

I live north of Charlotte and have done the NJ to NC hike through the mountains many times when we were house-hunting. I would try to avoid the mountains in very early morning (greater chance of fog) and during the 5-7 o'clock in the evening timeframe when the sun-glare is really bad coming south (although the drive is absolutely gorgeous during this time). I-77 from exit 33 south to exit 19 (north of Charlotte) can be congested from 3:30 to sunset (mainly because of traffic slowing down to check out Lake Norman which I-77 crosses at several points between exit 31 and 28. Your directions should NOT be taking you straight on I-77 south through Charlotte. You can pick up 485 north of Charlotte (exit 19) which swings you in a loop around Charlotte to the west and pick up I-85 from 485. I think this part of the 485 loop was just completed during the last 5 years--our old GPS did not recognize this section and used to get quite upset that we were driving off road.

[sheryl]

I live north of Charlotte and have done the NJ to NC hike through the mountains many times when we were house-hunting. I would try to avoid the mountains in very early morning (greater chance of fog) and during the 5-7 o'clock in the evening timeframe when the sun-glare is really bad coming south (although the drive is absolutely gorgeous during this time). I-77 from exit 33 south to exit 19 (north of Charlotte) can be congested from 3:30 to sunset (mainly because of traffic slowing down to check out Lake Norman which I-77 crosses at several points between exit 31 and 28. Your directions should NOT be taking you straight on I-77 south through Charlotte. You can pick up 485 north of Charlotte (exit 19) which swings you in a loop around Charlotte to the west and pick up I-85 from 485. I think this part of the 485 loop was just completed during the last 5 years--our old GPS did not recognize this section and used to get quite upset that we were driving off road.

 

Hi. We live in south Charlotte and I agree with the above. You'll be on 85 the whole way through the north side of downtown Charlotte. I would not, however, see the benefit of getting off 485 to get back on again. That is curving away and adding time/distance. IMO, I'd stay on 85. You really will be south of the mountain range and mostly out of it.

[Paige]

The drive from Western PA to Atlanta is just fine. As long as you don't hit Atlanta on a weekday between 4-6, you should be fine. Really, it's fine to drive anytime. Rush hour isn't all that dangerous, IMO, because everyone is only going 5mph! You could be significantly delayed by rush hour traffic, however, and it's a pain. I was terrified to drive in ATL when I first moved and when I actually got into it, it was no big deal on the highway. Unless your destination forces you to get on the Atlanta bypass, skip it. It's just as bad as traffic straight through downtown and adds a lot of time and distance.

[nancy in nj]

From the north, which I travel all the time, you do not go from 85 to 485 then back on 85. You take 77 south until exit 19 (just south of Huntersville well north of the 77/85 intersection) cut southwest on 485 which intersects 85 west of Charlotte. This saves at least 5-10 minutes even with no traffic to get to the same point (the intersection of 485 and 85 which is west of the intersection of 77 and 85) and it keeps you away from any Charlotte traffic south of Exit 19. I don't know how to cut a section of the google map and paste it here, but I'm pretty sure that I am talking about a section of 485 that someone would South Charlotte would have no reason to utilize.

[RoughCollie]

Thank you all very much for the great advice!

 

RC

[ChocolateReignRemix]

We just did that drive on Thursday. Easy peasy and as long as you use some common sense coming through the mountains in WV and VA you will be just fine. If you aren't familiar with those roads I do suggest taking the speed limits seriously in those curves.

 

As someone mentioned the Fancy Gap area can be foggy but you should be hitting it at an okay time of day. Traffic can bog down there quickly and for no apparent reason so you will need to stay alert. Once you hit Charlotte the drive is really easy and a straight shot into the ATL.