Big time delays driving to the gulf coast this year

[Lanny]

Mobile, Al is horrible.  I have never seen that much traffic from I10 to Hwy 331 like last week. Took an additional 2 hours to arrive at Grayton Beach, Fl

[HawgWild]

Our last trip down we got re-routed through downtown Hattiesburg because the freeway was closed. Never found out what for but it added an hour and a half to our trip. Not looking forward to my trip to the northeast later this year. We always get big time delays around Memphis and Nashville.

[ricepig]

Mobile, Al is horrible.  I have never seen that much traffic from I10 to Hwy 331 like last week. Took an additional 2 hours to arrive at Grayton Beach, Fl

That's the reason I don't go that way.

[Tripod1]

2 weeks ago our normal 12 hour trip home took 15 hours because of the Mobile delays.  Now I remember why we have been going in the off season.

[McKdaddy]

Nothing good to say about going thru Mobile, with the last 3 years being particularly bad.

[rcopela]

Guess we got lucky, went down on the 22nd, made record time for us 11 1/2 hrs. from Fayetteville, maybe because it was on Sunday..

[oldman1015]

Guess we got lucky, went down on the 22nd, made record time for us 11 1/2 hrs. from Fayetteville, maybe because it was on Sunday..

not going on or leaving on saturday makes a huge difference.

[kingofdequeen]

Guess we got lucky, went down on the 22nd, made record time for us 11 1/2 hrs. from Fayetteville, maybe because it was on Sunday..

god looks out for cool folks like you.

[McKdaddy]

not going on or leaving on saturday makes a huge difference.

Yes it does. Our fav condo is a Saturday-thru-Saturday stay. The traffic thru Mobile hasn't been bad enough for us to seek a different place, but it is frustrating.

[Boarcephus]

There's only about 3 places where you can get stuck and we time our trips to avoid these places at peak times.  We're both early risers so we're on the road by 4:00 or so and that puts us through LR before 6:30 am during the week and that misses the traffic jams in Jackson and Mobile.  Still get stuck a little between Gulf Breeze and Sandestin but it's not bad.   Little over 12 hours down and a little less coming back

[rcopela]

god looks out for cool folks like you.

Yeah well, got ticket in Madison Parrish La. on the way back, had La. car in front of me and one behind me, picked me out of middle, had hog tag on front of wife's suv, I was dead ringer..

[HawgWild]

Maybe that was payback for all the LSU fans getting tickets speeding up 540 for a game.

[oldman1015]

i'm going to leave mcgehee next saturday around 3am. hopefully getting to the tunnel before 9 it won't be bad yet. i've heard it doesn't get bad until around noon but don't really know. we usually go down on a wednesday.

[kingofdequeen]

Yeah well, got ticket in Madison Parrish La. on the way back, had La. car in front of me and one behind me, picked me out of middle, had hog tag on front of wife's suv, I was dead ringer..

can't believe you couldn't schmooze and sweet talk your way out of that.  you must've been in a hurry/hung over.

[Boarcephus]

Yeah well, got ticket in Madison Parrish La. on the way back, had La. car in front of me and one behind me, picked me out of middle, had hog tag on front of wife's suv, I was dead ringer..

Where's Madison Parrish?  I got popped between lake Providence and the state line several years ago.  $176.50

[McKdaddy]

I'm a member of the Lake Providence Ticket Club.

[Hogfly]

I went down that way in May for a wedding and will be going back again in July. Traffic was fine in May, but I could already anticipate the nightmare from Defuniak Springs to 30A. The construction looked like it was going to be steady for most of that section (which is already a torturously slow section).

I also got a ticket this year. Between Hattiesburg and Lucedale.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

I went down that way in May for a wedding and will be going back again in July. Traffic was fine in May, but I could already anticipate the nightmare from Defuniak Springs to 30A. The construction looked like it was going to be steady for most of that section (which is already a torturously slow section).

I also got a ticket this year. Between Hattiesburg and Lucedale.

Leaving on a Thursday, coming back on a Tuesday, in a couple of weeks for a short Destin trip. 

Being the Memphis to LR veteran that I am (drive it an average of once a week), it can't be any worse than Forrest City right now on I-40.  That spot gives parking lots a bad name.

[Hogfly]

Leaving on a Thursday, coming back on a Tuesday, in a couple of weeks for a short Destin trip. 

Being the Memphis to LR veteran that I am (drive it an average of once a week), it can't be any worse than Forrest City right now on I-40.  That spot gives parking lots a bad name.

Thursday/Tuesday aren't bad travel days. Saturdays are the worst. We go Sunday/Sunday these days which helps some.

[McKdaddy]

Being the Memphis to LR veteran that I am (drive it an average of once a week), it can't be any worse than Forrest City right now on I-40.  That spot gives parking lots a bad name.

No doubt.

[kingofdequeen]

Being the Memphis to LR veteran that i am

drug mule.

[panhandlepig]

  It is frustrating to make good time and then get to the coast and Mobile then crap hits the fan. We have tried many routes home to Arkansas and all have their flaws. We have found if we keep on I10 to Meridan then hit Hwy 45 south we encounter fewer problems. You still have to deal with Mobile but come through Citronelle and Saraland from the north and even though you have a short stretch of 2 lane road, it seems to be easier.

  That route also lets you zip through Jackson without dealing with the Hwy 49 traffic, you avoid the 98 cluster going into Mobile from the West.

  If you choose that route, research it...lots of twists and turns and it is easy to get lost. You use the Chochrane -Africa Town bridge and come out on Water Street and take Government and end up right at the entrance to the tunnel and the 8mile bridge.

  Some of this is from memory so like I said look it up and don't rely on my memory..lol.  Everybody is using the Mid Bay bridge to Destin and not  using 98 from PCola anymore I hope?
  Evidently they did something to make that stretch around Hwy 20 out of Niceville quicker. Anyway, hope some of this helps. Have fun down here but let me tell you,I could do without the tourist invasion right now ( Hog Fans excepted, of course)! Drive safe and Happy Vacation....

 

[Boarcephus]

Everybody is using the Mid Bay bridge to Destin and not  using 98 from PCola anymore I hope?
  Evidently they did something to make that stretch around Hwy 20 out of Niceville quicker.

This it the hurricane evacuation route correct?  We took that one year and won't do it again because it added about 30-40 miles to an already long trip.

About the only time we have trouble with the 98 route from Pensacola to Destin route is when we make the trip in one day and that throws us there around 4 or so in the pm.    When we come back home we hit it at around 4:30 am and the stop lights are not even working.  Just buzz on through.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

drug mule.

Wanna check my body cavities?

[rcopela]

Where's Madison Parrish?  I got popped between lake Providence and the state line several years ago.  $176.50

Tallulah, is where I send the $198.00, trying to get Lawyer friend to keep it off my driving record for insurance purposes   

[Boarcephus]

Tallulah, is where I send the $198.00, trying to get Lawyer friend to keep it off my driving record for insurance purposes

When I got my ticket I called my agent and asked them the same question about keeping it off my record.  I considered taking the defensive driving course, etc and their suggestion was, since I had a clean record, no tickets in forever, factor in my age at the time (50ish) was to do nothing and roll the dice I wasn't checked.  The carrier had no reason to check my license so I could probably slip by the 3 year period and not get a jack in my premiums.   I did just that and it slipped by.

[HawgWild]

Tallulah, is where I send the $198.00, trying to get Lawyer friend to keep it off my driving record for insurance purposes

Ah, Tallulah. Isn't that where the highway divides as you go through town? That definitely has the look of a speed trap.

[oldman1015]

Ah, Tallulah. Isn't that where the highway divides as you go through town? That definitely has the look of a speed trap.

yep and its 25 mph forever.

[Boarcephus]

And Lake Providence is just as bad.  That 50 mile stretch of highway from the Arkansas state line to the Mississippi state line is one long speed trap.

You want to see a sight?  Drive through Tallulah on a Friday night after dark.  You'll pray to the automobile gods your car doesn't break down.

[Pigasaurus]

11.5 hrs from SE Ar to Okaloosa Isle going down.  8hrs 10 min coming back.  Thanks Mobile tunnel. Gonna either go early, Sunday or cut thru Nebraska next time down.

[Hogfly]

11.5 hrs from SE Ar to Okaloosa Isle going down.  8hrs 10 min coming back.  Thanks Mobile tunnel. Gonna either go early, Sunday or cut thru Nebraska next time down.

There's a pretty easy bypass for the Mobile Tunnel that takes you through the shipyards. It's a little tricky but not that hard. It's also kind of interesting stuff to see. We started using it when going on Saturdays, but the tunnel isn't as bad on Sunday.

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

Left Orange Beach at 7 AM this morning.  Back in our driveway in Batesville at 5:15 PM this afternoon, including a stop at Huey's in Olive Branch and a 10 minute stop near the Power Plant in Newark thanks to the ASP (got off with a warning ticket).  I go Memphis to Tupelo to Mobile and avoid the tunnel both ways.

[panhandlepig]

We use that route through downtown Mobile. My in-laws were 10 minutes ahead of us leaving Hattiesburg, took a different route and we wound up at Felix's for lunch 30 minutes before they did.

  I just realized I said stay on I 10 through Jacksonville to Meridian. I should have said  20 to Meridian then hit Hwy 45 S to Mobile. It is our preferred route now over the whole 98 to 49 Hattiesburg to 20 one we have taken 3 or 4 times a year for  25 freaking years....If there was a way to avoid Mobile we would have found it...and Felixs' is awesome.

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

  I just realized I said stay on I 10 through Jacksonville to Meridian. I should have said  20 to Meridian then hit Hwy 45 S to Mobile. It is our preferred route now over the whole 98 to 49 Hattiesburg to 20 one we have taken 3 or 4 times a year for  25 freaking years....If there was a way to avoid Mobile we would have found it...and Felixs' is awesome.

When you come into Mobile on 45, what do you do then?

My route is take a left on 65, take the 1st exit to 145, and then take 1st exit to 90.  Takes me through the shipyards and comes out back on 10 on the other side of Felix's.

[McKdaddy]

Left Monticello at 7am, arrived in Perdido Key at 5pm. Terrible last 1-2 miles before the tunnel, maybe the worst I've experienced.

I'd like a Mobile tunnel workaround.

[oldman1015]

There's a pretty easy bypass for the Mobile Tunnel that takes you through the shipyards. It's a little tricky but not that hard. It's also kind of interesting stuff to see. We started using it when going on Saturdays, but the tunnel isn't as bad on Sunday.

in may on a sunday morning one group came back that way and we went through the tunnel. they beat us back out to wal mart by 10 minutes and that was with no traffic. my friend who owns a condo there goes that way but can't tell me how to do it very well. can you give me directions i'm leaving saturday.

[oldman1015]

If you're talking about the downtown route, you follow 45 (or 98) into Mobile where it becomes Springhll Avenue, then right on Broad, left on Government, through the Bankhead Tunnel. Then you hit Battleship Parkway on the other side of the channel and can either use it to get on 10 or take it all the way across the bay.

no on this route you turn left at wal mart and go around ship yards.

[PharmacistHog]

I always leave LR at 10pm and drive all night, let the wife and kids sleep.  I usually cross the bay about 6am and stop for breakfast.

[HawgWild]

That's the way we always traveled when we were kids. Me, no way I could do that now.

[Hogfly]

I always leave LR at 10pm and drive all night, let the wife and kids sleep.  I usually cross the bay about 6am and stop for breakfast.

We usually leave about 3am, which usually puts us just out of Mobile for lunch. If my kids would sleep in the car, I might go your method. 

[Boarcephus]

Bet we've been through Mobile 30 times over the last 30 years and have never experienced what you guys are saying about it.  About the time you hit the AL/MS state line all the way to 65 can be slow at times but never these huge delays at the tunnel.  Granted we've never been in Mobile at 5 in the afternoon but come through around 3.  Guess we've just missed the rush.

[oldman1015]

Bet we've been through Mobile 30 times over the last 30 years and have never experienced what you guys are saying about it.  About the time you hit the AL/MS state line all the way to 65 can be slow at times but never these huge delays at the tunnel.  Granted we've never been in Mobile at 5 in the afternoon but come through around 3.  Guess we've just missed the rush.

i got there around  1 last year on saturday. it was horrible. when we go in the spring on wed. it's not bad at all. maybe by 3 most the people are already past.

[McKdaddy]

I've gotten so sick of the Mobile tunnel delays that I've considered beaching elsewhere, such as San Diego, which we've done a couple of times. However, these tunnel workarounds give me hope.

I miss the pre-kids days when the annual RR trip would be in May or Sept, so we'd miss all the mass humanity.

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

[ricepig]

I've gotten so sick of the Mobile tunnel delays that I've considered beaching elsewhere, such as San Diego, which we've done a couple of times. However, these tunnel workarounds give me hope.

I miss the pre-kids days when the annual RR trip would be in May or Sept, so we'd miss all the mass humanity.

We don't go through Mobile, but then again, I'm leaving from NEA.

[McKdaddy]

Thanks sir, and to all who have provided a bypass.

[Hogfly]

I think we're going to try the Meridian route this year, just to avoid the entrance into Mobile on 98, which just drives me freaking crazy.

Does anyone have a "best" way to get from I10 to Seagrove area? The construction between Defuniak Springs and the bridge has just been killer lately and looks to be even worse this year.

[cobra kai]

The last two times I drove to Destin/Grayton, I took the northern route through Birmingham.  It was a much easier drive, and i actually shaved off a little time from my previous drive through Mobile.  It's a few more miles than going through Mobile, but depending on traffic it can be a little faster.   

[ricepig]

The last two times I drove to Destin/Grayton, I took the northern route through Birmingham.  It was a much easier drive, and i actually shaved off a little time from my previous drive through Mobile.  It's a few more miles than going through Mobile, but depending on traffic it can be a little faster.   

Yep, it's quicker time wise, no doubt.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

I'm typing this as I sit in our condo at Tops'l just across 98 from Sandestin.  Great view of the ocean and the bay.

Since we started from Memphis, we went the Tupelo to Birmingham to Montgomery to Destin route.  Made it in about 7 1/2 hours.  The only part of the trip I didn't care for was the route as we neared Birmingham.  There's about a 20 mile detour off of Hwy 78 as you near the Birmingham area; then once you get to Birmingham you have about a 10 mile stretch on 2 lane with a bunch of stoplights.  Other than that stretch, it was a great route.

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