Barrett Parkway/Piedmont rd and Bells Ferry rd (575 exit 1) Commute time and Route Suggestion (Buckhead: house)

[fe1ixs]

We just seal the deal to purchase house in Barrett Parkway/Piedmont rd and Bells Ferry rd (575 exit 1) area.

I need suggestion regarding the best commute hour and route both morning and evening travel to buckhead (northside parkway at I-75).

My company has flexible hour schedule. I'm trying to figure out if there is a good alternative route when I-75 traffic heavy and when is the best time to commute to avoid heavy traffic.

[wxjay]

The worst time for OTP I-75 traffic (including the merge with I-575) is between, say, 7:15 - 9:00 AM for the morning commute. The traffic will lighten up on I-75 as you travel south of the I-575 merge (more lanes) but will get jammed again near the I-285 interchange - stay to the left 3 lanes to continue on I-75.

For the commute home, it's variable depending on day of the week and the weather. In general, for Monday - Thursday, you will start hitting traffic at I-75/I-285 starting around 4:30 PM and continued heavy (but moving) up to I-575. The worst of the gridlock on I-75 OTP is after 5 and until about 7 PM. Of course, if there is rain, snow (rare but once or twice), or an accident, all bets are off. On Fridays, traffic starts getting heavy after 3-3:30 PM.

By the way, are you working at the North Creek Office Park on Northside Parkway? The reason I ask is because, for the exit to take to work, I would suggest take Exit 256 (Mt. Paran) over Exit 255 (Northside Parkway/West Paces Ferry) because a LOT of people who commute to Buckhead across West Paces Ferry use Exit 255, and after 7:30 - 8:00 am, that exit ramp can get jammed. You'll have an easier time taking Exit 256 and then turning left on Northside Parkway.

Oh, and others will say this, but try to avoid Barrett Parkway at ALL COSTS during peak traffic hours and on Saturday afternoons. Bumper to bumper traffic... very bad.

[BobKovacs]

As said above, you want to be on the road early, and out early. I live 10 miles north of you on 575 and commute to a few miles south of your office- I leave the house around 5:45, and leave the office by 4:00 on most days. If you can leave by 6am, you'll have an easy sub-30 minute commute in, and it'll stay that way until around 6:30- after that, all bets are off. In the afternoon, leaving at 4:00 you'll also have about a 30 minute ride on most days, whereas leaving anywhere from 4:30-6:30 you'll be looking at an hour (or more).

[fe1ixs]

@wxjay:
you have a perfect guess!
Yes. I worked at North Creek Office Park. I'll remember to use exit 256.

@Bobkovacs:
is it too late if I leave home by 6:30am?

Btw, which nearby exit I have to take when commute back from work if the traffic at 75 jammed? is it a good idea if I use cobb parkway (41) as my alternate route?
Is there any marta bus available? I would also consider car pool if possible.

[BobKovacs]

Leaving at 6:30 won't be too bad, but anytime after that is pushing it.

On the way home, 41 isn't really a great alternative- it gets pretty jammed up regularly, and when there's an accident, plenty of other folks jump over there too. For your location, I'd get off at Exit 263 onto the south loop, and you can take some back roads to get you to Piedmont. It might only save you a few minutes over sitting in 5 miles of traffic to get to 575, but at least you're moving and not staring at tail lights.

[fe1ixs]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Leaving at 6:30 won't be too bad, but anytime after that is pushing it.

On the way home, 41 isn't really a great alternative- it gets pretty jammed up regularly, and when there's an accident, plenty of other folks jump over there too. For your location, I'd get off at Exit 263 onto the south loop, and you can take some back roads to get you to Piedmont. It might only save you a few minutes over sitting in 5 miles of traffic to get to 575, but at least you're moving and not staring at tail lights.

Ok. thanks Bob for the suggestion.
I guess my work hour will be adjusted to 7am to 4pm.
Hopefully it won't be too bad experience living in this area. I used to live 10 miles away from the office and only take 10-15 minutes to drive back home. takes some time to figure out the back road.