Best Route - Smyrna to Lenox area (Atlanta, North Atlanta: neighborhoods, school)

[sr_30]

Help. I would like to know the fastest route from Smyrna (Near Atlanta Road and Cumberland parkway) to the Lenox area during rush hour (mornings between 7-8 am and evenings 5-6 pm). Trying to avoid getting onto 285 since the drive is really bad. Will back roads - Moores mill or west paces ferry be any better?

[netdragon]

Take I-75 to West Paces Ferry, then head East. There's alternate routes in North Atlanta that head close to and relatively parallel to West Paces Ferry, like W. Wesley, Moore's Mill or Mt. Paran to Power's Ferry, but West Paces Ferry is the most direct.

You can also try heading East one exit on I-285 and cutting in on Power's Ferry via Northside Dr (NOT pkwy) and West Vernon, but I think you'll do better with W. Paces Ferry.

[wxjay]

West Paces Ferry can be a nightmare during rush hour in both directions. It's the only straight access point between Vinings and Buckhead, and it is extensively used. So you will hit A LOT of traffic there, and to top it all off, it is a one-lane road in each direction.

Although it sounds silly, for the morning hours, I would take 75-S to 85-N to GA 400-N to the Lenox Exit. For the ride home, it gets a little trickier. There are backroads through, say, Mt. Paran Rd., that will lead you back to Cumberland Parkway. DO NOT take GA 400 S to I-85 - instant gridlock for the afternoon rush.

[Georgia1113]

I usually go down 41 (Cobb Parkway) to West Paces Ferry, turn left, go past the Governor's Mansion and then turn left at Habersham, keep going to Piedmont Road and then turn right and go I think to the second light which is a big intersection going to 400 and turn left, you will go straight to Lenox. Not really very complicated once you get familiar with it.

[zoonik]

Originally Posted by Georgia1113

I usually go down 41 (Cobb Parkway) to West Paces Ferry, turn left, go past the Governor's Mansion and then turn left at Habersham, keep going to Piedmont Road and then turn right and go I think to the second light which is a big intersection going to 400 and turn left, you will go straight to Lenox. Not really very complicated once you get familiar with it.

This is a good route.

I used to live right by the cumberland mall. During Non-rush hour straight down West Paces Ferry to Lennox is a quick blast and a pretty drive. However like everyone has said, this 1 lane in each direction road gets jammed back during the evening rush, on both ends in both directions. There is no straightforward grid route anywhere in Atlanta so the best thing to do is look on google maps and try out your own winding routes to work and back till you find one that works best. That extra quarter mile in driving distance can sometimes save you a half hour.

[sr_30]

Thanks all for your suggestions. Been trying these routes and more this week so far, but it seems to take as much as 50 mins (for 12 miles!). My company's office location moved and looks like Im stuck with this commute unless i can convice them to allow some telecommuting.

[spacelord75]

If you are familiar with Log Cabin Rd., which runs parallel to S. Atlanta (where that Kroger is located), there is a road called Woodland Brook that runs from Log Cabin over to W. Paces Ferry (it lets out just north of Lovett School), then take a right and you fell spill out on W. Paces again just by 75. Then take that left and go right into Buckhead.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by sr_30

Thanks all for your suggestions. Been trying these routes and more this week so far, but it seems to take as much as 50 mins (for 12 miles!). My company's office location moved and looks like Im stuck with this commute unless i can convice them to allow some telecommuting.

50 minutes? Really? I can get from Atlanta Rd via 285/75 to Georgia Tech in about 20-25 minutes around 7 AM. So, if it's about 20 minutes to the Brookwood Interchange, then you jump on I-85 N to 400-N to Lenox. That's probably another 5-10 minutes. I'm surprised at the extra 20 minutes.

[MommiePreMed]

from 285 take exit 22 New Northside Drive. Right onto Northside Drive NW. Left onto Old Powers Ferry Road. Right onto Dupree. Dupree turns into Powers Ferry Road NW. Turn left on Wieuca Road. Wieuca road will take you To Peachtree Street alongside Phipps Plaza. The whole trip should not take more than 30 minutes

[netdragon]

50 minutes sounds too much, even at the worst time. One other option besides car is taking CCT from Cumberland to MARTA at the Art's Center. As long as the commuter lane isn't backed up, you'll have a pretty consistent commute each day. It may be a little longer than driving, but you can do work on the way.

Still, 50 minutes seems like a lot. Even in the heat of rush hour, I could get to Lenox in 20 minutes from Cumberland. I used to use that when I was learning to drive the stick shift, en route to downtown, since I didn't want to get on the highway with a stick shift back then. You tried Mt Paran to Power's Ferry, or tried W. Wesley instead?

I knew a few residential roads to cut through when my main routes were blocked. You can also try learning the residential neighborhoods to learn cut-throughs when the main roads get backed up. Just make sure not to speed, so it only makes sense when nothing is moving. It's really easy to get lost so you'll need to really study the maps, find a few relief routes, and then go practice off-peak. An example is taking Moore's Mill West instead of East and then using Peachtree Battle.