Rush hour commute from downtown to Newnan (Atlanta, Alpharetta: house, college)

[j_ames2006]

I currently live in North Fulton and the commute downtown to work is killing me. It's only 20 miles but it's anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours each way everyday. I am thinking about moving to the south side, like Palmetto or Newnan. From my office to a house I have looked at recently, it's 41 miles. A guy at work said his commute from midtown to Newnan is only about 35 to 45 minutes unless there is bad weather or an accident. So if he's right, it's twice the distance but half the time. I can live with that trade off. If I'm at least MOVING I can deal with it. But sitting on GA400 for an hour and moving 10 feet drives me to drink.

I've seen a few threads on this site about the Atlanta/Newnan commute, but they are very old. Lots of changes have taken place on the expressways since then. I'd love to hear from someone who has that exact commute today, in 2012. My job allows flex time, so I could easily do a 7am to 4pm shift. And no, that makes no difference at all currently for me!

Thanks for all feedback!

[ecuresident]

I was doing the drive exactly last year- from Midtown to newnan in the morning and vice versa in the evening- had to be at the office by 8 and would leave the office around 5:30. Open all the way- typically took me about 40 mins. Depending on where you live in midtown, sometimes it would take a little longer once you got around Grady and past on the way back. The opposite way Im not so sure.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by ecuresident

I was doing the drive exactly last year- from Midtown to newnan in the morning and vice versa in the evening- had to be at the office by 8 and would leave the office around 5:30. Open all the way- typically took me about 40 mins. Depending on where you live in midtown, sometimes it would take a little longer once you got around Grady and past on the way back. The opposite way Im not so sure.

NOW WAIT JUST A SEC! Coming in in the mornings, doesn't the Connector typically clog up from Langford Freeway all the way into downtown? Heading out in the afternoons, it generally clears after the Grady Curve (or at least I-20). I used to commute from PTC to downtown and it was 35-40 minutes with ZERO traffic. I can't see how 10 years later, Newnan to Midtown is just as quick. IMPOSSIBLE!

[WanderingImport]

Why not just live closer in and avoid the traffic AND mileage altogether!

[j_ames2006]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

Why not just live closer in and avoid the traffic AND mileage altogether!

Trust me, if I could afford to spend a million dollars on a home in Virginia Highlands I certainly would. But I don't want to change this thread to an "affordable housing" topic. I am just looking for someone who lives in Newnan and drives to midtown everyday and can give me a realistic view of the average commute time and volume. Like I said, I can avoid the 8 and 5 crunch times on most days, because I can work a 7 to 4 shift in general.

[j_ames2006]

Originally Posted by ecuresident

I was doing the drive exactly last year- from Midtown to newnan in the morning and vice versa in the evening- had to be at the office by 8 and would leave the office around 5:30. Open all the way- typically took me about 40 mins. Depending on where you live in midtown, sometimes it would take a little longer once you got around Grady and past on the way back. The opposite way Im not so sure.

Thanks for the reply. But you were going in the opposite direction, so it wasn't really "exactly" the same commute. My drive would be toward Atlanta in the morning and toward Newnan in the evening.

[SAAN]

If you choose to move almost 40 miles outside of the city, your commute times will be long anyway it goes. I drive 34 miles to work in Alpharetta and there are days where it is just torture to get there.

If you do move to Newnan get tired of the commute, GRTA has some express buses (450 & 455) that go to Newnan and I think they can use the shoulder lanes to get around traffic like the buses on GA400 do during rush hours, so worse case is you take a 30-40 min nap before you get to work. Or drive to college park station and take the 20 min ride to Midtown, assuming your by a station....but this is all if you dont mind transit.

[Newsboy]

OOPS! I read the earlier guy as saying he went from Newnan > Midtown not the reverse way. Yeah, Midtown > Newnan probably is 35-40 minutes but coming into the city, no way IMO.

[j_ames2006]

Originally Posted by SAAN

If you choose to move almost 40 miles outside of the city, your commute times will be long anyway it goes. I drive 34 miles to work in Alpharetta and there are days where it is just torture to get there.

If you do move to Newnan get tired of the commute, GRTA has some express buses (450 & 455) that go to Newnan and I think they can use the shoulder lanes to get around traffic like the buses on GA400 do during rush hours, so worse case is you take a 30-40 min nap before you get to work. Or drive to college park station and take the 20 min ride to Midtown, assuming your by a station....but this is all if you dont mind transit.

Yea, 40 miles leaves a lot of room for things to happen. But I have had that distance before and it was all open road and pretty easy, so while the time was longer, the stress level was much smaller. I'm smart enough to understand that driving 40 miles does not equal a 10 minute drive to work or home. But the quality of the commute is really what I'm after. Going from Alpharetta to Perimeter at 8am is easily an hour drive if you don't live right next GA400, adding that extra distance to downtown makes it a hellish existence. It can take me 30 minutes just to get to the on ramp at that time! It's all about where you coming from and the timing. Which, again, is the root of my question. Leaving at 6:15am'ish from, say, McCollumn/Sharpsburg exit on 85 with a destination of the CNN center. What's the average commute like? And then going back that same route at 4pm'ish. Just in general...I know rain, accidents, etc. can muck it all up, but just in general.

[j_ames2006]

So nobody out there lives in Newnan and works downtown now? C'mon, there's gotta be somebody.