Shortcut between w/s and knoxville (Asheville, Newport: deal, hot, motorcycle)

[Topo]

Anyone know of a shortcut between these two areas. I am having a hard time with the curves on 40 at night. I know some of the other routes are propably just as bad or worse?

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by Topo

Anyone know of a shortcut between these two areas. I am having a hard time with the curves on 40 at night. I know some of the other routes are propably just as bad or worse?

If you are looking for a short, straight route over the mountains, it don't exist. The mountains are there and you gotta go thru, one way or t'other

There is a two-lane route: take 240 around Asheville, get off on 19/23, then 25/70 over to Marshall -> Hot Springs -> Newport, then back to I-40. I take that route west because I ride a motorcycle and I'd rather deal with two-lane twisties and the rare 18-wheeler silly enough to attempt the route than I-40 and all the truck bottlenecked traffic between Asheville and Knoxville. That back route would be even worse at night, IMO, so I wouldn't recommend it for those hours. Maybe during the day because you'd not be so stressed by the scary traffic over on the interstate.

[jhparker]

Yep, Silverwing is right, no shortcuts, the only straighter road than I-40 through the mountains is I-40 to (Future) I-26 in Asheville, to Johnson City, TN, get on I-81 and back to I-40, but you are probably adding an hour to your drive.