Traffic to Nashville from north or south, which is better? (Murfreesboro: house, university)

[luvmymikee]

We're moving to the Nashville area. We're deciding between living in the Goodlettsville/Hendersonville area and the La Vergne/Smyrna area. My husband's job is on the south side of Nashville, near Vanderbilt U. Which location has a shorter drive time at rush hour? Is it better coming from the north or from the south? Any help will be much appreciated.

[IngleDave]

I travel 24 East, morning outbound and just shake my head and thank my lucky stars I'm not on the other side trying to get into Nashville. I'm the sure the north is the same way coming in...at least from there you'd have Dickerson Road as an alternate or Mboro Rd from the south. Believe me, you'll need one at times. Those are fine until everyone else decides to join you.

Sorry, no help, just a comment.

[YallWantHam]

Those are both pretty rough commutes really

[vivelafrance]

I think the North is a better option because 65 is wider, Hendersonville has a bypass, and Ellington Parkway is a great alternative if there is a wreck.

[Pimpy]

Coming down I-65 from the North, traffic slows down at the Briley/Dickerson/Ellington overpass. It is bumper-to-bumper for roughly three miles until you get to Trinity Lane, but it does move. After that, it clears up for the remaining 2-3 miles into downtown.

Coming up I-24 from Smyrna, traffic completely stops at the Sam Ridley exit. Then it picks up to about 40-50mph through LaVergne and Hickory Hollow, then stops again as you approach Harding Place. From Harding Place to the I-440 split, you are creeping along. At that point, you have two options: Take I-440 to I-65 into downtown, which will be bumper-to-bumper the whole way; or stay on I-24 through the I-40 merge, where traffic will gridlock around Fesslers Lane and again as you round the curve at 2nd/4th Ave.

This should go without saying, but all bets are off from either direction if there is an accident.

There is no "pain-free" commute from any direction in Nashville, but coming up I-24 from the Southeast is the baddest of the bad. My ex lives off Almaville Road in Smyrna, and the ride in from her place was much worse than the ride in from Goodlettsville/Hendersonville.

[septimus]

It seems like the traffic reports always focus on the North and East.

I come in from the south usually btwn 8:30-9am and it is a breeze unless there is an accident and that is usually once a month or less.

[Antioch]

I-24 from the south east is probally the worst because it is coming from areas with high population, all the way down to Murfreesboro, but has one less lane than 65 north, which doesn't make scence to me why I-24 is not 5 lanes.

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by Antioch

I-24 from the south east is probally the worst because it is coming from areas with high population, all the way down to Murfreesboro, but has one less lane than 65 north, which doesn't make scence to me why I-24 is not 5 lanes.

I saw a study a while back that said while Rutherford is, of course, the largest Suburban county, Sumner actually sends the most commuters into Nashville.

[luvmymikee]

Thanks for all of the input. My husband just found another house between Mt. Juliet and Lebanon. Any info on that commute? He's working on the the SW end of Nashville, near Vanderbilt University.

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by luvmymikee

Thanks for all of the input. My husband just found another house between Mt. Juliet and Lebanon. Any info on that commute? He's working on the the SW end of Nashville, near Vanderbilt University.

If you work at Vanderbilt, your best bet is to use the Music City Star from Lebanon to downtown + the bus connector that takes you to Vandyland. I understand Vanderbilt pays all or most of the fare? AFAIK the train is on time. Go to the MTA/Music city star site to find travel times.

I-40 from the East can be OK till you get near the Airport. Then you can crawl past I-24 & Fesslers Lane to the downtown loop. Broadway can be a tricky street. Not sure where you will park. You will save a lot of money using the train + bus option.

The area with the least amount of traffic may be from the West. I'm talking about Bellevue & US70S (West End-Harding) or I-40 to Murphy Rd & the West end Vandyland area. MTA route 3 covers the route from here to there.