In the face of worsening traffic and an increase in freight, industry and infrastructure advocates are urging Chattanooga drivers to “drive like a local” and use alternate routes.
“To move people from interstate travel to the less congested, less stressful and certainly more beautiful routes,” said Susie Alcorn, executive director of the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance.
The routes, which use state and surface roads to connect drivers to other cities in the region, were recommended amid record-high traffic predicted for the Memorial Day weekend.
(READ MORE: The Memorial Day travel rush is off to an early start)
Nearly 950,000 Tennesseans are expected to travel at least 50 miles over the weekend, according to a prediction from AAA. The best, or least congested, times to travel tend to be earlier in the day, including before 2 p.m. on Memorial Day, according to AAA.
All lane closures for state construction projects will be suspended over the weekend, according to the state Department of Transportation.
But for those looking to avoid the interstates, groups identified five routes that can get drivers to cities including Manchester, Tennessee; Knoxville; and Cookeville, Tennessee.
Alcorn, with the infrastructure alliance, said the idea came after she got stuck twice on back-to-back trips from Chattanooga to Nashville. She knew the back roads, she said, from growing up in Manchester, but not everyone does.
“It gives us an opportunity even to share with newcomers who are coming into the state, who don’t necessarily know anything except the major roads, the major interstates,” Alcorn said. “Tennessee’s blessed with great roads. We’re just trying to promote for people to use those alternative routes.”
The routes were designed to avoid key pinch points, including the Interstate 75/Interstate 24 split, the Missionary Ridge cut and the Highway 27 interchange at Moccasin Bend, said Rhett Bentley, spokesperson for Thrive Regional Partnership.
‘PARKING LOT’
Chattanooga, sometimes called “Freight Alley” for its many logistics companies and the high volume of freight that moves through the area’s interstates, has become a major crossroads for truckers hauling shipments from East Coast ports, according to a release from Thrive.
“Combined with summer tourists headed to and from the coasts and Great Smoky Mountains, Chattanooga’s interstates become a parking lot well past the rush hours for local commuters,” the press release said.
On average, more than 114,000 vehicles a day drive on I-24 at Moccasin Bend, according to state data, about 20% of them trucks. Commercial vehicles can make drivers feel boxed-in, the partnership said.
(READ MORE: Interstate truck traffic likely to decline as tariffs take hold)
“The mountains and the rivers that make Chattanooga one of the most scenic cities in the country also limit the options for road building,” the release said. “But in the Chattanooga region, state highways and surface roads offer relief for those in-the-know.”
A GROWING PROBLEM
Tennessee’s highway system was built when the state had around 3 million residents, Alcorn said.
“Today, we have more than 7 million people, and, of course, growing every month,” she said.
While interstates are built to accommodate trucks carrying heavy freight loads, smaller state routes and surface roads often can’t handle those burdens, Alcorn said. That means it makes more sense to move drivers in smaller vehicles onto the alternate routes than to divert truckers, she said.
That also means those smaller routes shouldn’t get as congested as the interstate, even if more people begin using them, she said.
More freight loads are moving through the area thanks to expanded capacity at the Port of Savannah, Georgia, Alcorn said. The port is the third-busiest seaport in the country.
“Y’all are the first point in Tennessee that has that impact coming from the Port of Savannah,” Alcorn said. “Some of the most significant challenges in the state on the interstate system are in Chattanooga.”
(READ MORE: FreightWaves CEO weary of Trump’s tariffs)
Rapid growth and new construction in the eastern part of Hamilton County, particularly around the Ooltewah and East Brainerd areas, has pushed some drivers there to avoid the interstate, Snow Hill area resident Kim Helton said.
Many residents choose to use Highway 58 to skip some of the I-75 traffic, Helton said, particularly during peak times.
“It’s a standstill when there’s a wreck on the interstate,” Helton said. “You can’t avoid it in this area, we just have very few options and ways to get out unless we want to go to Cleveland or Meigs County.”
Alternative routes give drivers options, like Highway 111 and Highway 58 in Tennessee and U.S. Route 411, which crosses into Georgia for trips closer to the Atlanta area.
In addition to the five alternate routes in the Chattanooga area, the groups also identified several alternatives for Knoxville drivers.
The full list of alternatives can be found on the infrastructure alliance’s website.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.
Five surface street routes to try
US Highway 321 & TN State Route 320 from South of Chattanooga to Manchester
— Start by heading north on US Highway 321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Rd).
— Turn left onto TN State Route 320 W (E Brainerd Rd) and continue west through East Brainerd.
— Turn right onto TN-153 N, then follow signs to merge onto US-27 N toward Soddy-Daisy.
— Continue onto TN-111 N, passing through Dunlap and Spencer.
— Turn left onto TN-8 N, then right onto TN-56 N, and follow local roads to TN-55 W into Manchester.
TN State Route 58: Downtown Chattanooga, TN to Ooltewah, TN through Decatur, TN to I-40 at Kingston, TN
— Start on Riverfront Pkwy in Chattanooga and head toward Superspun Ave, then turn onto TN State Route 58 N.
— Continue north on TN-58 through Harrison and cross Chickamauga Lake.
— Pass through Decatur, TN, staying on TN-58 as it curves northward.
— Continue through mid-size towns and rural areas as TN-58 winds toward Kingston.
— In Kingston, follow N Kentucky St to reach I-40, completing the route.
TN State Route 318: St. Elmo/Lookout Mtn. to US Highway 11 through Wildwood, GA to near Trenton, GA
— Head southwest on US-41 N/US-64 W/US-72 W (Broad St) out of town.
— Continue for about 5 miles, passing O’Reilly Auto Parts.
— Turn left onto US-11 S and enter Georgia.
— Turn right onto GA-299 W.
— Turn left shortly after, and your destination will be on the left.
TN State Route 153 N to Cookeville, TN, via Dayton and Sparta, TN
— Head south on TN-153, then follow signs and merge onto TN-153 N.
— Take the ramp to Dayton and merge onto US-27 N.
— Continue onto TN-111 N and stay on it for several miles.
— Take the ramp for TN-111 N/US-70S E toward Sparta and continue.
— Turn left onto the I-40 W ramp, merge onto I-40, and arrive near Neal St in Cookeville, TN.
US-411 S/W from Knoxville, Through Maryville and Etowah, to Cartersville, GA
— Start at Henley St, then head south on US-441 S and turn right onto Martin Mill Pike.
— Take Ogle Ave, then turn left onto TN-33 S (Maryville Pike).
— Follow TN-33 S, then take the 2nd exit at the traffic circle onto E Harper Ave and turn onto Cates St.
— Turn right onto US-411 S/W Broadway Ave and stay on it for about 130 miles into Georgia.
— Continue on GA-61 S/N Tennessee St, turn right on E Cherokee Ave, then follow local turns to arrive to Cartersville, GA.
Find maps and navigation links at bit.ly/alt-route.
Source: Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance