Traffic in Alpharetta?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

And that's why I choose to live intown Atlanta and ride MARTA. Guess Gwinnett County should have approved MARTA when they had the chance?

MARTA would have a lot more fans if they could figure out how to move people around efficiently within Gwinnett and the other north metro counties. At present they're limited to a 1960s style hub and spoke system, which doesn't do much good for the vast majority of folks. Among large cities we've got a fairly low rate of suburb-to-central city commuting (15.2%), but the highest rate of suburb-to-suburb commuting (73.4%).

There's nothing wrong with that -- it's simply how many U.S. cities are set up.

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

I use to love riding marta back in the day...less crowded and $.15 those were the god ole days

[researchnerd]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I think you could look into trying other routes. They may not be as direct, but perhaps less congested and therefore less annoying.

For example, what if you took 20 all the way over, and then shot down 400? You're overshooting Alpharetta to the north by a bit, but I bet 20 is a much less annoying ride than 120.

20 --> 400 is a possible alternative, but may not be any better. The majority of 20 is one lane in each direction, and it gets hellaciously backed up during rush hour. You could also go down 85 to 285, then up 400 to North Point, but at that time of day the traffic sucks there too. At least the northward piece of 400 wouldn't be too bad.

From someone who commuted 50 miles each way until last week - here are my survival tactics:

1) Try a number of different ways and vary them regularly. This helps keep you from getting mind-numbingly bored when sitting in traffic, and you will know alternatives if there's a wreck and whichever road you're on gets shut down.

2) Invest in a good car stereo and an ipod or satellite radio. Listening to music you love is infinitely preferable to the yammer of obnoxious advertising and morning DJs.

3) Take a nice mug of coffee along for the trip - either make it at home or stop at your favorite coffee shop on the way. But don't make it a gigantic mug, or you may be in uh, biological trouble if you get stuck in traffic.

[Caleb Longstreet]

You have selected the best route....if you are coming from larryville, 120 is really your best option. You would be better to leave at 7 and have b'fast over here or get in early and earn your way to leave earlyish if your boss/job would allow.....if.......if........

If not, leaving at 8 is suicide...as for folks telling you not to live here juuuuuust remember, if you live in gwinnett, you can forget jobs in Cobb and vice versa......but, if you live in North Fulton you can take jobs in all 3 corridors as well as forsyth, dunwoody, sandy springs, downtown.......get it?

Forget ga 20 to backtrack down 400.....incredibly longer and the traffic coming south out of forsyth and dawson and east cherokee is maddening.....you would arrive an hour and forty five later ready to take hostages....skip it.....take old norcross into 120, come west on abbots, slide down Kimball Bridge and endure......

[googleajax]

How much travel time it would take to travel between Alpharetta and perimeter on Hwy 400 between exit-8 and exit-4 during peak hours ?

My job location is in perimeter area, is Alpharetta the best option for kids elementary school OR is there any other nice school district close to perimeter area ?

Thanks for the help.

[IndigoBanshee]

Sorry to say, but there's no 'good' way. However, I would take Sugarloaf to Peachtree Industrial to State Bridge or 85 to Pleasant Hill, and Pleasant Hill/State Bridge/Old Milton Pkwy all the way out. Abbotts tends to back up because of the high school and the fact that it's two-lane over the river.

If you are in north Lawrenceville area, Old Peachtree to McGinnis Ferry is an option since you'd be going against traffic. McGinnis Ferry just got widened to 4 lanes nearly all the way. It's 3 lanes over the bridge right now, but they favor your direction.

20 is much slower than Pleasant Hill/Old Milton Pkwy.

googleajax, it's pretty much a crawl all the way down. I don't take it normally, so I dunno how fast, but that's originally why Alpharetta boomed as a suburb, and like others have said, they didn't keep up the roads with the expansion. Alpharetta is great for schools, though, as is the south Cumming area in Forsyth County right above.

[Caleb Longstreet]

400/exits 8,9,10 to I285 in the rush hour is roughly 30-45 mins. Schools are food in Alpharetta. New prospect elementary is very clse to exit 9 soooooooo that might work......

[ATLTJL]

For the OP, I have had to do this route a couple times in the past months, and I would recommend taking PIB down to Pleasant Hill and riding it over until it becomes Old Milton.

There are a few more lights than on 120, but it is 4 lane the whole way and getting over the river is a non-issue.

Depending on where you are going, you might try McGinnis Ferry once the construction is complete. Right now it is a disaster, but I imagine that once it is 4 lanes, it is going to be much improved. I'm sure you are finding that the bridges over the river are what is causing the bottlenecks.