Hey Texas Guys, Driving info

N801BH

N801BH

Touchdown! Greaser!
Gone West
Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Messages
17,188
Location
Jackson Hole Wy
Display Name
Display name:
FBH
I am planning to help a neighbors kid drive back to school on Weds..... Leave Jackson at 3 AM, I-80 to I-25, south to I -70, East to I -35. South to Waco and a left to College Station..... I "should" be able to pull it off in about 19-20 hours...:rolleyes:

Since I will hit the Dallas metroplex at evening rush hour, what is the best ,easiest and fastest bypass around that zoo and still meet up with I-35 on the South side of Dallas ..:dunno::dunno:..

Thanks in advance...
 
I am guessing you plan to hit College Station around 9 to 10 pm. Traffic is really, really bad when the students hit town.
 
You'll be going through Fort Worth, not Dallas. There's no good bypass around FTW. Loop 820 is under construction, so just stay on I35W and tough it out. The traffic isn't that bad.
 
35W is better than 35E, for a fact.

35 to Waco is way better now than it has been, much construction completed, more lanes open. South of Waco, not so much.

Grab a burger at the Health Camp in Waco.
 
The 35 between Ft Worth and Waco is good. Traffic always seems worse in Waco than anywhere else. The 6 from Waco to College Station is what it is. No construction. Word of warning. When you get into Calvert and Hearne and the speed limits drop? They mean it. The local cops will pull you over for just a couple mph over. Traffic in College Station is no factor unless you're in a hurry. The population doubles when school's in session but it's still easy to get around.
 
Coming from the north around rush hour, there really aren't many good options. Instead of taking I70 out of Denver, you might consider US287. That brings you in from the NW, and gives you a couple of more options. You can take business 287 down to 820, then 820 around the west side of town. It looks a ways out of the way, but it's still faster than dealing with 35 all the way down. Between 5:00-6:00ish, 35W basically sucks all the way to Burleson. So you may just plan a dinner stop in Fort Worth to stretch your legs and wait it out.
 
Frogs97 said:
Coming from the north around rush hour, there really aren't many good options. Instead of taking I70 out of Denver, you might consider US287. That brings you in from the NW, and gives you a couple of more options. You can take business 287 down to 820, then 820 around the west side of town. It looks a ways out of the way, but it's still faster than dealing with 35 all the way down. Between 5:00-6:00ish, 35W basically sucks all the way to Burleson. So you may just plan a dinner stop in Fort Worth to stretch your legs and wait it out.
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Thanks for all the feedback guys.....

I would fly down but we have to reposition a vehicle... It was a spur of the moment trip and the CJ-4 is in the shop so I get to ride the big tube back home... All the kids heading inbound explains the cheap airline ticket back home on VERY short notice...:):)..

I try to run the interstates with medians so I can dodge the idiots trying to kill me /us in a head on crash...:yikes:..

Is US 287 a divided highway ? If so that would be the best route for sure..

Thanks again guys...:yes:
 
N801BH said:
Is US 287 a divided highway ? If so that would be the best route for sure..

Thanks again guys...:yes:
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287 is not divided until ya get to Texas, south of Amarillo I think but haven't driven it in years.

Time wise, 287 saves nothing. It is a bit shorter route but slows or stops in every village.
 
I take the 45 more often than the 35 between College Station and Dallas. And close to CS I look forward to getting off the big interstate and on to FMs or smaller highways. Fewer big rigs. The speed limits are still 70 or 75 in most places and the countryside is prettier. Sometimes the bridges seem narrow but otherwise the smaller roads have less stress.
 
Clark1961 said:
287 is not divided until ya get to Texas, south of Amarillo I think but haven't driven it in years.

Time wise, 287 saves nothing. It is a bit shorter route but slows or stops in every village.
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Thanks Clark.. I HATE starting and stopping in small towns.. On the interstate, I hit the cruise control ,set it for 6 over and let her rip..:yes:;)
 
Clark1961 said:
287 is not divided until ya get to Texas, south of Amarillo I think but haven't driven it in years.

Time wise, 287 saves nothing. It is a bit shorter route but slows or stops in every village.
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And every little town on 87 has a speed trap.

I speak from experience.

Be aware the top speed on interstates in Texas is 70, not 75. Never could understand why.
 
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N801BH said:
Thanks Clark.. I HATE starting and stopping in small towns.. On the interstate, I hit the cruise control ,set it for 6 over and let her rip..:yes:;)
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Actually, I meant 87 to Raton, then 287 on in. Made the trip this May, actually. It does shave about an hour off the interstate times. But if that's your traveling preference, then the interstates may be best. I usually like to break up the monotony with the small towns, myself.
 
Attn: PoA gang on his route,

send him your contact info via PM so of he needs one or more of us for support, he has our info.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Attn: PoA gang on his route,

send him your contact info via PM so of he needs one or more of us for support, he has our info.
Click to expand...

Last time I did that Ben tried to leave his sheep with me. It would have been okay but she was one ugly ewe...
 
I drive from Denver area to S TX all the time. I've taken all the routes there are, some are a few minutes faster, some are a bit shorter, but overall the best is I-25 to Raton, turn left on 87(very good road), Stop at the rest stop near the train tracks, then when you get south of Dalhart there's about a 30 mile stretch that isn't divided. Once you reach Dumas, it's all divided all the way down. Pee, refill at the Flying J exit 76 on I-40 then hop on 287 to Fort Worth. Watch your speed in the little town of Esteline, it is a notorious speed trap. After that, my suggestion is to hop off 287 at Wichita Falls and go south on 281 which is good road, some not divided but still moves at 75MPH, then go right on 199 into loop 820, around to I20, then join 35.

There is NO WAY I would go into Fort Worth from the north in the evening. Look at google maps and bring up traffic right now, then do it again at 4PM. The 281-199-loop 820-I20-I35 is the best way by far.

BTW, I've lived over here and driven here up to CO for +20 years if that makes a difference
 
docmirror said:
There is NO WAY I would go into Fort Worth from the north in the evening.
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Major agreement.

Both directions on I-35W between where HWY 287 joins to the NE 28th Street intersection has always been a parking lot from 3:30-6:30pm.

Add to it the construction where they are improving the Loop 820 interchange (the middle section of what I described above) and it's the bottleneck of all bottlenecks.

During light traffic, Denton to Downtown Fort Worth is about 40 minutes. During the bottleneck times, add 45-60 minutes easy.
 
docmirror said:
... Once you reach Dumas, it's all divided all the way down.
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And remember... The locals don't like their town name misspoken. It does NOT rhyme with dumbass. Been there done that. :redface:
 
Also expecting some small/medium chances of severe weather on Tuesday and Wednesday in the OKC area. Be prepared!
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys.. I did get a few PM's with contact info and hopefully the trip will go off without hitch.... If the traffic looks bad before we hit Ft Worth, I might bail in Denton or someplace North and get a room for the night and wake up early ( 3-4 AM) and pass through before the morning rush hour.... I have plenty of time getting to College Station as my return flight ain't till Sat evening.
 
If you do stop in Denton, let me know and we'll grab some grub.

Fortunately, in good traffic, Denton to Aggieland is just 3.25 hr trip.
 
N801BH said:
Thanks for all the feedback guys.. I did get a few PM's with contact info and hopefully the trip will go off without hitch.... If the traffic looks bad before we hit Ft Worth, I might bail in Denton or someplace North and get a room for the night and wake up early ( 3-4 AM) and pass through before the morning rush hour.... I have plenty of time getting to College Station as my return flight ain't till Sat evening.
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Might be your best bet. Be advised, on some weekdays, from 11PM until some times early in the morning I-35W is CLOSED all lanes for construction, and the detour goes down 377. If you start out early, take 35E. Let me know if you stop and want to find a frosty malted beverage. There's some nice little dives in Denton as it's also a sort of college town as well with TWU and UNT.
 
Google maps has a great feature where you can tell it what time you are driving and it will give you directions based on typical traffic at that time. Of if you have a smartphone, Google maps will calculate the best route taking into account real-time traffic. I'd suggest that when you get to Denton, take a look at the traffic. There are a number of routes through Dallas or Fort Worth that are close enough in distance that actual traffic will make all the difference.
 
docmirror said:
There's some nice little dives in Denton as it's also a sort of college town as well with TWU and UNT.
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Quantity and quality of such places has been growing over the past few years. Especially near the Courthouse Square.
 
Hi Guys...

Back home... First, thanks a ton for all the feedback and the support with the PM's for assistance if I needed it.... That is why POA is such a great group of people..:yes:...:):):):) Wyo 89 to I-80, took the short cut from Laramie to Ft Collins, I-25 to E 470, I-70 to I-135 / 35, 6 out of Waco direct to Collage Station...

We left at 3 AM from Jackson Hole,,, missed lunch rush hour in Denver, took the E470 bypass.. I drove all the way to Salina Ks.. Got there at about 2:30 PM... Made a driver change, passed through Wichita, Ks at evening rush hour... Not a problem.... Chokelahoma City at maybe 7:30 / 8 PM,, Sailed right through there too... Made Denton at nightfall , right when we hit the first rain shower.. I- 35W worked perfectly, never got under 60 mph... Waco at 11 and made it to College Station by around 1 AM....

Got on a American RJ at KCLL late this afternoon to DFW and a connecting scarebus to Jackson. Landed at 9:14 PM tonight... Hardest landing I have even experienced.:eek:..

FA actually came on the intercom and said " be careful when opening the overhead bins as there in NO doubt contents have shifted.... The entire plane broke out into laughter...:rofl::lol:.. I lived in Fla for 30 years and thought I knew what humidity was... Texas was 10 times worse..:redface::redface:..

Glad to be home,,, gonna drag the toy out of the hangar first thing in the morning and fly..:):)..

Forecast says 37 f...... YIPPIE....

Edit:... Woke up today to 29 f...... I LOVE the high mountains..:yes::)
 
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Glad to hear that your trip went well. Yes, the humidity... I was born and raised in Bryan, Tx..... I could not stand the heat anymore so I left.
 
It wasn't even hot this week. We got a couple of mid day rain squalls that boosted the humidity but we needed the rain. I guess all those Alaska winters let me appreciate the heat a little more than some. If I start to feel sorry for myself in my shorts and tee shirt I just think about the football players practicing in full gear.
 
Do you know why they banned the high beam switches on the turn signal stalks in Texas?
 
Because the stars shine bright.... all through the night....

Deep in the heart of Texas?
 
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