You've probably found this out already. The problem areas are Dallas (I-35E) then starting at about Temple and lasting to almost San Antonio.
You can avoid these areas by taking I-35 south to Denton, then I-35W thru Ft Worth, getting back on I-35 at Hillsboro. Continue south to Waco, then exit onto US77 all the way down to the RGV. There is a bypass around the west side of Victoria and the only other major traffic area will be Corpus Christi and that's no big deal.
If there is any kind of accident and especially if serious injuries or death occur, TX Dot will shut the entire system down until it's completely cleared. This makes for one big parking lot between San Antonio and Dallas. Folks just don't realize just how many 100,000's of cars and trucks use I-35 north and south 24/7.
I got tangled up in on of these situations a few years back and had to sit for over four hours, not fun.
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Last Sunday every family in Texas was going home from where they went for spring break. Same week for all public schools in the state.
From San Antonio to NE Oklahoma, if I am in a hurry the only choice is I-35. If I want to relax and make it a two-day trip, or visit someone in Wichita Falls, I'll take US-281.
When weekend traffic gets heavy, US-281 gets really slow, and the people wanting to go fast start driving crazy. 281 also gets slowed down if you are caught on it when the school buses are running.
My experience with heavy traffic on I-35 is that it gets bumper to bumper, but still running within 5-10 mph of the speed limit. This gets hard on the nerves. If you want to run faster than traffic, the left lane will be full of SUVs on cruise control, that gets frustrating. But if you can live with the flow of the heavy traffic, can ignore the guy tailgating you or the one running door to door alongside for the past three miles without passing, it is the best way to go.
grey`eagle wrote: You've probably found this out already. The problem areas are Dallas (I-35E) then starting at about Temple and lasting to almost San Antonio.
You can avoid these areas by taking I-35 south to Denton, then I-35W thru Ft Worth, getting back on I-35 at Hillsboro. Continue south to Waco, then exit onto US77 all the way down to the RGV. There is a bypass around the west side of Victoria and the only other major traffic area will be Corpus Christi and that's no big deal.
If there is any kind of accident and especially if serious injuries or death occur, TX Dot will shut the entire system down until it's completely cleared. This makes for one big parking lot between San Antonio and Dallas. Folks just don't realize just how many 100,000's of cars and trucks use I-35 north and south 24/7.
I got tangled up in on of these situations a few years back and had to sit for over four hours, not fun.
Last weekend I sat in Ft. Worth traffic on Saturday on I-35, no apparent reason. It opened up after that towards Waco where I got off.
Maggie
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Evidently you never came thru Houston lol....I-35 thru Austin is like any other major metro area. Don't go thru during rush hour or Friday evening or Sunday evening and if there is a wreck or if UT is playing at home that cant be helped. But it is usually packed but as usual Texans like to haul butt and it don't matter if its bumper to bumper. There is Rt 130 which is a toll road but you will miss all of Austin. It starts in Buda and ends above Georgetown. That hwy will be empty, no body on it,,,why?? because as Texans we don't like to pay to drive we think of it as a tax and we don't like taxes either lol... The next bottle neck will be between Waco the the I-35 split or Hillboro. They are currently working to widen that section out to 6 lanes. They are also widening I-35 around Temple/Belton and soon it should be 6 lanes the whole way to San Antone...Still not sure what they are gonna do to fix Austin. But you can take Rt 281 the whole way. It will take a little longer because of the towns but the scenery it better and the road is still very good and mostly 4 lane 70 mph.
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Thanks to everyone who responded. Apparently there are only two other options, 281 and 77. Two points, first traffic in both directions was crazy. I thought about spring breakers but we left Harlingen before most breakers would even be thinking about getting up and I doubt they would be involved in the southbound traffic on Sunday morning. Secondly, the traffic was stop and go, not just slow. We were almost rear ended 3 or 4 times. Accidents or construction played very little role in this mess. It was just the volume of cars. As I said, I've been driving for 55 years and this was without question the absolute worst traffic I've ever seen. I think Texas should build some more roads!
Once again, "Thank You" for your inputs.
Bill
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edited 03/26/12 08:02am by an administrator/moderator *
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steelpony5555...Tell me more about toll road 130. I started to take it the other day going to Cibolo, TX. but was told the toll is expensive. I decided to go on through Austin on I-35. I like the idea of no traffic on 130....
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Kit Carson wrote: steelpony5555...Tell me more about toll road 130. I started to take it the other day going to Cibolo, TX. but was told the toll is expensive. I decided to go on through Austin on I-35. I like the idea of no traffic on 130....
Thanks, Grey Eagle, I appreciate that. It is not as expensive as I was led to believe. Next time I go to Cibolo, I will take hwy 130 for sure. Thanks again...
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