driving directions 98 or Foley Expy

I'm going to change it up this year and come to GS a different way from Dallas than we have the past 5 years. No more messing with Baton Rouge bridge traffic. It's too much with the little ones. So this year I'm going to take 20 out of Dallas to Jackson, drop down 49 to Hattiesburg and then get down to I-10 around Moss Point. I've found some directions that will let me avoid the main Mobile tunnel (the past two years we did the ferry from DI to FM and it was fun, but not really a time saver when you consider wait times and things like that.)

So I'm going to take the old tunnel (using 90) through Mobile and then stay on 98 across the bay. This is where you guys can maybe help me out. Is it better to stay on 98 and take that south and then east to either 59 or foley beach expy (to avoid the 59 bridge), or should I not get fancy and just take 98 to I-10 to Foley Beach expy. we stay out on FM, which was the one benefit of the Ferry.

Pier#, I'm thinking you would have an opinion on this, since you work up in Spanish Fort right?

I would stay on I-10 to the new Beach Express at exit 49. Straight shot around all the towns on 59, but don't speed!

I would not get off I-10 all the way back in Moss Point, you will lose a lot of time with all the red lights on US 90.
If you are planning on going through the old "little" tunnel in downtown Mobile, either take 1-65 or DIP (163) north to US-90 (Govt. Street). That said, Govt. St and downtown is a mess during rush hour, so you still need to time it right.
Once you get out of the US-90/98 tunnel stay on the US-90/98 causeway, stay on US-98 up Spanish Fort Hill to US-31, go straight on US-31 to AL 181, then south to I-10, east to AL-59 or the Beach Express.

These days, Thursdays & Fridays during the summer, the main I-10 tunnel starts backing up about noon-is to 1:00pm, depending on whatever??? Not sure what gets into peoples minds when they believe they need to slow to 25 mph to go through a tunnel??? Sure the entrance is screwed up but it shouldn't be so freakin bad.

By time I leave the office at 4:30pm, its backed up for 2 miles. That pushes local commuter traffic down on the Govt. Street to the little tunnel and by 5:30, its all a backed up mess. Until the get the new I-10 Mobile River Bridge built, there is no good solution.

Luckily, I am going counter-flow and my ride home is normally smooth.

Great plan bypassing the Baton Rouge traffic nightmare!

I live and work in Mobile near HW 90. My concern is once you exit I-10 and get on 90 “Government Blvd”, you’ll be in stop-n-go city traffic and plenty of red lights to slow you down. The ‘old’ tunnel is in the heart of downtown Mobile.

If you can time your arrival to the I-10 tunnel before 3:00PM, you’ll likely miss the east bound rush hour traffic, then its usually smooth driving all the way to the Beach Express Way.

Just a thought.

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Originally Posted by tigershark

If you can time your arrival to the I-10 tunnel before 3:00PM, you’ll likely miss the east bound rush hour traffic, then its usually smooth driving all the way to the Beach Express Way.

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10 years, even 5 years ago, I would agree. Now it starts backing up on Thursday and Friday around noon and is really horrendous by 4:30, a big linear parking lot by 5:15.

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Originally Posted by CarlF

I would not get off I-10 all the way back in Moss Point, you will lose a lot of time with all the red lights on US 90.
If you are planning on going through the old "little" tunnel in downtown Mobile, either take 1-65 or DIP (163) north to US-90 (Govt. Street). That said, Govt. St and downtown is a mess during rush hour, so you still need to time it right.
Once you get out of the US-90/98 tunnel stay on the US-90/98 causeway, stay on US-98 up Spanish Fort Hill to US-31, go straight on US-31 to AL 181, then south to I-10, east to AL-59 or the Beach Express.

These days, Thursdays & Fridays during the summer, the main I-10 tunnel starts backing up about noon-is to 1:00pm, depending on whatever??? Not sure what gets into peoples minds when they believe they need to slow to 25 mph to go through a tunnel??? Sure the entrance is screwed up but it shouldn't be so freakin bad.

By time I leave the office at 4:30pm, its backed up for 2 miles. That pushes local commuter traffic down on the Govt. Street to the little tunnel and by 5:30, its all a backed up mess. Until the get the new I-10 Mobile River Bridge built, there is no good solution.

Luckily, I am going counter-flow and my ride home is normally smooth.

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Thanks for the heads up. I was actually planning to get off I-10 at the Broad Street exit in Mobile, just before the tunnel, but it sounds like I need to really be watching the traffic on Google maps to see whether that will really save me any time. We will be coming through on Saturday, probably around 2pm, so I will be in the herd of cars heading to the beach spots.

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Originally Posted by CarlF

10 years, even 5 years ago, I would agree. Now it starts backing up on Thursday and Friday around noon and is really horrendous by 4:30, a big linear parking lot by 5:15.

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How bad are Saturdays? We took the tunnel the first 2 years and because I insisted on driving decently far the first day, we were able to hit the tunnel around noon on Saturday. The past 2 years we took the ferry. The problem with the ferry is that in order to avoid a very very long wait, you have to arrive by noon. If you arrive by noon, you will be across the bay in FM by 1pm and then you have 3 hours until the rental house is open to you. We did that last year and just hit the beach, but it wasn't ideal having to find a place to change. So this year I expect we will be hitting the tunnel around 2pm, if I had to guess.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CarlF

10 years, even 5 years ago, I would agree. Now it starts backing up on Thursday and Friday around noon and is really horrendous by 4:30, a big linear parking lot by 5:15.

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Even the Cochran-Africatown Bridge to the Blakeley side slows to a snails pace at this time.

I try not to drive eastbound on Saturdays during summer. That said, I don't think noon on Saturday will be that bad. If you make it Broad St., you're almost to the tunnel anyway.

Have fun going down highway 49 in Mississippi. I thought Louisiana roads were bad till I went through there back in October. You might need a new suspension for your vehicle by the time you get through it.