Trip plan question

Gonna have a stroke worrying so much about minimal stuff.
Pick a way and go.
Save the worry for getting around a major city at rush hour in a pinch.

This is a learning moment.
Make a decision, and experiment.

 

Personally if I have the opportunity to take US routes I do that. I love seeing small town America.
Usually scheduling or simple common sense routing doesn't allow it.
If the interstate is both longer and goes smack through a major metro area luke DFW the US route is a no brainier to me.

 

Sometimes the interstate is better depending on the time of day. I can't help you on this trip. But, most of my trips are 4-5 hours away and I can beat the GPS and other drivers in my company by 1/2 to 1 hour just by studying and knowing the back roads.

 

I’ve driven from Jackson to Mobile via US 49 and US 98 several times. Good roads, not a whole lot of traffic lights.

I want to echo the comment about the risk inherent in planning to drive 650 miles in 11 hours. I’m on a run right now from Akron, Ohio to Houston, Texas that’s right at 1300 miles, and I was hoping to do it in two days. So far, I’ve had three traffic nightmares (Cincinnati, Nashville, and Jackson, Tennessee), with a perfect storm of construction and accidents forcing me into detours and making that timing impossible. Fortunately, I already knew that doing it in two days was possible but unlikely, and I planned for it. Three days will be a cinch (I’m at Forrest City, Arkansas tonight, and have a fairly straightforward 527 miles to go tomorrow).

 

Uh, are you dropping over to Texarkana and dropping down?

It’s been a complete cluster F around MM 44. Construction in both directions, huge backups causing up to an hour delay. It’s hit or miss as to which side they will be working on, and when.

Plan your day and route accordingly. Dropping through the woods at Hope might be a good idea.

 

I’d personally set it up to where I gotta drive like the last 3 hours Monday. So get up at 5 am and go the last 200. Thus you’d wanna be parked for your 10 by 7 pm Sunday. 450 miles takes around 9 hours so leave at like 9 or 10 am Sunday.

 

Texarkarna is going to royally eff you up.

Forget the 650 in 11. Forget that.

I generally ran 10 to Lafeyette then 49 to Shreveport and then 20 west into Texas. Ennis will have to take care of itself pretty close to Dallas-Lancaster area. The reason being is 20 in Louisiana is rough, or was rough in my time. The other big issue is Biloxi during rush hour on 10.

You are going to need to leave earlier. It's coming up on Sunday now. Fixing to get going if I were you. We are in a storm front at the moment that is evolving eastward. I don't think it will be too big of a deal because SPC is not going all out on that system yet.

 

I guess I’ve been lucky, haven’t had any problems on I-20, other than a little slowdown at the Texas/Louisiana line. But just because I’ve been lucky doesn’t mean the OP will be!

 

Up to Jackson, then west.