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Old Bill · 12-15-2016, 12:32 PM

I'm planning a trip to San Antonio for the spring and one leg of the trip will go from Sherman, TX to Georgetown, TX. Both Google Maps and Good Sam Trip Planner take me right through downtown Dallas. I've heard horror stories about the Dallas Freeway system and, as this will be my first trip pulling my new fifth-wheel, I'm a bit nervous about the routing. I'm hoping some of you who have made it through Dallas can shed some insight on how best to either get through it, or around it.

P.S.: Truck is on order; hope to have by late January.

**TonyDi** · 12-15-2016, 01:36 PM

Any major city can have a nightmare on the highways. It's just a matter of timing. Avoid arriving in Dallas any time near rush hours. Mid day traffic is always lighter.

BillJinOR · 12-15-2016, 01:57 PM

Went through Dallas earlier this year and did so the year before. Both times to see my sister in Flower Mound. It seems like every freeway in Dallas metro is under major reconstruction. So much so that as the freeway moves you off the freeway to the right or left so much the gps thinks you've gotten off the freeway and starts giving surface street directions! Pretty much became useless. 35e and35w both were a mess.
Get a good hard copy map and plot the route with your navigator ahead of time. Avoid anything close to rush hours. ( I couldn't) Keep up with traffic and stay in a center middle lane if possible to avoid right lane ending and traffic merging on. Plan ahead for your exit. There is no really good way around ..at least that I know of or my sister recommended .. it is what it is. Wasn't a big deal for me but I was a truck driver pulling triples in my prior life , so not much gets to me. Lol

Arch Hoagland · 12-15-2016, 02:20 PM

Last time we went through Dallas it was 8am on Sunday morning. Hardly any traffic at all.

I suspect on Friday afternoon it would be a different story.

Healeyman · 12-15-2016, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Bill

I'm hoping some of you who have made it through Dallas can shed some insight on how best to either get through it, or around it.

Bill,

I live in far north Dallas and my mother-in-law lives in Georgetown and our daughter's family lives in Temple, so we go that way quite often (every 3-4 weeks).

First) unless you want to go to Louisiana or New Mexico, there is NO around.

2nd) Sherman is a about an hour north of downtown Dallas and Georgetown is about 3 hours south of downtown. Just north of downtown, you will need to take the cross-town freeway that goes from US 75 on the east to I-35 on the west.

Texas has been good about painting highway numbers and Interstate shields in the proper lanes on the pavement to tell you what lane to get into to make your route.

Downtown traffic is MUCH less after 10AM and before 3PM, so if you leave Sherman at 9AM or so, you'll be AFTER the Dallas traffic.

Farther south, Hillsboro has NO traffic. Waco is also pretty clean. You might hit a tie-up in the heavy construction on the north side of Temple and south in Salado, but by spring some of what is there now might be cleaned up.

Just take a deep breath. I have driven major cities in all of the lower 48 states and if you time it right, Dallas traffic is easier than most.

Tim

Old Bill · 12-16-2016, 04:48 AM

Well, it appears I'll just have to grin and bear it since there's no easy way around. Appreciate the info regarding days and times that would be best.

Thanks to each of you.