Route Recommendations, Cincinnati

[rperrym]

Looking for any recent experience from anyone who has gone through Cincinnati. Last time on the way to the factory we went though on a Sunday and it wasn't too busy. But, I was wondering if the bypass (275), was a good route and if there is any major construction taking place. .

Thanks,

Rick

[majorairhead]

A month or so ago we drove from Jackson Center, over to 75, and took it straight through Cincinnatti. I can tell you there was construction downtown, slow going, but it was the most direct route for us.



I'm not familiar enough with the area to give you any advice on alternative routes, but I will say that if there was a quicker one suggested by google man, I would have taken it

[crispyboy]

There are construction zones on I-75 on the northside of town. Go through outside of rush hour times and it shouldn't be a problem. The road will be rough though but that is a constant as it is highly traveled. You can take the I-275 route if you have a lot of time on your hands, it is the longer way around town.
If you can tell us the general direction your traveling from there might be some US routes that may be more interesting.

[rperrym]

Crispyboy, we are traveling North from Lexington to Jackson Center. Direct route is the best for us this trip although the bypass looks to be a reasonable alternative.

[jaybauman]

I grew up very close to Jackson Center and my family still lives in that area. We drive up that way quite often. Traffic impacts of all that Cincy construction can be hard to predict. The last few times we've made the journey with the Airstream, I've used Waze to help navigate all the fun-n-games. Occasionally it routes me on the bypass, other times we've been routed off all highways and taken surface streets to get around some of the worst parts.

[skyguyscott]

The main obstacles in traveling from Lexington to Jackson Center is the Ohio River and downtown Cincinnati. Because of the river, the most heavily trafficked and easiest way across is I 75, which lands you right smack in the middle of Cincinnati. You could do a very wide swing around by taking I 65 up toward Indianapolis and over, but that would not save you any time.

Your best bets are to avoid hitting Cincinnati anytime near or around morning or afternoon rush-hour. Traveling late at night, or mid day on a weekend is about as good as it is ever going to get. The geography and terrain of the hills in Kentucky make navigation a bit more tricky. Once you get north of the river most everything returns to a nice grid layout. Taking the 275 bypass works in heavy rush-hour or if there is construction to the degree where traffic is stopped, which happens frequently in downtown Cincinnati.

Your best bet to avoid lots of traffic is to time your departure so that you hit downtown Cincinnati no later than around 6 AM. This would put you at Jackson Center shortly after 8 AM, right at the beginning of their day.

[crispyboy]

I was on I-75 in Northern KY this morning. The left lane on northbound I-75 is closed so traffic slows down but isn't hateful. Make sure you go through sometime after 9:00 am. If you decide to take I-275 go westbound towards Indiana. This will loop you around to I-75 on the northside of town. It should be an easy drive but will get busier the closer you get to I-75 again.