Tired of Sitting in Traffic on Chattanooga Interstates?

Try an alternative route during the summer busy season.

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Chattanooga has grown into a major crossroad for trucks hauling freight inland from East Coast ports all year round. Combined with summer tourists headed to and from the coasts and Great Smoky Mountains, Chattanooga’s interstates become a parking lot well past the rush hours for local commuters. 

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As we head into Memorial Day and the start of the summer tourist season, the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance and Thrive Regional Partnership have partnered again this year to encourage locals to take advantage of alternative routes around interstate bottlenecks to save time and reduce stress. To help you beat the traffic, the partnership has identified five alternative routes around the Chattanooga region if you’re ready to hop off the interstate on your way downtown or out of town. 

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"The summer season presents the perfect opportunity for folks across the greater Chattanooga region to discover scenic routes that help them not only get to enjoy a long weekend with less stress, but alleviate traffic on our roadways. By charting alternative routes for their commute to work, school, and outdoor activities, families can try something new and help improve congestion across the region."

Bridgett Massengill, President/CEO of Thrive Regional Partnership.

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An average of more than 114,000 vehicles travel each day along I-24 at Moccasin Bend, according to 2024 data from Tennessee Department of Transportation*. About 20 percent of these vehicles are commercial vehicles, including trucks that can make anyone in a car or even an SUV feel boxed in with nowhere to go.

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The mountains and the rivers that make Chattanooga one of the most scenic cities in the country also limit the options for road building. But in the Chattanooga region, state highways and surface roads offer relief for those in-the-know.

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"During high-traffic times like Memorial Day through Labor Day, getting off the Interstate can be just as fast and a whole lot less stressful if you drive like a local and take alternative routes. Chattanooga is blessed with easier ways around the regular bottlenecks on our Interstates."

Susie Alcorn, Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance

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Along the way, travelers can explore state parks, wildlife refuges, as well as historical and cultural sites that make each alternative route a memorable journey.