I-40 From California to North Carolina?

jsippy73

Anyone drive it or most of it? What to expect?Would need 3 hotels and 4 days driving. Have to drive a car for my son who is eventually moving to NC.

Bravopilot

jsippy73 I've driven 550 miles of I-40 many times before I moved to Las Cruces from northern VA. From where I 81 changes to I 40 and then through Little Rock AR. Other than Tennessee is relatively low speed limit (65) and many TN State Troopers. Driving through Knoxville and Memphis is easy but I usually take the 840 bypass around Nashville. The bypass is 42 miles (I think) but overall I found it saved up to 20 minutes and avoided some delays of less than 10 MPH driving.

Overall, no issues. I use Marriott only as I have status and many reward points. I typically do 1000 mile days, so stay outside of Little Rock where it changes to I 30. Overall Arkansas is cheaper hotels vs TN, plus when I pay I use Govt rate and AR govt rate is low. AR immediate west of Memphis is not a safe area, even some stations just off I-40.

I stopped using Buc-ees after I tried twice in TN, too many people and the traffic set up to get in/out is time consuming mainly because of the traffic. They are first rate stops though. However, no windshield washers, very odd.

I go I 30 down through TX to New Mexico, depending where in CA you are going, TX has higher speed limits to make time.

Joke in New Mexico is, if you have half a tank, it is emergency fuel time. Surprising lack of gas stations in the state even on the three main Interstates (I 10, 25 & 40). I have driven all three a lot. DO NOT stop in Albuquerque, hotel parking lots are easy auto crime areas, auto crime is a career in NM.

No toll roads where I traveled. Lots of single lane construction points but never really impacted time.

jsippy73

Bravopilot
Thanks for the info.

jsippy73

Bravopilot
Wife making notes from your post.
Hope to maybe get more info. Not leaving for 2 weeks. So make sure to go the speed limit in Tenn?

Bravopilot

jsippy73 I drive speed limit + 8, never stopped but TN has many Troopers out. Ugly colors on their SUVs

Par4QC

jsippy73 So make sure to go the speed limit in Tenn?

Bravopilot TN has many Troopers out

Worst coppers ever. Hope your son is not driving a truck/U-Haul, etc. through there.
Guess much has not changed through all the years. Had to run down the backside of Monteagle 1 night around 2 a.m., in order to bypass the scales.
Think that is why I'm now bald.

jsippy73

Par4QC
He is pulling a toy hauler loaded down with 3 motorcycles, large tool boxes and whatever else he can get in it. Driving a almost new Tundra with washer and dryer in the bed. He wanted us to follow him, no way. He recently drove a new Honda Civic over and drove 24 hours straight before he stopped and slept in the car. He's crazy.

Bravopilot

Par4QC Hillbillies do not like you northern types😎

Moeman

I 40 is down to one lane each direction at the TN/NC line for about 10 miles.
It was open for a little bit, then another mud slide took it down again.
Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in western NC.

This is from the NC DOT website.
Location
• I-40, Near TN State Line
• TN State Line and Canton / Mile Marker 0 to 7 Both Directions
• Haywood County
Weather Event: Lanes Closed
A lane is closed from the TN State Line to Exit 7 (Cold Springs Creek Road) in both directions. The speed limit through the affected roadway is 35 MPH. Motorists can expect delays, especially on Friday and Sunday afternoons.
2 of 4 lanes closed.

Expected impact to traffic is High.

jsippy73

Moeman
Thanks for that. Wife adding it to her notebook. I'm 74 and figure on driving 600 to 700 miles per day or more. Flying out of Pittsburgh to Ontario, CA.
Driving an Audi A6 Quatro 315 HP. Might be fun. Mostly worried about stopping at hotels, when and where.

Moeman

jsippy73
Depending on where in NC you are going, travel is tough.
You can go up I 81 out of Knoxville, and take I 77 south to NC or keep going up I 81 to I 26 and go south.

The (https://NCDOT.GOV ) web site is helpful when you need to know what's closed
There is always a mountain to get over or to go around.

Bravopilot

jsippy73 Since Ontario, I'd go I-10, I 20 to I30 then I-40. Flat hate I-81, terrible road and traffic (hard to understand why it is bad), but makes sense based on the road closure at NC line. When I thought about using UHaul to move I noticed the same thing about speed limits as @Par4QC noted but typically, in my 20+ drives using I 40, was passed by cars hauling UHaul trailers at +8 to the speed limit. Do not see them being pulled over but do see many cars stopped by TN Troopers. Easily highest number of stops are in TN during the 200 miles trip I made going back and forth.

My good friend (lives in Huntington Beach CA) drive back home after New Years this year and said it was easy using I-10 from Las Cruces.

Bravopilot

jsippy73 Should be easy to predict and plan ahead. Never experienced a delay that forced me to stop early. Most delays kept moving. Driven through Dallas, Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville during typical rush hour traffic, not terrible, Used the bypass for Nashville just to keep the speed up. Both summertime and in the snow. (Made many trips)

I'm 67 but always drove alone, easy to manage. My limits were using Marriotts but obviously lots of hotels along the way. I use the App to arrange a room.

jsippy73

Moeman
Going to Clayton, NC. about 30 miles east of Raleigh. It's right off of I-40.

jsippy73

Bravopilot I'd go I-10, I 20 to I30 then I-40.

Not to disagree because I'm a rookie at this trip, but I-10 seems like it would be way longer going so far south. He is right near the 10, and also the 57. Been planning on the 57 (Short distance) to the 10 then the 15 to I -40, then all the way to Clayton, NC.

Moeman

Bravopilot
Good route, But i would do the I10 to I20 straight to Atlanta, then I 85 up thru Charlotte to rejoin I40 in Greensboro and on to Raleigh. Only about 1 hour longer before you weigh in the Traffic delays on 40 at the TN/NC border and beyond.

This removes the mountain driving, the unknown road closures, (which are numerous), Eastern NC is flatter.

darpar

Bravopilot My good friend (lives in Huntington Beach CA)

Lived in HB for close to 50years......and by all means DO NOT stay in Gallup, NM!

Bravopilot

jsippy73 Understand, most likely not much mileage increase. The only issue is from NC state line on I-40. I know I-10 through I-20 then I-30, so some bias on my part. Going to I-40 from I-15 does save some slow down going through the Border Patrol stops on the southern route (really do not understand why SCOTUS says okay for the stop and to ask if US citizen--I never answer)

Bravopilot

Moeman Yeah, to avoid the NC state line on I-40, this makes sense. When I was going through training at American Airlines I drove I-20 a lot as I lived in Shreveport LA back then. Beats driving through Dallas.

johnnydoom

I’ve generally only driven the stretches between Memphis and Albuquerque, and Memphis to Knoxville. Places I’ve almost always overnighted are El Reno, OK, Amarillo, TX, Shamrock, TX, or Tucumcari, NM. Never had any issues in any of them. Amarillo has pretty good places to eat, and the iconic Big Texan Steakhouse - which I wasn’t overly impressed with, but it is famous. Not much to look at between the Ozarks and Cline’s Corner, and like Bravo says, get gas before you need it out west.

Par4QC

darpar Worked a while in Huntington Beach. Been through Gallup a few times when traveling 'the old road', back when it was the only road. Fast times. 😄