Different mapping services are giving me different routes to take from Oklahoma City to Orlando. What's the fastest/easiest route? Which has the last road construction (I have an irrational fear of lane closures ...) ? Any help would be great!!
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Different mapping services are giving me different routes to take from Oklahoma City to Orlando. What's the fastest/easiest route? Which has the last road construction (I have an irrational fear of lane closures ...) ? Any help would be great!!
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
The main reason that you're getting multiple options for routes between Oklahoma City and Orlando is that there are multiple options, each of which differs only slightly in miles or time. So the minor variations in the algorithms used by any given mapping routine will pick one route over another on really minor criteria. The take away from this should be that any of the routes suggested will work just fine. So you can indulge your preference for roads that are not under construction/repair and not pay any great penalty for doing so. The I-40/US-78/US-280/GA-520/US-82/I-75/Florida Turnpike route through Memphis, Birmingham, and Columbus is the 'straightest' at just about 1230 miles, but entails a fair amount of driving on non-Interstate roads.
One alternative would be to take I-35/I-20/US-49/I-10/I-75/Florida Turnpike through Dallas, Jackson and Mobile. That adds about 50 miles but is almost all Interstate quality road. Both routes will take about two and a half days to drive. The only construction I'm currently showing is on a short stretch of I-40 east of Oklahoma City in Seminole County, but that is subject to change. What you should do, especially after Isaac has passed is to check with each of the appropriate state highway department websites to see where they are doing road work at the time of your trip and pick your route accordingly.
AZBuck
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
The route I'd recommend would be I-40 to Memphis, US-78 (aka I-22)/I-65 to Montgomery, US-231 to Florida, then I-10/I-75/FL Turnpike to Orlando.
This is the shortest route, that is mostly interstate quality, with some sections of non-divided highway. It is about 1250 miles, which you could potentially do in 2 very long days, spending the night at the halfway point in Hamilton, Alabama. However, if you are traveling with kids a 2nd night on the road would be recommended.
I can't tell you about road construction - really the only way to know is to look at the DOT/Highway department pages of each individual state - and even those sites tend to be hit or miss when it comes to accurate information. I will say, however, that pretty much any other route is going to require a significant chunk of 2 lane roads and/or a significant amount of distance.
Have only two weeks ago been there... and I can tell you that there is a lot of construction on the roads I travelled around the Disney area. I too, feel quite uncomfortable with lane closures. Even at the weekend - or because it was the weekend - traffic was crawling on I-4.
My route was not to OKC... I headed for Cincanetti on I-75 - which also has its fair share of construction going on. It's hard to avoid.
As mentioned above, you can check on the individual States websites. But I agree with Michael, they are hit-and-miss. At times I found that when I was told there was construction in a certain area... I found there was no sign of any... and conversely, in places which were not mentioned, I found construction and lane closures. I do not know how you get around that, other than, at some visitor and welcome centres they are really good with that sort of information.
You may also like to note that in Florida the Toll roads are now all cashless. Sun-Pass or numberplate photo, and billed later... including an admin fee.
Lifey
According to the official website, you may still pay cash everywhere but in Miami-Dade County and on one road in Tampa.
In your opinions, is the Memphis-Birmingham-Montgomery-Tallahasee route safe? I hear differing opinions on the crime level of these cities. It'll just be me and my young son traveling, so I don't want to set myself up for any danger. Thanks so much for all your help!
Your safety ultimately has almost nothing to do with the route you pick.
Every city has high crime areas, and areas that are quite safe.
Just like how you chose to drive is far more important in safety than the roads you pick, using your own judgement is telling which areas look and feel safe is really more important than your choice of specific cities to stop. If something doesn't feel right, then get back on the road, and continue until you find a place that is more comfortable.