What is the best route from Flower Mound to Downtown Dallas in rush hour.

[cags]

New job and wondering what the best way to go is. There are many options and I hear the I35 is a nightmare.

Anyone got any traffic secrets?

[TexasTowelie]

1. Head south to Grapevine.

Take Highway 114 to where it intersects I-35 near Mockingbird Lane. Depending on where you are working, you can take Harry Hines or Maple into downtown (there will be stoplights though).

You could also take 635 to get over to I-35 when heading towards Grapevine.

You'll never get a relaxing ride though, no matter which route you take.

[cags]

3. Thanks, I used I35 for interviews and it only took 30 min. I did a rush hour practice run and...

it was an hour and a half. I expected to add a half hour for traffic but not whole hour, so I'm freakin out!

The 114 would take me pretty close. Do you think 635 and Harry hines is better or should I do the 114?

[TexasTowelie]

5. You will run into a bottleneck getting off 635 and onto the entrance ramps at I-35.

That area is also a mess because the HOV lanes start near there and people will be changing lanes.

On 114, you'll run into a bottleneck in Irving near the exits for Northwest Highway and O'Connor Boulevard where the road reduces to two lanes in each direction. The merge from highway 114 to 183 isn't a problem, but you'll most likely need to slow down where 183 merges into I-35 near Mockingbird.

I tend to favor the 114 route over 635 since the traffic is a bit more orderly. It's been about a year since I lived in Irving, so hopefully I'm not steering you with bad advice.

Another idea that I will suggest is to park the vehicle in Irving and taking the Orange Line DART rail into downtown. The trains run frequently and you might be able to avoid the expense of paying for parking. I checked and the monthly passes are available for $80--a pretty good deal and probably less than what you would pay for gas getting from Irving into Dallas. I was on the Orange Line this past week and appreciated not dealing with the hassle.

Congratulations and good luck with the new job!

[cags]

6. Thanks so much, you've been extremely helpful.

[w8liftinglady]

8. I agree.Another option..

You need to learn the main backstreets that run (in your Sunday drive). I can't tell you how many times I had to divert...Denton tap Road to Irving blvd...which runs parallel to I30.I've had to do that too many times driving from Arlington to Dallas.I know a lot of ways...you'll work out yours.

[HubertHeaver]

2. Helicopter

[cags]

4. If only I could...lol

[Ishoutandscream2]

12. LOL, no shit!!

[HubertHeaver]

7. I concur with TT

From any direction, there is no good way into Dallas at rush hour.

Best you can do is get familiar with the route during non-peak times. You need to anticipate your lane-changes and exits well in advance.

[MicaelS]

9. Have you tried Google Maps?

Input your destinations, and it will give the commute time with current traffic. You can play around with the route to your heart's content by dragging the route around. Just hover your mouse on any point, and drag.

[cags]

10. Yes I have, and boy was it wrong.

[kentauros]

11. It may have been wrong on traffic times due to when you used it.

If you input your route at the very time you would have been driving the route, then it would have used current traffic conditions.

Another plus with Google Maps is that once you have a route mapped out, you can click and drag points. Instructions and times will change accordingly I used Street View to get me to an interview for the place I'm at now. The manager that interviewed me was surprised I didn't drive by the place the first time. In a way, I'd already done that by seeing exactly where the entrance was and what the surrounding buildings looked like. It's a great tool for discovering landmarks that aren't so apparent from above only.