Anyone driving through a college town like Tuscaloosa knows the struggle of heavy traffic in small streets, but the roadways of Tuscaloosa have been more like slow-ways 
as of late.

As dismal as the traffic may seem, people can avoid frustration on the roads without simply avoiding them all together. The biggest ally in the fight for road room is information.

According to Jon Howell, the assistant director of transportation for Tuscaloosa, the worst of the traffic is centered on McFarland Blvd. and 15th Street due to the 
massive construction.

“There are several other smaller [construction] projects around town, but nothing to magnitude of that general area,” he said.

Grace VandeWaa, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, agrees with Howell.

“University [Drive] is always really bad, but McFarland sucks,” she said. “I avoid McFarland between 3 and 6 because it’s so busy.”

Ironically, the construction on McFarland aims to alleviate the heavy traffic. They’re adding another lane from 13th to 15th Street.

“We definitely need more lanes, so since it’s leading to something better, I’ll muddle through it,” 
VandeWaa said.

Another sophomore, Josh Collins, sneaks around the traffic rather than simply avoiding it. His best friends are the back streets of Tuscaloosa.

“Lots of people don’t seem to know it,” he said, “But the grid format of Tuscaloosa allows you to take back roads from just about any apartment complex to any other major retail center in at least half the time.”

However, in Collins’ eyes, game days are a lost cause.

“If you want to drive on a game day, the only real solution is: don’t. Walk. Ride a bike. Fly. It’s all better than driving on game days,” he said.