ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — There are ways around some of the worst traffic snarls near Bowen Bridge. But there may be no secret shortcut.

As Interstate 26 Connector construction changes familiar traffic patterns around West Asheville, Westgate and Hill Street, motorists coming from West Asheville, Enka, Candler and the Emma community are looking for alternatives to Patton Avenue and I-240.

The problem is that many of those alternatives have bottlenecks of their own.

828newsNOW tried the main route and one of the alternatives on consecutive mornings.

Shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, it took about 20 to 25 minutes just to travel from the New Leicester Highway-Patton Avenue intersection and make it across Bowen Bridge.

At about 9 a.m. Tuesday, 828newsNOW tried Haywood Road toward Clingman Avenue instead. Traffic was lighter than what was encountered on Patton Avenue the previous morning, but it was still stop-and-go.

The trips were made at different times on different days and under different traffic conditions, so they aren’t a head-to-head comparison. But they illustrate the choices facing drivers trying to get into town.

One area resident said locals who know some of the back roads may have the easiest time getting around. Haywood Road, Amboy Road, State Street and Lyman Street were among the roads she suggested, depending on where a driver starts and where they’re headed.

Fewer choices from Emma

For residents of the Emma community, construction and other road closures have taken away some familiar options.

One Emma resident said she used to have three ways to get from her neighborhood to downtown.

“We used to be able to take Hill Street as a shortcut to downtown,” she said. “It comes out right by the Chamber of Commerce.”

Hill Street is now closed as part of I-26 Connector construction. Changes around Westgate have affected another route she previously used.

Pearson Bridge Road is also temporarily closed, complicating another option toward Riverside Drive and the River Arts District.

Patton Avenue is now her most direct route downtown.

“I have laid on my horn more times this week than I have in the last year,” she said.

Her frustration boiled over Tuesday morning.

She left her home at 8:05 a.m. headed for a business meeting at Cornerstone Restaurant on Tunnel Road, a trip she said normally takes 12 to 15 minutes.

It took 55.

A crash on Bowen Bridge made the morning commute worse, she said, forcing traffic around the wreck in an area already dealing with construction and changing traffic patterns.

“It was a mess,” she said.

The 55-minute trip wasn’t caused by construction alone. The crash contributed to the unusually long delay, but it showed how quickly traffic can stack up when something goes wrong along an already congested route.

Traffic converges near Bowen Bridge

Near Bowen Bridge and Westgate, motorists coming from Patton Avenue, I-240 and the Westgate detour converge in an area where some drivers must change lanes to reach their exits.

During rush hour, the merging and lane changes can create backups that stretch west along Patton Avenue.

A wreck or disabled vehicle can add another obstacle.

The congestion can begin well before Bowen Bridge for drivers coming from Enka, Candler and New Leicester Highway.

Traffic turning from New Leicester Highway onto Patton Avenue toward downtown enters three lanes. During heavy traffic, vehicles can become caught in the intersection when the signal changes, blocking other motorists trying to cross or turn.

Patton Avenue continues with three lanes toward downtown before the right lane eventually branches off. Along the way, motorists turn into fast-food restaurants and other businesses, and buses make stops in the right lane.

For drivers trying to escape Patton Avenue by turning onto Louisiana Avenue, there’s another challenge: They have to work their way into the left lane in time to make the turn.

Louisiana and Emma offer another option

Louisiana Avenue and Emma Road provide another way for motorists to work toward the River Arts District without continuing toward Bowen Bridge.

But drivers coming from Enka, Candler and New Leicester Highway still have to get through the New Leicester-Patton intersection and a stretch of Patton Avenue before reaching the turn.

In other words, they have to get through one troublesome stretch before they can avoid another.

Once on Louisiana Avenue, drivers can use Emma Road to work toward the River Arts District. With Pearson Bridge Road temporarily closed, however, getting from the Emma area toward the river isn’t as straightforward as it once was.

The Emma resident said there are still ways to maneuver through the neighborhood toward the River Arts District, but they are less convenient than the routes she had before the closures.

For a direct trip downtown, Patton Avenue remains her most practical choice.

Haywood Road isn’t a secret

Haywood Road toward Clingman Avenue offers another alternative for motorists headed downtown without using Bowen Bridge.

It wasn’t clear sailing when 828newsNOW tried it Tuesday morning.

At about 9 a.m., traffic was less heavy than what 828newsNOW encountered on Patton Avenue shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, but vehicles were still moving through stop-and-go traffic.

Other roads, including Amboy Road, State Street and Lyman Street, may provide alternatives depending on a driver’s starting point and destination.

But none amounts to a guaranteed way around the morning rush.

For drivers trying to navigate I-26 Connector construction, the decision may increasingly come down to a trade-off: Stay on the most direct route and risk a lengthy backup, or take a less direct route that may keep moving — but isn’t necessarily quick.