Chattanooga is a city most definitely underserved by roads. No bypass, no alternate routes to many of the highways. 24, which heads to Nashville and northern Alabama, is almost always a mess in the afternoon.
I avoid Knoxville, though it’s a lot better since they built 640. It’s not a long bypass, but it avoids much of the downtown traffic there. Still, I generally get off the interstate at Rocky Top and take backroads over to US 27, then take that home. I’m not sure that it’s faster, but it’s a nicer drive.
Chattanooga is always in a perpetual state of construction. Chattanooga has nowhere to go except my direction. I watch the Waze app on my car computer and if there is a problem at the split, I take Brainerd Rd. Even years and years ago when we pulled the bass boat over Monteagle Mountain, it was a mess.
Knoxville seems to be better engineered but it’s still a mess at certain times of the day. My granddaughter went to South College there taking Physical Therapy classes and I always worried. Now she lives in Ringold, and I worry even more. She’s older now though and hopefully a more experienced driver. LOL