I know I have exactly the same problem! It has become a true nightmare to get things done during the day now with the D-ring closed! My suggestion is that you buy a map, the big one, not the tiny pocket map, and spend a day or so actually testing alternate routes. I have found that if you sometimes go into the residential areas, you can cut huge amounts of traffic.

My two cents. :)

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi